2017 Holiday Gift Guide
Need some help picking out a gift for the whisky lover in your life? Whether you’re buying a gift for a novice whisky drinker or a whisky aficionado, selecting a bottle from your local whisky specialist can be a bit intimidating. With that in mind, I have put together a list bourbon, scotch, and world whiskies that I recommend as good choices for gift giving, with a bonus section for glassware. As someone who has an extensive whisky collection, I can tell you I would be thrilled to receive anything on this list, even if I already have a bottle—you can never have too much of the good stuff.
With a few noted exceptions, most of these whiskies shouldn’t be too hard to find, although that will vary based on your local market. I have also included a price range (marked by dollar signs) to give you a general idea of how much you are likely to pay for each bottle (based on US prices—prices may vary in your location). I also tried to keep the price range fairly reasonable. If you want to, you can really splurge and buy a $500 or more bottle, but I’m not including anything close to that range—the bottles I’ve listed range from about $35 up to $250. You can find the price key at the bottom of this page.
Bourbon & Rye
Four Roses Single Barrel ($)
The standard Four Roses Single Barrel is one of the best bets in the bourbon world. It’s easy to find, reasonably priced (around $35), and consistently excellent. You can never go wrong with Four Roses.
Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style ($$)
I’m not generally a big fan of Old Forester (or any Brown-Forman) bourbons, but their 1920 Prohibition Style is terrific. Well-rounded and easy to sip in spite of the high proof (115), this is a very good bourbon that is a little off the radar of many bourbon fans.
Four Roses Private Selection ($$)
In addition to their standard Single Barrel bourbon, Four Roses has a popular private select single barrel program, where stores can purchase their own single barrel of Four Roses. Although the availability of these bottles varies from market to market, chances are that if you live near a metropolitan area in the US, you should be able to find a store or two which currently has their own Private Selection bottling. I’ve had quite a few bottles of different Private Selections over the years, and they are consistently great.
Booker’s ($$)
Booker’s is one of the few age-stated cask strength Kentucky bourbons still easy to find on store shelves. Although the price of Booker’s has gone up a good bit in recent years, that’s mainly because it was underpriced to start with. Booker’s comes handsomely packaged in a wooden box, perfect for gift-giving, but this is not just a case of pretty packaging—the juice inside is excellent.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof ($$)
This one might be tough to find, but if it’s available near you, it would make a great gift for the bourbon fan in your life. Around me, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (ECBP) is nearly impossible to find, but apparently it’s easier to find in other parts of the US (and Europe too, I believe). Whisky Advocate just named ECBP as its whisky of the year for 2017, which might make it even tougher to find. I did actually find a bottle sitting on a shelf of a store in South Carolina while I was on vacation a few months ago, so there are bottles out there to be had. If you’re looking for a great bottle for a bourbon lover and happen to see ECBP on a shelf, it would be a terrific choice.
Barrell Rye Batch 001 ($$$)
If you’re looking for a unique bottle of rye, look no further. Barrell’s first rye bottling is a blend of rye whiskies distilled in Indiana and Tennessee, with a particularly high amount of malted barley in the mash bill (from the Indiana rye). The result is a wonderfully soft but flavorful rye that is unlike most other rye whiskies on the market.
Further Bourbon Recommendations—Store Selected Single Barrels
Most good liquor stores in the US will have at least one, if not many, of their own store selected single barrel bourbon available. All of the major bourbon producers offer store pick programs of some sort. While many people clamor for the extremely limited edition bourbons, like Pappy Van Winkle and the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, those bourbons are extraordinarily difficult to obtain. Meanwhile, store select single barrels are just as unique, but easy to obtain. The selection available to you will vary based on your local market, but store picks from Eagle Rare, Elijah Craig, Belle Meade, and the aforementioned Four Roses (and many more) are often available and usually quite good. Nearly half of the bourbons I’ve reviewed have been local store select single barrels. Why? Because those are the bottles I generally look for and buy. Any store that’s worth a damn will gladly give you a sample of their store pick, so you can always try before you buy.
Scotch
Compass Box Great King St Glasgow Blend ($)
There might not be a better value in Scotch whisky than Compass Box’s Glasgow Blend. Compass Box is known for creating some terrific blended whisky, and this entry level bottle is no exception. This is a mix of single malt whiskies and grain whiskies, with the percentage of single malts being much higher than your typical blend. Well balanced with notes of sherry and some peat smoke, Glasgow Blend is a great choice if you’re on a budget. You should be able to find this for around $40. If you can’t find the Glasgow Blend, the regular Great King St is also a solid choice. And if you want to spend a little more money, any Compass Box whisky (especially their limited edition bottles) is a great gift choice.
Clynelish 14 Year ($$)
Clynelish is a good whisky that just about any single malt fan will enjoy. It’s not heavily peated, so if the whisky lover in your life doesn’t care for smokey whiskies, this is a safe choice. Clynelish 14 is fairly priced and easy to find pretty much anywhere single malts are sold. It may not be the most exciting whisky in the world, but it’s a good and classic dram that every whisky anorak should keep in their bar.
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2017 ($$)
Every year Laphroaig releases a limited edition whisky named Cairdeas. The 2017 edition is a cask strength version of their popular Quarter Cask. If you’re looking for a fairly unique single malt for someone who is a fan of heavily peated whisky, then Cairdeas is a great choice. The 2017 Cairdeas is a limited release, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find, as Laphroaig produced a large number of bottles. There are still plenty of bottles on the shelf in my area. And if you happen to see an older version, grab it. The 2016 was fantastic.
Springbank 12 Year Cask Strength ($$$)
I’d be remiss if I put together a whisky suggestion guide and didn’t include Springbank, the first love of so many single malt fans. The 12 Year Cask Strength version is my favorite from the Campbeltown distillery’s core range, but it can be a little difficult to find. If this bottle isn’t available near you, any of the other Springbank bottlings would be a good choice.
Glendronach 18 Year ($$$)
Glendronach 18 may be a little harder to find than some of the other whiskies on this list (and a bit more expensive), but if it is available near you, it would be an excellent choice for the whisky lover in your life. This is a sherry oak aged whisky, with plenty of oak influence. Fruity, spicy, delicious. I can say from personal experience that this makes an excellent gift, as I received a bottle of this from my brother last Christmas. It was a good Christmas.
Bruichladdich Octomore ($$$$)
Looking for something extra special for the whisky lover in your life? If he/she is a fan of heavily peated whisky, then Octomore is a great choice. Although it may be a little harder to find than some of the other whiskies on this list, it is out there if you look for it. If you are in a place where you can order whisky online and have it shipped to you, then it shouldn’t be difficult to obtain. There are many different versions of Octomore, but they all have a similar theme (lots of peat smoke), so don’t fret too much over the exact version number.
Further Scotch Recommendations—Old Standbys and Independent Bottlers
There are so many single malts available, it’s tough to limit my recommendations to only a handful. Your local market may have a more limited selection than what is available in many places, so let me give a few more quick suggestions. Macallan is always a popular choice for gift giving—I recommend going with the Macallan Edition No. 3 (or even better, Edition No. 2, if you can still find it). The Balvenie is another single malt that makes for a nice choice in a variety of prices ranges—if you can find it, the recently released Balvenie Peat Week is one of my favorites. For those who like heavily peated whisky, Ardbeg 10 Year, Uigeadail, or any of Ardbeg’s other offerings are good choices. As a bonus, Ardbeg offers several gift packagings that include a bottle of the 10 Year plus additional samples.
A more unique option is to go with an independent bottling of a single malt scotch. This is similar to my recommendation of store select bourbon barrels, but is not unique to a single store (usually). There are numerous independent bottlers out there, such as The Creative Whisky Company (bottled under the “Exclusive Malts” label), Gordon & MacPhail, Signatory, Blackadder, and more. I particularly recommend anything from Exclusive Malts—I’ve had quite a few of their bottles and have yet to be disappointed.
World Whisky
Amrut Fusion ($$)
Amrut Fusion is made from a mix of 75% unpeated Indian malted barley and 25% peated Scottish barley. Aged in the hot climate of India, this whisky matures quickly, resulting in a spicy and balanced single malt that is sure to please. Amrut is making great whisky, and Fusion is one of their best standard bottlings.
Kavalan Vinho Barrique ($$$$$)
If you’re looking to go all out and splurge, you can’t go wrong with Kavalan Vinho Barrique. Aged in casks that previously held both red and white wine before being re-toasted, this Taiwanese single malt is consistently regarded as one of the best whiskies in the world. It will cost you about $250… if you can even find a bottle.
Glassware
Whether you’re looking for a less expensive alternative to a bottle of whisky or just looking for a stocking stuffer, glassware is a good option.
Glencairn
Every whisky drinker should have a Glencairn glass or two in their arsenal. And even for people like me who have a dozen or so Glencairns… glasses break, so a gift of another glass is always welcome. For an extra special touch, you can even get one that is monogrammed or personalized when you order directly on the Glencairn website.
Copita Glass
Another popular choice among whisky drinkers, Copita Glasses are stemmed and tulip-shaped. Many master distillers and blenders use these glasses when they nose and taste their whisky at the distillery.
Cradle Glass
I haven’t used the Cradle Glass personally, but I’m intrigued by it. It seems to be gaining popularity in the whisky community quickly (I see it show up on Instagram a lot). This would be a good choice for someone who already has plenty of Glencairn and Copita glasses (like me, hint, hint).
Denver & Liely Whisky Glass
Like the Cradle Glass, this is a newer style of glassware designed for whisky. Also like the Cradle Glass, I haven’t personally tried it, but I am curious about it. The design is a bit more quirky, but some people seem to really like it. If you’re looking for something unique, this fits the bill.
Price Key
$ = Under $40
$$ = $40-$80
$$$ = $80-$120
$$$$ = $120-$200
$$$$$ = Over $200
Note that prices may vary depending on your location.
For more recommendations, check out the Whisky Review Archive.
