I have wanted to give Scotch as a gift to some of my customers at the end of the year. What would be a good Scotch to give around the $100.00 range? Any suggestions? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!exjdub
End of the Year gifts eh? Sounds like Christmas! Are we allowed to celebrate Christmas on JWD? Well I do.
Gift ideas around Scotch are plentiful. There should be some good "Gift Wrap" offerings in the fall around urban centers in Florida. All the classic Scotch providers are into Christmas so offering their clients a spiced up Christmas package just helps you narrow down the field a little.
Scotch for the uninitiated can be a challenge as Single Malts can have quite a temperament to go along with their strong personality. As a result some prefer to give a blend such a Johnny Walker, Blue Label (High$) Gold (High$) Green (mid-range$) and Black (Mid-low$) or Chivas who have some nice blended age options. Check out their 21 year salute in a special ceramic decanter. Makes a nice gift. I gave one of these to my FIL when I was newly married. He drank it down and then now fills it with Teachers to impress his dub friends. Yuck!!!
Blends incorporate a variety of Scotches to give a more favorable experience to newer Scotch drinkers. Although a lot of blended Scotch is just crap (won't mention such so not to offend, oops already did!) the offerings from JW (sorry) and Chivas are not to snubbed.
If your recipient is into single malts then the choices would generally be based on a region and Character he/she has already expressed interest in. Islay Scotches (or from the coastal islands) like Skye, Jura etc. Offerings such as Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Caol Ila, Laphroig, Jura, Scapa, Talisker etc.
These tend to be on the peaty side with an almost medicinal taste and saltiness from their proximity to the ocean and local water sources. Many an Islay sits in the liquor cabinet untouched because the recipient was just not ready for this step in Scotch appreciation!
Lagavulin should go only to someone who has expressed specific affection for it. I love it and especially with a meal (before or after) as it is an ideal palate cleanser. However it is not for the casual drinker as can be seen by these reviews:
The worst scotch i ever drink(and i am a fanatic whisky drinker),taste is like poison.What a smell!
Overwhelmingly peaty and dense, hangs around the nose and throat for a long time but lots of warmth with no sharpness. I prefer something lighter such as Bowmore or even Tamnavulin (Speyside) but this is a great example of an intense and well-rounded Islay.
This stuff has some serious peat taste and is not for the casual single malt drinker.
If you are buying this because you think four years makes a difference then your wasting your money.
If you want to give something that appeals to the majority and even women, consider the softer Speyside and Highland Scotches, such as Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, Strathisla or Oban amongst others. My wife likes Cardhu (Speyside) which is the main ingredient in the Johnny Walker Scotch Blends. (Strathisla is the major portion in Chivas) Other well known and cherished Speyside Scotch is Craigganmore, Balvenie, Dalwhinnie, GlenFarclas, Knockando and one of my favorites The MacAllan
Lowland Scotch seems to mature faster than Highland due to some of the complexities of the peat, water, temperature, distillation technique and ambient humidity of the region. Therefore older offerings from the lowlands resemble some American and Canadian whisky because of the woodiness of the product. However the younger Scotch such as 8-12 year olds like Glenkinchie 10 are quite nice. Don't get me wrong, I would not kick a 31 year old Auchentoshan out of bed for eating crackers!
So either way you go, the blended or single malts, it would be best to see what reviewers have said about your selection on line and like any gift, consider the receiver especially. (I hate to see good stuff go to waste). Try to stick with something that gives you the age of the Scotch. Most of the cheaper scotch is nothing more than 2 year old grain alcohol with some caramel colouring to give it taste and color.
Oh, and one last suggestion since we are talking Scotch. Try to narrow the shopping list and field down, approach your local distributor and have them order in for you the product you have chosen. You should also see about getting a discount if you are talking more than 5 bottles! That is what is best about being Scotish even if you are only one in spirit!
slainte!
Frank75
