You can also, of course, browse our Main Tasting List for ideas. Sort by rating (click the "rating" column) and look for anything B+ or above. Yes, we know you want to give an "A," but trust us, B+ is excellent whiskey.  The B's are still quite tasty too.

And, for full disclosure, this list includes bottles that we haven't tried – they are bottles that we would enjoy receiving. No, that's not a hint to those of you who know us (well, not necessarily), we really just mean they would be good gifts for hardcore whiskey-lovers.

Where to purchase: If you can't find it locally (in LA, try our Stores List) then check our Online List. We especially recommend you call Binny's Beverage Depot in Chicago.

 

(ADDED 12/11/08) We've been getting a number of polite questions which essentially amount to: "These bottles look boring!  I want to give a pretty-looking and strangely-shaped vessel!"  It ain't tequila.  Good whiskey is good because of all those obscure details on that boring, text label.  And no, don't buy someone a crystal decanter to go with their booze.  Decanting whiskey does nothing except show that someone understood their bottle poorly enough to want to remove their whiskey from it. 

 

And remember that because there are thousands of whiskies, it's hard to blow most people away when they open their gift, and often even when they first try it -- that gets easier the more a whiskey-head's expertise increases.  Most people don't have the breadth of knowledge (rightly so) to be familiar with more than a few whiskies at best.  With folks who are less-experienced, consider it more of an experimental and explorative gift, like "Here, try this, see what you think."  Whiskey is an adventure -- especially if someone's still starting out, it's hard to know if they're going to love the deep canyons, the mountain peaks, or just driving down the highway inbetween. 

Macallan 25, $500 Sherried and very smooth. Elegance in a bottle.

Lagavulin 21, $300 Very smokey and aggressive. Any peat/smoke fan will die over this. Limited edition from last year, but still available from better retailers.

Highland Park 1973 Binny’s Cask, $250 Syrupy and slightly smokey, delicious, high proof. Very limited edition. Quite decadent.

Brora 25 (new release) $320 We love these special, old Brora bottlings and hear good things about this one. The distillery was demolished in 1983, remaining stocks are extremely low.

Port Ellen 29 (new release) $350-$400 Whisky nuts who love smoke LOVE Port Ellen. This malt is no longer made, rare, and typically ridiculously tasty.

 

Tomintoul 27, $180 Very fruity for a Scotch, more on the plain side, and extremely drinkable and accessible.

Macallan 18, $150 Very sherried and big, but still very drinkable. A classic. Mac 18 comes in yearly vintages, all recent ones are great post 1986.

Bowmore 25, $190 Deliciously drinkable, yet with a complex flavor. Toffee notes, a hint of smoke, and aspects of the ocean mingle in this tasty single malt.

LESS EXPENSIVE TO ECONOMIC (Under $100)

Highland Park 18, $70-$99 Sweet, rather complex intertwined flavors of spice and nuts, with some smoke. Generally considered an all-around winner by most.

Lagavulin 16, $65-$95 For the advanced palate. Attack of smoke, iodine, sweetness, and crazyness. Many people die over this stuff, including us.

Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist 1990 Want something unusual for your peat/smoke/Islay lover? Get this one, but check that they don’t already have it (yeah we said it's unusual, but for peatheads they may have it).

MacPhail’s 15, $40 Incredibly drinkable, smooth, and sweet. Most people have never seen this before, and it’s a great buy. MacPhails doesn’t make the whisky themselves, they get it from a “secret” distillery (Linkwood) and bottle it themselves. That keeps the price down, but not the taste.

Balvenie 12 Doublewood, $40 Everyone tends to like this one, especially folks who are newer to single malts -- they tend to really like it on the rocks. Sweet and with lots of flavor, and rather smooth.

Old Pulteney 12, $40 Sweet, light-bodied with light spice, and very drinkable.

Hogshead Pure Malt, $30 Okay technically this isn’t a single malt, it’s a combination of two single malts (Linkwood and Lagavulin). It’s smokey and kinda funky and fun. And who wouldn't want to receive a bottle of Scotch with a pig on it?

Not as a gift. Not even Johnnie Walker Blue. Cheap blends are a cheap gift, and expensive ones are not worth it. Get an easy-drinking non-peated single malt instead.

If you absolutely must, get Chivas 18 Year or Chivas Royal Salute.  Or, the gift-boxed "Johnnie Walker Collection" can admittedly be fun.  But we're not giving you any links to help you out.

Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve 2007, $250 A really unique and full-flavored Irish whiskey, fruity and quite drinkable.

Midleton Very Rare, $120 This comes in a yearly vintage, they all tend to be very good. Caramel, malty, and full.

Bushmills 16, $58 A malty and smooth Irish whiskey.

Knappogue Castle 1994/5, $35 A very light and drinkable whiskey, there are some rough edges, but Irish whiskey lovers will love this.

Gifting bourbon can be a little tricky -- simply because many people who fancy themselves bourbon aficionados really, um, aren't. To us, at least (we're snooty and hifalutin). Of course, you're entitled to love your Maker's-on-the-rocks and Woodford-on-the-rocks -- both fine drinks, by the way -- but just 'cause a person drinks them every night doesn't mean they're a bourbon expert. They just love that bourbon, which is absolutely fine. But whereas Single Malt drinkers are typically looking for adventure, many bourbon drinkers like what they like and they like it that way.

Also to note, many "bourbonheads" drink their stuff on the rocks -- and while the finer bourbons are generally meant to be sipped neat, if you buy/gift/get a bottle, who is anyone to tell you that you can't put it on the rocks if that's how you like it?

 

EXPENSIVE ($200+) 

Willett 28 Year Old Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel, $260 This bourbon was just released and with only 120 bottles it'll be gone before a review ever comes out.  Several of these older Willett releases have been legendary, however, so it's probably worth the gamble.   And as far as we know, this is the oldest bourbon ever released.   Available at Bevmo for $260 

 

MODERATE ($100 - $200)
Parker's Heritage Collection 27 year, $200 This is one we've been dying to try but haven't got around to just yet. It should be rich, complex bourbon, yet without the heavy burn that some people get from the cask-strength bourbons (see below). For a review, read here.

 

Willett 17 Year Old Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel, $115 Another new Willett release, this one at 72.4% ABV (Alcohol by volume).  That's really high, presume that it will appeal to the most insane of bourbonheads.

Any of the 5 whiskies (2 are ryes, 3 are bourbon) from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, $50-$80. This is a limited release issued each fall, and generally all of them have been quite excellent. Most likely, you'll only be able to find the most recent release, or last year's. Pay attention to the ABV% (alcohol content) and if your giftee is used to sipping lower proof bourbon (e.g. Makers, Knob Creek) then you may want to stick with one of the less alcoholic ones. Depending how far you are from Kentucky, the price on these bottles seems to get higher (though good deals have been found in LA). By the way, if you're giving multiple bottles to someone, it looks really cool if they're all from the Antique Collection.

 

The Pappy Van Winkle bourbons also make great gifts, particularly the "Family Reserve" ones --  the 15 year ($65) or 20 year ($95) in particular.  Do a little recon, though, as most folks who start to get into the "serious" bourbons tend to go to these first, so they may already have them.

 

Black Maple Hill Small Batch, $35 This is very tasty, rather easygoing bourbon at a great price. If you're looking for something at this price point, this is a good and unusual one to get. To note, if you can find any of the other Black Maple Hill bourbons (11 year, 14 year, 16 year or higher) then those are fantastic as well. By the way, if you do, please let us know where the heck you found them.

 

Evan Williams Single Barrel, $28  This comes in yearly vintages, and within those years are bottles from various single casks of bourbon (each bottle is labeled on the back).  So you never know exactly what you're gonna get, but in general these range from pretty good to really darn good, and at a good price.  

 

 

 

If you know for certain that your giftee is a whiskey nut, and he/she seems to have everything under the sun (or you just want to take them by complete surprise), you might want to try giving them Charbay Whiskey I or Charbay Whiskey II, which run about $350. Check our review on the first to see what the story is. Basically, this is really unique stuff -- while some folks in our group didn't care for it as much, many of us absolutely love it.  To note, it is very high proof, but can be served on the rocks.  Jim Murray just gave Release II 91 points in his 2009 Whisky Bible.

And on that note, Jim Murray's 2009 Whisky Bible also makes a great gift (about $17). It has tasting notes and ratings for over 3,850 whiskies around the world, including Scotch, bourbon, Irish whiskey, Japanese whiskies, and lots more. Order it now because it comes from the UK.


And that's about it for now. Please feel free to give us feedback and/or ask questions.