what to buy for someone who knows whisky

[news drink]

I need to buy a bottle of whisky for a bartender who knows a lot about whisky- but I'm clueless about it.

He also drinks cognac, and prefers more bitter spirits.

Any suggestions?

[Dale]

My suggestion is to marry what you know about his knowledge of whisky with knowing he drinks Cognac. The easy answer is Isle of Arran, Napolean Cognac cask finish, if you can find it. Wine-searcher.com shows Park Avenue Liquor in NYC still with some - it was a limited edition bottling. They list it at $80 USD. Also, Arran's whiskies have generally received quite high marks from the critics and press since their first release, so you can feel confident you're not just giving but giving good.

[Delhidutyfree]

We suggest you stick to his favorites if you know it as it's safest bet. Or choose from the more popular whiskys which is usually liked by most, like Johnnie Walker, Ballentines, Chivas etc.

Otherwise you can check this article we recently found online about whisky buying. http://goarticles.com/article/Whisky-Buying-An-Art/4330217/
Hope it helps.

[silverfish]

Since you posted in the "Bourbons,..." forum, are you looking for
Whiskey (Bourbon, Rye, etc.) or Whisky (Scotch)?

As far as a Cognac, Courvoisier has a nice 12 year age statement
cognac that you could probably pick up for $45. or so.

[Dale]

We suggest you stick to his favorites if you know it as it's safest bet. Or choose from the more popular whiskys which is usually liked by most, like Johnnie Walker, Ballentines, Chivas etc.

Otherwise you can check this article we recently found online about whisky buying. http://goarticles.com/article/Whisky-Buying-An-Art/4330217/
Hope it helps.

As the original post indicated the bartender supposedly knows a lot about whisky, I, having worked and managed boutique retail wine & spirits stores the last 10 years, would never recommend the brands mentioned above!

It's not that these brands might not be serviceable drinks, it's more that they are so common. They are a poor buy for someone who is thought to know something about the product category.

They are great brands - but this is also very different from saying they are great products. The trick for the buyer and giver of the gift is, since they're admittedly clueless about the product category, to find a store whose salesperson can give them a bit of accurate information about product in a way that they may easily repeat if the receiver of the gift doesn't know what they've been given.

Of course, this is more easily said than done, as most store's staffs know very little about the products they sell. (This is one of my biggest criticisms of the U.S. wine & spirits industry, and consequently allows for the typical consumer to be sold a mountain of crap being tendered as quality product/brands.)

The brands mentioned above, and the Courvoisier reference, generally fall into this, IMHO. Using the Cognac as an example, there are nearly two thousand Cognac producers, but only a couple hundred who've been able to establish their own brand. The Hennessey brand represents roughly 65% of global Cognac sales; add Remy, Courvoisier, and Martell and these monster four represents roughly 85% of global Cognac sales. The bulk of Cognac producers merely supply to these companies similarly as most malt distillers major revenue is producing for the blenders.

The point I'm trying to make here is these types of products are often guided by market share and profits more so than quality. In fact, quality is often never mentioned in their brand missions. These products are the "fast food" of their respective product categories, and giving these kinds of products are like giving a Big Mac to a trained chef.

They're sometimes serviceable but not for someone who is identified as knowing a little. Even if it turns out they know nothing, they're still getting a more unique gift, and almost always a better product. If they look into it at all, they will be more appreciative of the gift due to a perception that time was taken to choose the unique quality gift as opposed to that of having picked up something quick.

There's a general rule of thumb many in the industry who share a similar opinion about this as me: If the brand is advertised on TV, radio, newspapers and glossy magazines, stay away from it - if you're trying to buy quality and not brand awareness and image.

As for me, I'm a "slow-food" movement guy. And this goes for my drinking. I'd much rather get something that might promise to be good because it is rarely seen than something found everywhere that is likely to be mediocre. Even in the single malt category this is quite often the case.

I'm not trying to bash any brands or distillers (though I surely can), but I am trying to implore people to step outside of their comfort with brands like these because they'll generally drink better for their money - and they just might learn a little while they're at it.

[silverfish]

As the original post indicated the bartender supposedly knows a lot about whisky, I, having worked and managed boutique retail wine & spirits stores the last 10 years, would never recommend the brands mentioned above!


Fair enough. I'm primarily a bourbon drinker and suggested the
Cognac because of the age statement. My question to the OP
regarding whisk(e)y was determine what suggestions might be
appropriate. If you're looking for bourbon/rye suggestions, I'm
confident I could come up with a couple you might appreciate.