Suggestions Needed

[teetotaler]

Hello Whiskey Forum,

As you might guess from my name I do not drink alcohol and know very little about the world of Whiskey. I have several friends that drink but non of them favor Scotch but one, and it's because of him that I am here seeking suggestions.

My friend was always just a beer drinker when I met and got to know him. Then about 20yrs ago he moved to N. California and was introduced to Scotch by some of his co-workers, and has been a convert ever since. He has been fighting cancer for the last 18 months and after having good results at first, has been re-diagnosed with it again. I would like to buy him a very good bottle of Scotch to send him to help keep his spirits up and to wish him well, but do not have a clue which one to buy him. I would really appreciate suggestions. I would like something that would really make his eyes open wide and say "holy sh$t" if you know what I mean. I know that there is a huge price range so my upper limit on the bottle I get him would be 150 to 200 dollar range.

Any suggestions would be very welcome,

[Brussell]

Is he a collector of scotch or is he a scotch drinker?
There is a bit of a difference and the answer will change my answer.
For a collector I would recommend a rarer bottle, whereas for a drinker I would suggest a well known luxury bottle.

For a scotch collector:
-Balvenie 21 Portwood Finish.
-Highland Park 18 or 21 (the 25 is like $220 but better).
-Macallan 18
-Glenfiddich 21
-Glenlivet 25 (although I'm not a fan of glenlivet).

Pretty much any scotch over 18 that you can find in your range will be pretty good. But you may want to scout out some stores in your area to see what they have. And if you'd like, you could post the results up here and get votes on the best option.

For a scotch drinker but not collector:
-Johnnie Walker Blue Label
-Chivas Regal 21 Salute or 25 yr.


Also, I don't mean to overstep, but if your friend is going to be looking at chemo-therapy or other cancer treatments then maybe scotch isn't the best fit right at this time. I'm not really sure what the relation between drinking and cancer therapy is, so it may be worth a little research. Think of what his other passions in life are and maybe a gift regarding that will equally lift his spirits.

[teetotaler]

Thank you Brussell for you reply and suggestions. My friend is a scotch drinker. Forgive my lack of knowledge about about scotch but I thought Johnnie Walker was an American whiskey. Also, you did not overstep, and I have considered that point myself, but this is a direct quote from his last email to me,

"Maybe when some of this health dust settles we can sync up in Utah this summer. I know you’re not a scotch drinker, well…I can fix that. J"

[drakoskl]

I would also suggest THE MACALLAN 18 sherry oak (not fine oak) , and the highland park 18 year old, for the scotch drinker. I wouldn't suggest a blended scotch. Also the glenfarclas 30 year old is a very good value for money.