Most of our fellow human beings put deep thoughts into the choice of the right Christmas presents. It should be personal, not cost too much but it should also not be cheap. And of course it should please the recipient and in the best case cause the expression of joy and delight.
You have subscribed to this newsletter and it is clear that we will talk about Whisky as a Christmas present. It goes without saying that you know best who you can give a Whisky to and who you can't. However, you should check whether the recipient appreciates liquors. You can also give a bottle of Whisky to a Cognac lover. If it is special enough and was allowed to mature in a Cognac or wine cask, for example. Have the courage!
Let's start with the simple, not too expensive present. A good Single Malt Whisky bottle starts at around 30€. But beware of no-name bottles as presents. You don't just give an amount of money and an age statement on a label. You also give the philosophy of an entire distillery. A simple bottle can appear special even without a separate gift packaging, simply because of the shape of the bottle and the cardbox. Cardhu 12 comes from a famous distillery, costs around 30 Euros, shows an age indication and comes in an impressively beautiful glass decanter together with a dark red outer packaging. An ideal beginner’s present. The fact that the Whisky also has an uncomplicated and rather soft taste, later helps with the acceptance of the Whisky.
Why should you give a bottle of Whisky instead of a bottle of wine? The answer is as simple as it is logical. Probably the bottle of wine will be emptied within one or two evenings. Afterwards, the memory of the present fades very quickly. The contents of the Whisky bottle will last for many weeks, as it is only sipped in small quantities in the evening. Thus, you’ll stay longer in the attention of the presentee.
If the present is to be a little more opulent, choose a gift set consisting of a bottle of Whisky and matching Whisky glasses. Compared to individual Whisky bottles, such a gift set usually only costs five to seven Euros more. In addition to the advantages of a long-lasting Whisky bottle, you also get two glasses, which will keep you in the recipient's memory for much longer than the bottle alone. At some point the bottle will find its final destination in the bottle bank. But the glasses last much longer and will remain in the recipient's bar as special Whisky glasses. This is something that will remain and be used instead of gathering dust.
There are almost no upper price limits for Whisky. In October 2019, a Macallan from 1926 was auctioned for 1.7 million euros. No, not a whole cask - only a single bottle. If you don't have the necessary change for such a bottle (who does?), there are infinitely higher quality Whisky bottles.
As a present, higher age statements are suitable (18, 21, 25, ... years) but also special gift packs. Very special Whiskies are delivered in wooden boxes. There are strongly rustic looks (Edradour Sherry Cask) as well as high-quality oak boxes such as the Glenlivet 25 Years. From time to time, manufacturers also come up with very unusual designs for their gift boxes. For example, there is the Talisker 'Campfire Hot Chocolate Kit' with a bottle of Talisker 10, a Talisker cup and a packet of cocoa powder. Musical Whisky fans get their money's worth with the Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 in a guitar case gift box.
Giving Whisky to a Whisky connoisseur is like carrying coals to Newcastle. The probability that the recipient knows a 'normal' bottle is relatively high. But there are ways to surprise the recipient.
Besides the distilleries there are so-called independent bottlers. These buy whole Whisky casks from the distilleries and store them independently and only bottle them when the Whisky has reached the peak of its maturation. Most of these Whiskies are bottled as Single Casks. The probability that the recipient knows the Whisky from just this Single Cask is unlikely. But here you should be careful to choose the right bottle, as well.
Choose Whiskies from well-known distilleries. What good is a Single Cask if the distillery doesn't have a good reputation? The following list gives you a number of distilleries with a very good reputation among connoisseurs. The first part of the list consists of outstanding distilleries, from which independent bottlings are rarely found: Ardbeg, Bowmore, Dalmore, Highland Park, Glenfarclas, Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Macallan and Springbank. These distilleries usually fill all their casks into bottles themselves.
Behind these famous distilleries with their mostly higher-priced Whiskies, there is a second group. They are not inferior to the first in terms of quality, but they don’t yet achieve such high prices in the market due to a lack of popularity: Aberlour, Balvenie, Benriach, Bruichladdich, Caol Ila, Edradour, Glendronach, Glengoyne and Talisker. Here you can find very nice special bottles.
We wish you much pleasure and success in selecting your presents!
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