Time was, when Christmas or Hanukkah suddenly loomed large on the calendar and last-minute shoppers began to panic, there were three places you could reliably count on for a quick armful of pretty cool presents -- the record store; the bookstore; and the liquor store. Well, record stores are about as difficult to find as moderate Republicans nowadays, and bookstores are rapidly going the same route. Which leaves liquor stores, at least until someone figures out how to download a cocktail.
Scotch whiskies, especially single-malts (meaning the malt used to make the whisky is from a single distillery), are a perennially popular gift item; according to the Adams Liquor Handbook, almost a quarter of Scotch whisky's annual sales come in November and December. Why, you ask? More than any other spirit, I think, a single-malt says, "I don't know if you like this stuff or not, but it's going to look damned impressive in your liquor cabinet regardless."
But suppose you want to buy a Scotch that actually, like, tastes good, but you don't know your Speyside from your elbow or your Islay from a hole in the ground? I mean, what on Earth is a peated cask? And what's the difference between an 18-year-old and a 12-year-old, apart from six years? These are valid concerns, some of which I may even address in the descriptions of the dozen single malt scotches I've listed below.
Heaven knows it's not a comprehensive list. Even if you combine it with the list I made last year, there are still hundreds more delicious brands out there. It is with apologies to Talisker, Caol Ila, Bruichladdich, and all the other noteworthy single-malts that I overlooked and under-drank this year, that I suggest the following whiskies for your gift-buying needs, and perhaps even your own personal drinking needs as well.
You'll find brands ranging in price from $40 to $20,000 (most of them are closer to $40, don't worry). They come from the Highland, Speyside and Islay regions of Scotland. They taste like everything from honey to seaweed, with lots of flavors in between. In other words, there should be something for everyone here. So as the Scottish say, "A cock's aye crouse on his own midden-head." As the Scottish also say, Slà inte! And as I like to say, Happy Holidays!
(Feel free to chime in with your favorite single-malts in the Comments section. Harangue me enough and I promise I'll write about your top picks next holiday season, so don't be shy!)
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Holler!!!
Among the tastes was a 17year-old vintage that even my wife, who is not a whiskey drinker, found palatable - much to my chagrin because I expected to be our only taster.
Very good stuff at Glengoyne, and an interesting story about why a distillery south of Glasgow is called, "Highland." Expensive travel and limited means meant we returned home with a single bottle each of the 12, 17 and 21 year-old.
They also have a couple of cases of, I think, a 75 year-old vintage that sells for $400,000 a bottle (they have sold two).
Nice tour, very nice whiskey. If you haven't tried it, do yourself a favor.
Cheers
If I'm going more robust I like Lagavuillin and Highland Park.
I would add:
12 year old Highland Park is very nice as well and quite a bargain as Orkney malts have not yet reached status symbol status. Th 15 year old Laphroigh deserves mention - all the character of the 12 with a little of the edge taken off. Oban, from the peninsula of that name opposite Islay does not fit into any well known category, so like the Orkney's is still a bargain and sits squarely between the peatey nose of a Islay and the clean dry finish of a Highland malt. In all though, status seekers have driven the price of reasonable malts through the roof, and I've found good American single barrel Bourbons to be better bargains - even the top notch Blantons is still under $50. In the same way a 12 year old Irish Pot Still Whiskey like Red Breast, at around 40 has all the rich vanilla caramel flan smells and tastes Scotch drinkers value, coupled with the smooth clean light finish of an Irish.
But the author does the readers a disfavor by not explaining the well known mechanism by which wood, over time, by absorbing and expelling the liquor, adds sugars and traps harsh alcohols called fusils. Of course the finished product depends on the quality and treatment of the wood and the liquor.