Whisky Drinkers... help needed

[Olazz]

Guys a good buddy of mine turns 50 this weekend and he is a Whisky drinker. I'd like to get him a bottle of something decent. I know nothing about Whisky so would welcome any sensible suggestions.

Happy to fork out up to £500 for a bottle.

Any ideas??

 

[Lorin]

I'd suggest two things: find out if your friend has any preference for particular features of a whisky, such as whether it is peaty or matured in a specific cask like port/rum/sherry; and take a look at the award winning whiskies, such as the whisky bible awards and the world whisky awards.

 

[froggy Steve]

Do you need any more mates?
As said, find out his preferences, me, I like a nice peaty one with a hint of iodine...... Some of the Jura's are yummy

Sent from my GT-P5110 using Tapatalk

 

[clivehorridge]

I had a belly full of Old Mull last time I visited up north.

Can't really recommend it, but it's my one and only brush with whisky I'm afraid.

Not much help with your quest for excellence... Sorry Hic

 

[Chris]

Lorin nailed that really. You really do need to find out what sort of whisky they have a preference for. There is a huge spectrum and I would be suspicious of anyone who said they liked anything. For one, I can't go near the Islay malts. I have given bottles away and that is bloody serious. But Speysides, Lowlands etc, I could drink by the pint. Malts tend to ramp up vertically in intensity unlike wines which are very broad and different. Typically people reach a point with whisky where they stop. Below that point anything is usually acceptable but above isn't. Most whisky drinkers don't have a band as such within that range.

It'd be odd to be able to drink Laphroaig but not touch Glenrothes

Don't be fooled by the age of whisky either. A 50 year old malt would be nice for a 50th. But beware. A malt bottled 50 years ago (1964) is NOT a 50 year old malt. Not unless it was 50 years old when it went into the bottle. So you could have a dram bottled today that is 50 years old as it went into the cask in 1964. Some whisky retailers we'll call them rely on people not really knowing that. Summary - whisky stops ageing when it comes out of the cask.

The other point to consider is that as a real devotee, he may not be able to bring himself to open a £500 bottle. Unless he's a total lush then he will, add a drop of ginger ale and neck the lot.

I would appreciate a well chosen bottle of something I liked over a very expensive one I didn't.

He's a lucky fella whatever he gets. Unless it's Glenfidich of course.

 

[Dave_S]

Father-in-law swears by Glenfarclas. But all comments above stand. Personally, give me a decent red any day...

 

[Olazz]

Thanks guys, yep I knew it would be complicated.. I don't need to spend £500, but my original idea of a 50yr old old bottle rapidly fell by the wheyside(sic) when I saw the prices!!!

I do know that he is a "Speyside" devotee and he would be very pleased with a bottle of his passion. I know he has spent more than £500 on a bottle to drink, so it won't be wasted.

 

[Chris]

And price wise that's about right. A 50 year old bottle is around £100, a 50 years old whisky is about £500.

Might I recommend this site. It has a really good search filter on the left and as whisky prices go, I'd say pretty fair. I'd buy from them. There are some very nice bottles. Good descriptions too. I could suggest picking something rare, maybe a distillery that is closed for example. I also thinkk that distillary bottled might be nice too.

http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/C-314.aspx#price

Ignore the bottles on that first page, that's just supermarket stuff.

 

[grantw]

If he is a wine drinker you may be able to choose something from here http://www.vintagewinegifts.co.uk/acatalog/50th_Anniversary_Gifts.html I recently bought a 40 year old bottle of wine for a friends birthday ... which went down very well.

 

[Paddler Ed]

I've got a bottle of Balvennie 18yo Portwood which is very nice; I'll be opening it at the end of June when I'm back in the UK for my wedding, and celebrating finishing uni (again). I got that for my 30th a couple of years ago, currently it's sitting nice and cool in an esky in the garage at my parents.

Just remember, much as Chris has said, that a x years aged whisky is different to a x years old whisky. An x years aged whisky will generally be more expensive because there is less in the cask care of the Angel's Share.

 

[Chris]

I have a Glenmorangie Madeira wood sitting in my nuclear bunker. Come the apoxylipse I shall grab that and the pump action
What more do I need?

 

[AndyCook]

i have a 1973, 38yr old Glenlivet bottled a couple yrs ago, sitting in cupboard waiting for a good excuse to sample it
got it for my 40th,

however, if i was to spend £500 on malts, i would get 10x £50 bottles

The Islay malts are not all the same, I quite like the Ardbeg and Bruichladdich, much smoother than laphroaig

but mainly i prefer speyside, probably becuase i lived in speyside for quite a few years and went to school in Aberlour - the air was full of "marmite" smell from the distillerys!

 

[Chris]

Andy, I am on my way. Get the glasses out. My birthday on Tuesday, I should be there by then...

 

[Andrew T]

Picking whisky is like picking women, all different, all good, well any whisky is better than no whisky, but some are definitely easier to live with than others!

I am with Andy C here £500 is very generous, but get a mixed case that will be much more fun than a single bottle, it all comes out the body the same way!

 

[Chris]

I rather think the £500 was a budget not a target lads.

I am sorry to say though that I can't agree with any whisky is better than no whisky. I wish it were but I have been given bottles that I have run out of things to mix it with to try and get it down. Those strong iodine malts - nope sorry, I have tried and honestly I'd rather drink white wine. Yes, you heard it here first. ME? Drink white wine? Yes if they were the two options.

I realise that this means I shall be stopped at the border next time I go North (which was supposed to be tonight actually) but there are limits to what even yours truly will drink.

 

[Chris]

Andrew - I thought you were going to say drinking whisky is like making love to a beautiful woman

First you run your hands up and down her curves before getting her top off and having a good sniff....

 

[AndyCook]

Andy, I am on my way. Get the glasses out. My birthday on Tuesday, I should be there by then...

too late, i am off to Grantown-on-Spey for a few days

skiing, shooting and drinking whisky

 

[Chris]

B'stard

Make sure you have your helmet on and watch out for rocks.

 

[AndyCook]

rocks ! the ski lifts are buried in Scotland!

 

[Andrew T]

Did I mention I have a bottle of Jura in the back of the truck for this weekends Yorkshire trip?