gifting 25 year old scotch

F

floridaclipper

Joined
Dec 17, 2013
Messages
159
I have a special friend that is celebrating a 25th anniversary of a very special occasion. I have a number of things in the works to celebrate his special day. He mentioned his son enjoys Glenlivit 12 yr and had enjoyable times relaxing together with a bottle. I'm considering gifting a 25 year bottle for this special occasion. What say you? Is this an enjoyable scotch? Is it worth the price or are there better options worth considering?
 
This is a big thread on Whisky.

The whiskey tribe and Trade!

Over the past year I have become quite fond of the whiskey tribe on youtube. Been into whiskey for about 2 or so years. Basically this thread will be for whiskey trading for those who cant get brand, A,B,C,or D in their state or town. (Obviously only participate if it's legal to ship distilled...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com

There's as many strong opinions about what's the best as there are about knives.

I have liked every bottle I've had from these folks. The have a 90's edition.

www.bruichladdich.com

Bruichladdich Distillery - Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

At Bruichladdich Distillery, our ambitions go beyond the simple philosophy of making and selling single malt scotch whisky. Discover our values, our ethos and why a commitment to progress is at the heart of everything we do.
www.bruichladdich.com www.bruichladdich.com
 
I have a fairly large collection of scotch whiskys of all types; over 55 bottles currently. I like them all but I have a particular fondness for the peaty/smokey whiskys made on the isles of Islay and Skye.

Like one's preference for knives of a particular type, one's taste in scotch is also very particular.

If your friend's son likes Glenlivet 12, then I'd simply suggest buying him a bottle of Glenlivet XXV, which is an outstanding single malt whisky, but it's not cheap; running about $400-450 (before tax & shipping) depending on where you buy it.

If you're on a tighter budget, you could consider a bottle of Glenfarclas 25 or Dewar's 25, which cost about $200-225/bottle, instead.

You could save even more by buying a 1/2 bottle of Dewar's 27 (the only way it is sold is in a 1/2 bottle) which costs arounf $100/bottle. It is even better than Dewars 25 IMO but again that's a matter of personal taste.

Glenfarclas is lesser known but very fine brand of single malt whisky made in the Highlands region of Scotland. Dewars is widely recognized brand of scoth whisky. Dewar's only sells blends of scotch made by various distilleries but it is known to rely heavily on Alberfeldy -- again, a lesser known but very highly regarded Highland scotch -- in it's blends.

Anything that you buy among these suggestions that your friend's son does NOT like, I'd be happy to take off your hands. ;)
 
Last edited:
+ 1 on Bruichladdich over Glenlivet.

However,
Glenlivet is a "highland scotch" and has more of a floral flavor.
Bruichladdich is an Islay scotch and has quite a bit of smoky taste to it.
Personally, I prefer the smoke. Many folks don't.

If your friend is a scotch drinker, find out what he likes. Scotches from different areas have considerably different flavors.
But if he is NOT a scotch drinker, a highland scotch is likely a good introduction to one of the finer things in life.
 
knarfeng said:
Bruichladdich is an Islay scotch and has quite a bit of smoky taste to it.
Click to expand...

Actually, Bruichladdich offers a full range of scotch from unpeated (including Classic Laddie, Islay Barley, as well as Black Art). On the other hand, they also make some very heavily peated scotch, including Port Charlotte and Octomore.

In fact, I've got a bottle of Classic Laddie and Port Charlotte sitting on the shelf now.

But, I don't think any Islay scotch is well suited for beginners and IMO the OP woud be better off buying a Speyside single malt (like Glenlivet) or a Highland based blend or single malt (like Dewars or Glenfarclas), which are always crowd pleasers, for his friend's son instead.
 
Last edited:
floridaclipper said:
I have a special friend that is celebrating a 25th anniversary of a very special occasion. I have a number of things in the works to celebrate his special day. He mentioned his son enjoys Glenlivit 12 yr and had enjoyable times relaxing together with a bottle. I'm considering gifting a 25 year bottle for this special occasion. What say you? Is this an enjoyable scotch? Is it worth the price or are there better options worth considering?
Click to expand...
Get the Glenlivet! As has been said above, whiskey preference is very personal. Since he’s already mentioned liking a certain brand, your job of picking one just got a whole lot easier. You can even mention that you picked it because you remembered him talking about Glenlivet for extra points. :)
 
If he likes Glenlivet (I don't), get the Glenlivet. If I told someone I like Macallan and Springbank, I would appreciate the gesture if they got me Glenlivet even though I probably wouldn't enjoy it all that much. Get what he likes, not what anyone here likes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top