Fine Liquor/Cheese, Aged 18 Years

July 8, 2009 11:53 PM

I want to find consumables that are aged exactly 18 years, and send them to northern California within 2 weeks.

For a friend's birthday, I'd like to send some 18 year-old items. (No, he's not turning 18, the number is of personal significance for other reasons).

My first thought was to get some whiskey, e.g. Macallan's 18 y.o. blend. But then I realized other things age (cheese, wine, other kinds of alcohol) too.

Help me come up with ideas for what items might come in a variety aged exactly 18. Also I'd appreciate specific alcohol suggestions, too. Extra credit if you can help me find them from a retailer who will ship to Northern CA (as I can't exactly ship alcohol myself).

Budget could be up to 200$. Ideally, I'd like to find several smaller items so that I present some variety; I'd be okay with one really great item though. I'm in Boston, but I don't know if any brick+mortar stores here will ship from here to CA.

posted by nat to food & drink (16 comments total)

18 year old Scotch?
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:07 AM on July 9

18 year old coins and bills.
posted by dirty lies at 12:11 AM on July 9

18-year-old balsamic vinegar. There are lots of great wineries in Northern California that also make balsamic vinegar--and the shipping cost would be a lot less than shipping something all the way from Boston. Lucky friend! :)
posted by parkerama at 12:20 AM on July 9 [2 favorites]

For real balsamic, though, you want balsamico di modena. The good stuff. An 18yr would be nice and syrupy and if your friend is anything like me s/he will have severe difficulty not just sucking down the entire bottle.

I mean what.

Scotch is as you mentioned the obvious next choice. I don't think any cheeses are ripened for quite that long. Ummmm... wine? Something bottled in 1991 shouldn't be too terribly expensive.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 12:24 AM on July 9

K & L ships within California, they have a "sort by vintage" filter, and it appears they have at least 29 wines from 1991 in stock at the moment, several of them below (or even well below) $200.
posted by rkent at 1:26 AM on July 9

An 18 year old.

Or a copy of his favourite book with a reprint date of 1991. Up to you really.
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:17 AM on July 9 [1 favorite]

Also, is there really such a thing as an 18 year old cheese? Because that sounds like a bad idea. What about some smokes?
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:45 AM on July 9

1991 was a vintage year for port, for most houses. (Port makers do not declare vintages every year; it depends on how good the grapes are that year.)

Also, is there really such a thing as an 18 year old cheese? Because that sounds like a bad idea.

I've seen cheeses for sale which have been aged up to 10 years, so I wouldn't be too surprised to discover an 18-year aged cheese. And I've had some 7-year aged cheddar, which was some of the best cheese I've ever had. It made your standard store-bought cheddar—even the "extra sharp" varieties—taste bland by comparison.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 4:37 AM on July 9 [1 favorite]

An album that was released 18 years ago?
posted by smorange at 4:38 AM on July 9

Shit, consumables. Forgot, sorry.
posted by smorange at 4:40 AM on July 9

Not a consumable, but a related idea ... DVDs of the top-grossing 18-year-old movies.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 6:28 AM on July 9

I second the balsamic vinegar idea. I've only ever been able to afford one bottle, but I definitely enjoyed it.

Does your friend smoke? Cigars might be a good bet.
posted by foulowl at 7:01 AM on July 9

A 1991 Barleywine? J.W. Lees Harvest Ale? Thomas Hardy's Barleywine from 1991 will run you about $40 on ebay (but who knows if that specific one is drinkable.).
posted by bDiddy at 7:10 AM on July 9

91 was a very good vintage in California for cabernet based wines. Strong showings from Dominus, Ridge Monte Bello and Montelena. Depending on your price point of course...if that's too much BV Latour might be more affordable.
posted by stratastar at 7:55 AM on July 9

Wow, these are all fantastic ideas. No best answer yet because I'd have to mark all of them!

(and smorange, turgid, and dirty lies-- ok, so those aren't exactly consumable, but that's ok-- maybe I'll use those ideas anyhow! They are easier to ship..)

He likes cabernets so I'm going to check into that first; I might just have to make this multiple presents though, cause I can't really afford to get everything at once. (If that fails somehow, I'm going to start buying 18yearold things for me... that balsamic sounds awesome!)
posted by nat at 2:27 PM on July 9

Candles.
posted by Chele66 at 3:00 PM on July 9