Spectacular scotch suggestions?

December 17, 2023 5:11 AM

I’d like to gift an amazing bottle of whiskey to a once-in-a-lifetime mentor. He enjoys whiskey but freely admits he isn’t a connoisseur. He really enjoys Johnnie Walker Blue, I think he considers it “smoky yet smooth.” He has mentioned he doesn’t like super peaty scotch. My entire scotch world is Islay. Help?

I’ve only had JW Blue once. It was enjoyable but I don’t recall the flavor profile well, I just remember thinking I would take the ol’ Lagavulin 16 over it any day.

Because I have mostly just explored the Islay single malts and know much less about other regions’ whiskies, I’ve been struggling to figure out what would work well as a gift for my mentor.

What would make an extravagant gift for someone who thinks JW Blue is the best? He is also a big red wine drinker, being from Spain originally, fwiw, if that info helps re: palate and preference.

Single malt, blended, other whisky, other liquors, doesn’t matter. Budget is $500 or so. Bonus if the packaging has a lux feel as well. The idea is that it would be a step “up” from JW Blue, whatever that means.

Some thoughts after perusing my local shop are - JW King George V (is this worth the $$$?), Glenmorangie Signet, Balvenie 21 Portwood, Highland Park 21Y… or maybe just a special edition JW Blue like the umami. Thanks!

posted by nemutdero to Food & Drink (11 answers total)

I have a bottle of 21 year Mortlach that I enjoy a sip of on special occasions. It's very nice. All the flavors I like in scotch with nothing harsh or off-putting. I do like peat when I'm in the mood, this doesn't have any.

A few years ago I had a 1976 Royal Brackla at a tasting that was out of this world. Not sure if inflation might have pushed that out of your stated price range by now.

Speyside single malts in your price range, say $250 to $500 or a little more, are probably generally good choices, and you'd probably have several nice ones to choose from.

Offerings that are finished in sherry casks (Mortlach does this) might be a nice personal connection with someone with a Spanish background, as well as often being a different approach to flavor than big-and-peaty.

The challenge can be navigating between what's genuinely tasty, versus what's rare and collectible (but might or might not be what you want), versus what's gimmicky and marketing-oriented. As a general rule, an "old money" vibe pays off in both wine and whisky. The really good stuff doesn't need to shout on its label, or even advertise much. One thing I like about my Mortlach bottle is that it has a plain-jane Gordon and MacPhail labelling, instead of a slicker Diageo corporate presentation.
posted by gimonca at 6:17 AM on December 17, 2023 [3 favorites]

Seconding that a sherry cask finish will have a flavour that appeals to someone into blended whiskies.
posted by sixswitch at 6:28 AM on December 17, 2023 [2 favorites]

Based on your description, I think the clear choice is the JW King George V. He's not a connoisseur but enjoys JW Blue. It's in your price range. The bottle and packaging are special.

It seems like this fits perfectly with your "stepping up" from the JW Blue.
posted by wile e at 6:29 AM on December 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

In the single malt, Talisker may suit you well. It is smokey, but less peaty and more peppery. Talisker is one of the whiskeys that goes into JW (a decade ago they stated that openly, now not so much), so that may work for you. Talisker 18 is usually around $200 or so, while the 25 at about $400. The older taliskers are harder to find outside Scotland, but in a major city not impossible.
posted by larthegreat at 6:34 AM on December 17, 2023 [3 favorites]

Compass Box makes a range of quality blended malt whiskies with different flavor profiles and prices varying from forty-ish to a few hundred dollars a bottle. Very attractive packaging and you can go peaty or not as you like.
posted by letourneau at 12:05 PM on December 17, 2023

In order of not peaty to quite peaty, widely available, good bets

Glenfarclas
Glenmorangie
Highland Park
Jura
Talisker
Ardbeg
posted by Ardnamurchan at 12:30 PM on December 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

Seconding wile e, I'd go for the King George -- I've never tried it myself, but those that have tell me it's subtly better than Blue, in a way that's hard to tell unless you're quite familiar with Blue. Given that most people have never tried King George, they refill their King George bottle with Blue and bet no one trying it will notice a difference.
posted by matrixclown at 4:53 PM on December 17, 2023

As a Lagavulin man myself, I get your dilemma. Personally I’d get a Red Breast 21 (Irish Whisky). It comes in a nice wood box and is absolutely delicious with no smoke to it at all. And it’s in your price range.
posted by jeffamaphone at 7:44 PM on December 17, 2023

For a very smooth, not peaty, and extravagant whiskey experience you might want to consider Japanese whiskey. Suntory never goes wrong in my experience and some bottles are either very beautiful in and of themselves or packaged beautifully (or both).
posted by babelfish at 5:45 AM on December 18, 2023 [2 favorites]

Another Talisker fan here; they had / have a "Distiller's Edition", which is finished in sherry casks. I found it a little sweet for my tastes, but it does still have that distinctive Talisker flavor.
posted by Bron at 9:16 AM on December 18, 2023

the smoothest silkiest whiskey is Knappogue Castle They have a 1951 that is aged 36 years in sherry casks that goes in the $250 range, and they also sell 12/14/16 year ages in the $100ish range, and they have a number of limited edition bottles as well. Could be fun to get your mentor the oldest one and the youngest one and one in the middle so they can have a taste test of the ages.
I like the suntory idea as well- they do make some really gorgeous bottles
posted by wowenthusiast at 7:49 PM on December 18, 2023