A good friend and co-worker will be celebrating his 30th year with the company and I'd like to buy him a bottle of single-malt as a gift. He is very much into single-malts - (I like to drink single malts but don't know very much about them). Help!! I need recommendations in all price ranges.

KarenT
Jean Edwards Cellars

$45ish - Highland Park 12 year
$80ish - Highland Park 18 year

Winetarelli - thanks very much. Are these readily available?

quote:

Originally posted by KarenT:
A good friend and co-worker will be celebrating his 30th year with the company and I'd like to buy him a bottle of single-malt as a gift. He is very much into single-malts - (I like to drink single malts but don't know very much about them). Help!! I need recommendations in all price ranges.

KarenT
Jean Edwards Cellars

Difficult to give recommendations without knowing the prefered style of your friend.
Does he prefer a smoky island style or a highland style with less smoke ?

From the 30 year perspective, a Highland-Park 30 or a Brora 30 year would fit. Unfortunately those are hard to find and extremely expensive (like >300$)

My recommendation would be 'Ardbeg Renaissance', a brandnew bottling of Ardbeg, so it is unlikely your friend already has it in his collection.
Ardbeg Renaissance is below 100 $

Should be. They aren't ubiquitous, like, say, The MacAllan, but they are in most good wine/liquor shops. FYI: Though the 12yo is only $45, I actually prefer it to any Scotch priced under the 18, which, in turn, I prefer to any Scotch under $170 I've tried.

I know he has several single malts in his collection and he has mentioned MacAllen in our conversations - not sure what style that is???

KarenT

I'm not sure what style MacAllan is either, but I've never met a single malt lover who however committed to a particular style didn't like MacAllan.

Macallan is a Highland Whisky, from a region called Speyside. It is not a smoky Whisky.

If you want something in the line of Macallen, there are a few options:

1) Find a rarer version of a Macallan. You could try finding a Macallan from an independant bottler. (eg.: Signatory, Gordon&McPhails, Douglas Laing)

2) Find another Whisky that tastes a bit different, but that is in the same line.
Eg: Glendronach Sherry Wood or Royal Lochnagar.

The Glenlivet 18 comes to my mind. Not quite tasting like Macallan, but equally fine. Should be in the 50$ range.

quote:

Originally posted by KarenT:
I know he has several single malts in his collection and he has mentioned MacAllen in our conversations - not sure what style that is???

KarenT

MacAllan is a Highland. One of the best Highland's, actually. My rec for Highland Park (Wich is from Ornkey) holds. It is similar in style, just slightly fuller flavored, but not overly smokey or peaty like an Islay.

quote:

overly smokey or peaty

Now, now. That's not really possible is it?

As previous posters have said, it very much depends on the style he likes. Unless you know that he likes Islay malts it's probably best to steer clear of them, just in case. They are the smnoky, peaty ones that taste like iodine and band-aids.

Arguably the best scotch of all is Springbank, but it's priced accordingly.

Highland Park is a very good suggestion; it's distinctive without being too "out there". Talisker is another good one.

Macallan is the Insignia of the scotch world. It's readily available and great quality. There's a whole range of ages (and prices). As MoselleLuxemburg said, if he likes that he might appreciate other sherry-casked malts such as Glendronach.

quote:

Originally posted by aphilla:

quote:

overly smokey or peaty

Now, now. That's not really possible is it?

Yes it is. Two examples: Bowmore and Lagavulin.

WOW - I need to learn more about single-malts. This is going to be fun - like wine shopping so many choices. Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

KarenT

We recently returned from the Highlands of Scotland and tasted a number of single malts. The Highland Park 12 mentioned above is a good one. I bought a bottle for our time in Europe. I do think there are better for the same money, though I'm not sure which ones are available in the US.

For about the same price as the Highland Park, I much preferred the Old Pulteney 12 from the Northern Highlands.

The best we tasted was a private bottling called Provenance 12 Winter Distillation, but I doubt that makes it here. It's from Speyside.

Also from Speyside is the one I'd most recommend, if you can find it. It's the Duncan Taylor 14 from Mortlach.

If you go for smoky, the Bunnahabhain 12 Islay is a good one.

There were several other special ones that I'd recommend. Dalwhinnie makes a limited bottlingwith a dark label that was excellent, though expensive. I don;t think that makes it to the US. I found the Balvenie 12 Double Wood surprisingly good for a modestly priced bottle.

It's hard to go far wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by Board-O:
There were several other special ones that I'd recommend. Dalwhinnie makes a limited bottlingwith a dark label that was excellent, though expensive. I don;t think that makes it to the US.

The Distillers Edition Dalwhinne (dark green label) can be found here and there. I picked up a 1990 edition bottle in Scottsdale a few months ago. Previously found a 1981 edition in Vancouver, BC a few years ago. Great stuff, and worth the price if you can find it.

Yeah, I think that's it. I remember it had a year on the label.

Thanks everyone for the feedback and suggestions. This is what I purchased:

The Old Malt Cask/Highland Park - Orkney (1987 Single Cask - aged 17 years).

KarenT
www.jeanedwardscellars.com

Very nice choice. He should be very happy with that; I know I would.
I hope he offers you a taste.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Tong BBP:
Very nice choice. He should be very happy with that; I know I would.
I hope he offers you a taste.

ditto

Sounds great, you can't go wrong with HP and there's a good chance he's not had that bottling in the past.

Nice choice indeed. The 'Old Malt Cask' bottlings from Douglas Laing have never disappointed me. Had a HP 23 years some time ago, pretty different from the official bottlings, which made it all the more intertesting.

KarenT --I agree you made an excellent choice. I would have been very happy with that gift.

But now that your question was answered, I think it would be great to continue the interesting Single Malt Scotch discussion.

One newer release that I found to be excellent was the Arran 12. It seems to have a very distinct and pleasant honey note, and it is very different from the Islay malts event though it is not that far away geographically.

And for MNeeley--I'll take a nice smokey Bowmore or Lagavulin any day. To each his own, I guess.

quote:

Originally posted by Redhawk:

And for MNeeley--I'll take a nice smokey Bowmore or Lagavulin any day. To each his own, I guess.

Redhawk,
I'm sure there's a market for it, but I like my flavors a little more nuanced.
I'll bet you're the kind of guy that purposefully burns his roasted marshmallows too, aren't you?

quote:

Originally posted by mneeley490:

quote:

Originally posted by Redhawk:

And for MNeeley--I'll take a nice smokey Bowmore or Lagavulin any day. To each his own, I guess.

Redhawk,
I'm sure there's a market for it, but I like my flavors a little more nuanced.
I'll bet you're the kind of guy that purposefully burns his roasted marshmallows too, aren't you?

LOL! I really like Lagavulin, not as big a fan of Bowmore...

I have to say, though, while it is very hard to find in The States, there is something quite special to me about Ardbeg 17. The 10 that you can find here is ok, but the 17 is outstanding if you can ever get your hands on one. Smokey and peaty as Hell, but also tremendously complex...

Ardbeg 17 is hard to find everywhere i think.

Winetarelli, being an Ardbeg fan, have you tried the 'Renaissance' yet ? Very curious about that new bottling.