If you have to buy a decent gift, for yourself or someone else, whiskey will always be the right decision. Don’t get something boring though. Here are 5 unique whiskeys that fill the $50 to $100 gift range perfectly.
They can all be bought online if there isn’t a distributor near you. A quick Googling should give you some options, or my local liquor emporium, Binny’s, ships as well.
100% Rye
WhistlePig Straight Rye – Vermont
Rye’s resurgence has been a welcome one, but if you want to enjoy all the spice the grain has to offer, you need to get past the standard 51% rye content. WhistlePig Straight Rye is 100% rye, 100-proof, and 10 years old. They’re nothing if not consistent. $70
Triple Smoked
Corsair Triple Smoke Cask Strength – Tennessee
Corsair laughs in Scotland’s face with their Triple Smoke Single Barrel. It’s made with malted barley smoked in three different ways – cherry wood, peat, and beechwood. It gives it the familiar sweetness of a bourbon with the smokiness of a scotch. $65
Japanese whisky
Suntory Hakushu 12 Year Old Peated Single Malt Whisky – Yamanashi, Japan
Japan makes amazing and underrated whisky, some of the finest of which comes from Suntory. Hakusu 12 Year Old is scotch-like in that it’s peated, but it’s very subtle. It’s dry with plenty of oak, making it perfect for any type of whiskey drinker who’s looking for something unique. $60
Craft Bourbon
Few Spirits Bourbon – Illinois
Grain-to-glass carries a lot of weight with people who take pride in the whiskey they produce or drink. FEW Spirits mills the grain, distills the spirit, and bottles the booze in a glorified garage. The alcohol that sits in place of cars is some of the best I’ve had though, and their bourbon is the cream of the crop. $50
Ageless Scotch
Talisker Storm – Isle of Skye, Scotland
Scotch is moving towards spirits without an age statement, partly due to a lack of older whisky stocks. This creates a great opportunity for new spirits. Talisker Storm takes the heat of young whiskey and combines it with the sweet complexity of old, making for a truly unique scotch. $80