Ready or not, it is that time of the year again. Holiday shopping season is upon us. So what do you buy for the whiskey enthusiast in your life that has everything? More whiskey of course. Regardless of your budget, there are bottles o’plenty. I’ve put together a list, broken down by price range and type of whiskey. This is not an all-inclusive list as there are tons of great bottles not listed. I’ve chosen these, not only because they are some of my personal favorites, but most of these bottles should be easily accessible. Lastly, keep in mind, price point does not always equate to quality. Just because one bottle costs more, doesn’t always mean it’s better.
If you know what type of whiskey you will be looking for, you can skip this section. If you have no idea what kind of whiskey your enthusiast enjoys, read on. There are two foolproof ways to find out for certain. First, ask them. Easy enough. Second, if you are trying to surprise them, take a look at their current collection. What do you see? Is it mostly scotch? Maybe it’s mostly bourbon. Maybe it’s a mishmash of various bottles (like mine) which means they’ll enjoy whatever you give them.
So now that you have a general idea what you’re looking for, let’s take a look at some fantastic bottles at a few different price ranges. These bottles are listed in no particular order.
American Whiskey < $30
Old Grand Dad 114
Very Old Barton’s Bottled in Bond
Yellowstone
Wild Turkey 101
Elijah Craig Rye
Maker’s Mark
1792 Small Batch
American Whiskey < $50
Elijah Craig Small Batch
Maker’s Mark 46
Heaven Hill Bottled in Bond
Russell’s Reserve 10 year
Knob Creek Rye
Angel’s Envy Straight Bourbon
Four Roses Single Barrell
American Whiskey < $100
Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength
Yellowstone American Single Malt
Knob Creek 12 year
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
Old Forester 1920
Jack Daniels Single Barrel Barrel Proof
Four Roses Small Batch Select
When it comes to world whiskey, my experience is much more limited so I’m simply going to share with you what is currently sitting on my shelf. I’m quickly becoming a huge fan of scotch and Japanese whiskey.
All of these bottles are less than $100.
On Bobby’s Shelf
Lagavulin 16 year
Laphroaig 10 year
Laphroaig LORE
Ardbeg 10 year
Ardbeg AN OA
Glenmorangie The Lasanta 12 year
Alexander Murray & Co Highland Single Malt 10 year
Buchanan’s 12 year
Suntory Whisky Toki
Redbreast 12 year
Nikka Coffey Grain Whiskey
Lastly, here is a list is of allocated bottles that are much harder to find, but if you find one at or near retail, you should grab it.
Allocated
1792 Sweet Wheat
1792 Full Proof
Weller Antique 107
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, Barrel Proof Rye
Jack Daniel’s 10 year and 12 year
Buffalo Trace Kosher Collection
Blanton’s Gold
Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel
Hardin’s Creek
Parker’s Heritage
Van Winkle Collection
Old Fitzgerald Crystal Decanter Collection (any year)
Now you have a list of bottles, their price points and all that is left to do is to go shopping!
Happy hunting!
