Ah, the holidays are soon upon us. Have you finished your gift shopping yet? If you are considering gifting whiskey, there are a few things to consider and unfortunately it’s a bit more complicated than buying them a pair of socks.
Most importantly, I advise you to make the attempt to match the whiskey to the intended recipient. This will require that you know the person well enough to make a qualified decision about their general tastes and preferences. A guy who is really into barrel strength bourbon might not appreciate a heavily peated Scotch or an 80-proof Irish whiskey. Those are very different products. The safe bet is to try to at least stay within their area of interest.
Even if you know your friend is a whiskey consumer, just grabbing the first bottle you see on the shelf at the store is probably not a good idea. They will appreciate it, sure. But your choice might say more about you than you care to reveal. A person who normally drinks Scotch is probably not going to touch that jar of Ole Smoky White Lightnin’ Moonshine that you bought on sale and they might begin to wonder if you’re taking banjo lessons.
If your gift recipient already has a favorite whiskey expression they love, well that’s a slam dunk. Or is it? Maybe giving them the same-old says that you were too lazy to invest time in the decision or simply not very thoughtful because you basically “tapped-out” and defaulted to the easy choice. That’s only one step above giving them a $25 gift card for Cracker Barrel. Ouch. Instead, why not look for some less common variations of your recipient’s favorite brand…perhaps a small batch or barrel proof release would be more thoughtful and appreciated.
Consider the relationship you have with this person. Are you acquaintances? Friends? Co-workers? Colleagues? Relatives? This can determine what is appropriate or not. You probably shouldn’t buy a $300 bottle of Midleton Very Rare for a co-worker or an $11 bottle of Ancient Age for your boss. Neither of those scenarios will end well. It’s best to determine what is appropriate for you to spend and then determine the type of whiskey that is a good fit for that person within that budget.
Don’t be apprehensive about gifting something produced locally. There are new distilleries popping up all over the place these days and chances are there’s one or two within driving distance for you. Buying a local bourbon for a bourbon drinker is certainly thoughtful and would make for a good conversation. The local distiller sure appreciates your choice, too.
Regardless of what you choose to give whiskey-wise, whatever choice you make is probably still better than gifting socks. I suppose you could always tell them that if they are less than enthusiastic about your choices this year.
