Choosing a Whisky as a Gift
Whisky is one of the harder gifts to get right, because people who like it tend to like a specific kind of it, and the labels do not make that obvious. Here is enough to choose well without pretending to expertise you do not have.
The one distinction that matters
Almost every whisky gift decision comes down to scotch or bourbon, and they are genuinely different drinks.
Scotch is made in Scotland, usually from malted barley, and aged in used casks. It runs drier, with more cereal and sometimes smoke. It is the more traditional gift and the one most people mean when they say whisky.
Bourbon is American, made mostly from corn and aged in new charred oak. That new oak is why bourbon is sweeter, rounder, and tastes of vanilla and caramel in a way scotch does not.
Someone who drinks bourbon will usually enjoy a scotch. Someone who drinks scotch often finds bourbon too sweet. If you only know one thing about them, this is the thing worth knowing.
Single malt or blended
Single malt comes from one distillery and carries that distillery's character. It is what people mean by a serious whisky, and it is the safer choice for a gift to someone who is clearly into it.
Blended combines whiskies from several distilleries for consistency. Blends get unfairly dismissed. A good one is smoother and more approachable than most single malts, and it is the better gift for someone who drinks whisky occasionally rather than devotedly.
The age statement on the bottle is the youngest whisky in it, not the average. Older is not automatically better, it is just older, and past a point you are paying for scarcity rather than flavour.
What to send, by what you know
You know they are serious about it
Go single malt and let the distillery do the talking.
- Glenlivet 12 Premium Whisky Hamper. The Glenlivet 12 Year Old with a decanter, two glasses and a marble coaster. Speyside, smooth, and about as widely admired as a single malt gets without being showy.
You know they drink it but not much more
A quality blend is the percentage play. It will not be the wrong choice.
- Johnnie Walker Whisky Hamper. Johnnie Walker Double Black, which is the smokier end of the range, with a decanter and glasses. Recognised instantly, which is part of what a gift is doing.
They like sweeter drinks, or they are newer to it
- Maker's Mark Whisky Hamper. A wheated bourbon, softer and sweeter than most, with a decanter and glass set. The easiest bottle on this list to like.
You genuinely have no idea
Go with the blend. The Johnnie Walker hamper above is the least likely of the three to miss, and the decanter and glasses carry the gift even if the bottle is not their usual.
The rest is in whisky hampers.
Why the glassware matters more than you would think
Every hamper above includes a decanter and glasses, and that is deliberate rather than padding. The bottle is finished within a few months. The glasses stay in the cabinet for years, and they are what the person associates with the gift long after the whisky has gone.
It is the same reason the cheeseboard hampers work. Send something that outlasts its contents and the gift keeps doing its job.
Frequently asked questions
How to drink it, if they ask
Worth passing on, because a lot of people own a bottle they are slightly intimidated by.
A few drops of water genuinely help. Not a splash, a few drops. It opens the aroma and takes the alcohol edge off. Professional tasters do this and it is not a sign of an unsophisticated palate.
Ice is fine. Anyone who tells you otherwise is enjoying the rule more than the drink. A large cube melts slower than several small ones, which is the only part that really matters.
Room temperature, in a glass that narrows at the top. The narrowing is what concentrates the aroma, which is most of the flavour.
Frequently asked questions
Is a more expensive whisky a better gift? Only up to a point. Past about the middle of the range you are paying for age and rarity, which a casual drinker will not notice. Spend the difference on presentation instead.
Whisky or whiskey? Scotland, Canada and Japan spell it whisky. Ireland and the United States generally use whiskey. It tells you the origin and nothing about the quality.
Can I send it interstate? Yes, Australia-wide. Someone over 18 needs to be there to receive it.
What if they do not drink spirits? Then do not send them any. Our alcohol-free hampers cover the same price bands, and there is a guide to when to send an alcohol-free gift.