3 BOTTLES OF WHISKEY on the wall

[m4rk540]

As a gift of gratitude for helping me resolve a challenging situation, I'll be sending a vendor, 3 bottles of whiskey. One bourbon, one Japanese whisky and a wild card. I'd like to keep the damage under $125. Suggestions welcomed and thanks in advance!

[jtakeda]

125 each right?

For Japanese whisky are you looking for name recognition? Peated or non peated?

Either way I'd recommend Hakushu 12 year or similar.
Ichiro distillery is also highly regarding. Pretty aggressive profile whisky tho

[FlashUNC]

Iwai Tradition is pretty solid from Japan for not much dinero.

[m4rk540]

125 each right?

Lol

$125 total

[JasonF]

Woodford Reserve is a "safe and solid" bourbon choice and it's around $40 a bottle.

[echelon_john]

I would go with a single $125 bottle over 3 $40 bottles...more of a statement.

[m4rk540]

Woodford Reserve is a "safe and solid" bourbon choice and it's around $40 a bottle.

I enjoy Woodford. But is it interchangeable with Makers, Buffalo Trace, etc?

What's the word on Four Roses Small Batch?

[m4rk540]

I would go with a single $125 bottle over 3 $40 bottles...more of a statement.

What would you suggest at $100/bottle? Thinking I could do two bottles. One for a $100 and $50 for the second.

[robin3mj]

Breckinridge and Nikka Coffey and an airplane bottle of Johnnie Walker. They will thank you.

[m4rk540]

Breckinridge and Nikka Coffey and an airplane bottle of Johnnie Walker. They will thank you.

Nice!

[jtakeda]

What would you suggest at $100/bottle? Thinking I could do two bottles. One for a $100 and $50 for the second.

You can get Yamazaki 12 for $115 ish

[jtakeda]

Iwai Tradition is pretty solid from Japan for not much dinero.

Iwai is pretty good. Doesn't have the cache that all the suntorys have but I think it's similar quality to the single malt

[m4rk540]

My local Costco has been stocking a curated selection of Japanese whiskeys. In fact, other than Blue and Green label, they're the only $50 plus spirits they sell.

[Ken Robb]

As a "wild card" how about a nice cognac? The first taste of some good stuff has been an "ah-ha" moment for lots of whisky and/or whiskey drinkers.

[mosca]

What's the word on Four Roses Small Batch?

I believe they are owned by Kirin so maybe that satisfies two items on your list?;)

Seriously, I think their single barrel and small batch are great values not yet inflated by hype and speculation. I recommend!

[jmoore]

Get him some Michters or Willeits bourbon. And a bottle of Irish whiskey. No idea on the Japanese stuff

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[kppolich]

Bulleit Bourbon
<INSERT JAPANESSE WHISKEY HERE>
Yellow Spot Whiskey (Irish Single Pot)

[dustyrider]

I love me some Red Breast!

[instantturtle]

As a "wild card" how about a nice cognac? The first taste of some good stuff has been an "ah-ha" moment for lots of whisky and/or whiskey drinkers.



I like Delamain. Old French brand of Cognac - I like their Pale & Dry ~$80-100.

For the roughly the same price, I'd go with a Stagg or Taylor Bourbon (also around ~$70-100/bottle).


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[lhuerta]

ONE bottle of Michter's 20 year ....there is nothing else like it! Pricey but well worth it.

Three bottles may appear ostentatious...?

[pdonk]

For bourbon and to "save" money kings county and Hudson do half bottles or a buffalo trace experiment might be an idea.

Agree about airplane bottle of jw green or black.

[pdmtong]

I like your want to diversify.

Any fan of spirits old or new would enjoy these...

nikka coffey still $65 (the coffey malt is deeper/richer/better but will blow your budget)
eagle rare 10 $30
glendronach 12 (Sherry highlands think mac 12 on steroid's) $55

ok, so we are $15 over...choosing japan jacks the price. iwai...meh.

note, if the carrier finds out you are shipping booze they may confiscate. the old "olive oil" trick is less reliable.

[pdmtong]

You can get Yamazaki 12 for $115 ish

if you can find it.

sucks I remember when that was $40 or so and couldn't be given away....

BTW...I saw the LBS selling hibiki 17 for $550....really? I bought mine at costco for $115.....

[mrk_d]

As a "wild card" how about a nice cognac? The first taste of some good stuff has been an "ah-ha" moment for lots of whisky and/or whiskey drinkers.

For 'wildcard' brandy I'd go Armagnac. You can get Delord 25 yr easily for ~$70 and that's a lotta spirit for the price.

[FlashUNC]

iwai...meh.



Boooooooooooo!

Great booze for the money.

Actually, if that's the rep, all the better. Means prices won't get nuts like everything else from the Land of the Rising Sun.

[m4rk540]

Get him some Michters or Willeits bourbon. And a bottle of Irish whiskey. No idea on the Japanese stuff

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Considering it just for the bottle!

[jwd]

If you ever find a bottle of Black Maple Hill Bourbon, grab it. Very nice bourbon if you can find it.

http://www.klwines.com/Products/i?i=1026880

[pdmtong]

Boooooooooooo! Great booze for the money. Actually, if that's the rep, all the better. Means prices won't get nuts like everything else from the Land of the Rising Sun.
^truth.
Sorry. I let my snob show. Meh may be too harsh but I would rather buy up to the Coffey malt. IMHO the iwai only gets the nod because the usual substitutes from a few years ago are now unicorns

[denapista]

Eagle Rare and Nikka, which were mentioned.

Eagle Rare has been my got to as of recent. So good!

[jmoore]

Considering it just for the bottle!Willeits is REALLY good and the bottle is a nice touch. Highly recommended

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[ColonelJLloyd]

It's WILLETT. And it seems you guys are referring to the Pot Still Reserve. The Family Reserve line is various single barrel picks.

[jtakeda]

if you can find it.

sucks I remember when that was $40 or so and couldn't be given away....

BTW...I saw the LBS selling hibiki 17 for $550....really? I bought mine at costco for $115.....

Pdm. The shop by my house in oak has it--pm me. I can snag a bottle if you want.

As for hibiki 17. I have an unopened bottle I snagged in japan from a friend of my fathers. :D

[choke]

I agree with the comment that one $125 bottle is better than three less expensive ones. If I was receiving a gift I'd rather have the former.

Unless you are sure that the recipient is a fan of all different types of whisky then it might not be best to send a variety. While a lot of people are OK with them not everyone is that way. For example, I love Scotch, am OK with Irish, can tolerate some Canadian style if there's nothing better around and don't like the taste of most Bourbon....so in my case I'd much rather receive 3 bottles of Scotch than a mixture of styles.

[ojingoh]

Bourbon: 12 Elijah Craig - best deal in brown liquor. Anywhere. Cinnamon, crème anglaise, toasted oak. About $35
Scotch Whisky: 12 Macallan. Orange peel, malt, golden raisin. Classic Speyside flavor. About $60
I'd suggest a rye instead of the Japanese. Sazerac 6 is delightful. Clove, tobacco, mint. About $35.

Japanese Whisky: They are kind of expensive, so feel free to disregard this one and go in on a pricey whisky or whisk(e)y. For my taste, Hibiki 12 - Japan only- is a great whisky. Very light, almost like a highlands whisky. Solid malt core, heather, some biscuits.

[josephr]

I enjoy Woodford. But is it interchangeable with Makers, Buffalo Trace, etc?

What's the word on Four Roses Small Batch?

Makers is a mixer-bourbon and Buffalo Trace is a hipster's wannabe. Both are good for people who intentionally drive E-85 vehicles.

+1 on the Four Roses and Eagle Rare. Also, Basil Hayden is very smooth and Angel's Envy always a good decision from the top shelf.

Haven't ventured enough into the foreign stuff...

wild card suggestion is maybe an bottle of Jameson Irish whiskey---some here may find it a bit pedestrian, but its got its own place. Also Drambuie could mix things up a bit....more maybe even a Cognac or a Sherry if you want to go extra wild.

[m4rk540]

I'm a fan of Basil Hayden's. For some reason, I'm under the impression that it's not held in high regard. That may be due to seeing it at Trader Joe's.

As for the one expensive bottle solution, this stuff is going to a small office in Chicago and it was hinted that 2-3 bottles would be appreciated.

[m4rk540]

Iwai is pretty good. Doesn't have the cache that all the suntorys have but I think it's similar quality to the single malt

Suntory Toki. Solid for the (low) price?

[deechee]

I'm a fan of Basil Hayden's. For some reason, I'm under the impression that it's not held in high regard. That may be due to seeing it at Trader Joe's.

If you like it, why not share it? Basil Hayden has a pretty unique after taste I find. I find it hard to drink anything else afterwards.

As for wildcard, I'll throw in Mackmyra. It was relatively cheap in Canada so I'm assuming its the same in the US. Its a crowd pleaser as its on the sweeter side and has a medium spicy finish which is a bit different.

You could also send a white dog like High West Silver Whiskey which is quite drinkable.

I've never tried Suntory Toki / Hibiki Harmony but they're both regarded as non-age statement whiskys meant for export. Ever since Jim Murray named Yamazaki Sherry best in the world, prices have gone sky high. Hibiki 12 has a unique profile for being smooth, but also for being finished in umeshu casks (you can smell it); but this is not done for the cheaper version. I imagine Suntory is doing a similar disservice with Toki.

A better find would be non-age Nikka whiskies. I've only seen them online but they're not bad. My wife used them for cooking when we first met. She said they're available in grocery stores in Japan for 10-20$ (ie. everyday whiskeys) https://www.masterofmalt.com/blog/post/whisky-advent-day-2-yoichi-miyagikyo-single-malts.aspx

Nikka White comes in a very cool bottle and has a good whallop of smoke that you don't expect in it. Should be relatively cheap if you can find it.

While Chichibu whiskeys are amazing, they're hard enough to find in Japan, so I can't imagine the prices and availability here. There are some smaller bottles available with a picture of a leaf on them. I've seen them in the UK so they're definitely exported.
http://www.shinanoya-tokyo.jp/shop/shopdetail.html?brandcode=000000001223&search=chichibu&sort=

[jtakeda]

Suntory Toki. Solid for the (low) price?

Never heard of suntory toki sounds like ^^ knows more about it

[m4rk540]

I've come up with a few preliminary combos.

Basil Hayden's
Suntory Toki
Mackmyra

Willett's Pot Still Reserve
Nikka Coffey
JW Green Airplane/Honor Bar bottle

I should take a poll.

Also, open to sherry suggestions in the $30-$50 range.

Cheers!