A question for the whisky experts

shad_68

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I'm looking for a Christmas present for my sister, and she said that she'd be happy about a good whisky.
She also mentioned Glenfiddich and Bruichladdich as references, so something in that direction would be great.
As this is supposed to be a gift, it's fine if it's a bit pricier.

I'd really appreaciate any recommendations you have.
 
A nice one (and a bit of a novelty due to being Japanese) is The Yamazaki. I have yet to taste a smoother, more balanced whisky. If you want to stay in the UK, try The Macallan Fine Oak, another brilliantly smooth one.
 
Thing with whisky is, there are as many tastes as there are people....

If your sister is knowledgable about whisky, give her my number work on the kinds she indicated she likes, the mentioned Glenfiddish is a Speyside, readily available and I've never met anyone who didn't like it, Bruichladdich is an island whisky, don't think I've ever had it so can't realy comment, just know that as a general rule island whiskys tend to be more diverse in flavour (aka: easier to get her something she won't like).

If you ask me you can't realy go wrong with a Speyside single malt.
 
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Auchentoshan 12 year old.

For anyone else wondering, if you are ever looking to introduce somebody to whisky, the Auchentoshan "Three Wood" is the place to go.
 
I'm a big fan of Glenfiddich but if you want something a bit different then i'd like to add Knockando to the table. It's not very well known but one of the finest whiskys i've tried!
 
Definitely go for one of the Speyside whiskies - they're more floral in taste and less intense, unlike peatier drams from the other side of the island. Here's a list of all the whisky from that side. A 10 or 12-year is good to start.

Remember, good whisky doesn't have to be expensive. The last Scotch I had was Tomatin 12 year, which I got for around $26. Expect to spend from that to $40 for a decent 12-year. Pour in a rocks glass with a few drops of water. Sip. Swallow. Talk about the Crimean War.
 
Avoid ice and fizzy mixers, I understand a little water is allowed - dad was a big whisky man. The Irish Whiskey is nice too - you may like to try to get that (NB the letter e is in for Irish stuff, and out for Scotch - Cobol74 pet hate when people get it wrong).
 
Alright, I've looked at all your suggestions yesterday and narrowed it down to the MacAllen Fine Oak or the Yamazaki. In the end, I decided in favour of the Yamazaki. It's a good bit pricier than the others, but from what I understand it's a very good whiky in it's own right. And I think the additional novelty value of being a Japanese whisky makes it a very nice gift. :)

Again, big thanks to all of you!
 
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Wow, I wish I'd seen this thread before now. I have quite a whisky (and whiskey) collection.

Everyone who said you couldn't go wrong with Glenfiddich was right. The 12yo Ancient Reserve is the drink that took single-malt whiskys to the world and is still by far the market leader. Last I heard it accounted for two-thirds of all single-malt sales world-wide. If you wanted to impress her though, forking out for a 15 or 18yo bottle would do the trick. Tracking down a bottle of the 2010 limited edition "Snow Phoenix" would be even more impressive. Glenfiddich is my favourite scotch. I have 12, 15, 18, 21 and 30yo bottles.

Glenlivet is a nice scotch, as are Cardhu (the base scotch Johnnie Walker is blended from), Glenkinchie and Glenfarclas. Alternatively, you could have gone for an Irish whiskey such as Jameson 12 or 18yo, or a Bushmills 10yo single-malt. Bushmills Black Bush is also very good. The Irish whiskeys are made with out using peat when drying the malted barley, so they lack the smokey flavour ("peatyness") of most single-malt scotches. If your sister doesn't like the peaty flavour, Irish whiskys would be a good choice. Whiskey is actually Irish originally and was taken to Scotland from Ireland, so Irish whiskey is by no means an imitation of scotch. Bushmills' distillery is the oldest licensed whisky distillery in the world.

If she does like peatyness however, you could go for an Ardbeg, Lagavulin or Talisker.

Your post said "good whisky" and I see that everyone seems to have taken that as meaning "single-malt whisky", but there are plenty of good blended scotches out there too. I have Johnnie Walker Blue Label and Johnnie Walker Blue Label King George V Edition and they are both great. Same with the 18yo Chivas Regal.

Lastly, if you wanted to get her something in a stylish bottle, Jura: Superstition is an eye-catcher with a silver ankh on the front. The Dalmore looks good with its Stag's head on the bottle and comes in several ages depending on your budget. Haig's Dimple 12 and 15yo come in distinctive short, triangular, dimpled bottles. Johnnie Walker Swing comes in a bottle you can rock back and forth without it tipping over. Old St Andrews comes in a bottle shaped like a golf ball. The King George V that I mentioned earlier comes in a crystal decanter with a gold plated stopper, but it is a bit pricey. Which brings us all the way back to Glenfiddich. The tall, triangular bottles from the valley of the deer are the most distinctive and well known single-malt scotch bottles in the world... and the 12yo comes in a lovely shade of green. :D
 
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A nice one (and a bit of a novelty due to being Japanese) is The Yamazaki. I have yet to taste a smoother, more balanced whisky. If you want to stay in the UK, try The Macallan Fine Oak, another brilliantly smooth one.

Big ups on the Yamazaki too. I love the 18 year old one. It's about three times the price of the 12, but tastes more... Complete. Am sipping the 10 year one right this moment.
 
Ok, Christmas is over, the gift has been given. As I already mentioned, I went with the Yamazaki 10 year old, and it was very well received! The initial surprise of Japanese whisky was a nice party piece, but she liked the taste as well and was very happy with it.
So once again, thanks for all the suggestions guys, they were a great help! :)
 
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