Father’s Day might be the time to restock Dad’s Scotch whisky supply.
My father wasn’t much of a brownspirits connoisseur, but his Scotch whisky tastes were pretty good. He always had a bottle of Haigh Dimple Pinch in the liquor cabinet. That oddly shaped bottle, with its gold wire decoration, intrigued me. Alas, I never grew up to be a scotch drinker either, although for years I aspired to be the topic of a Dewar’s profile.
Father’s Day is a fine time to restock your dad’s special booze trove. Here are a few whisky ideas, with a cognac thrown in for good measure.
Here’s Johnnie: The Cadillac of Scotch whisky, Johnnie Walker’s Blue Label is a blend of the company’s finest casks with flavors of hazelnut, dark chocolate, honey, dried fruits and citrus; $225.
Glad Dad: Oban 14 Year Old, the Scottish distillery’s flagship single malt whisky, offers a nose of smoke and toffee and full-bodied flavors including vanilla frosting, dried figs, citrus and honey with a dry, oaky finish; $75.
Monkey business: The blended Scotch whisky takes its name from an injury Scottish maltmen would get manually turning barley; Monkey Shoulder tastes of rich vanilla touched by lemon and nutty nougat; $33.
Sherry baby: Sherry butts and bourbon casks were married in the Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 4, the fourth in the Scotch brand’s Tun series (aged in large “tun” casks). Expect notes of oak, dried fruit and a spice finish of cinnamon and ginger; $399.
Fit for a king: In 1818, the future King of England, George IV, received a specially commissioned cask from James Hennessy. Now, Hennessy is celebrating with its limited-edition VSOP Privilège 200th Anniversary Cognac, redolent with honey, fruit and dry oak; $80.