I was thinking Single Malt but it ages in the barrel / not the bottle.
TBH, Id still go Scotch. Glengrant/Glengoyne have some excellent bottles in your price range.
We have recently had an addition to the extended family. I am quite keen to mark the day of the christening with a nice bottle of spirit (probably whisky?). The problem is, I'm a beer drinker and haven't a clue where to start!
Any recommendations for a decent bottle which can be enjoyed now with the family and another put away to enjoy on his 18th birthday? Budget around £50 per bottle or less.
I was thinking Single Malt but it ages in the barrel / not the bottle.
TBH, Id still go Scotch. Glengrant/Glengoyne have some excellent bottles in your price range.
Old Pulteney had a reputation for keeping well in glass which is why it was the choice of sea captains on long voyages.
TBH any 40% spirit will keep well in an unopened bottle.
But I do like a dram of Old Pulteney.
The "Distillers Edition" range of classic malts have the year of bottling marked on the label eg
They're all whiskies that have been "finished" which means that after the usual ten years or twelve years or whatever is felt appropriate for the distillery's whisky, it spends a few months in a cask which has previously held some kind of fortified wine - this gives the whisky a nice rounded character, which makes it more of a crowd pleaser - some whiskies have a lot of upfront character, and the finished versions have a bit more smooth charm to them.
As I recall (I used to sell this stuff, but not for a while) you almost never see each years edition in the shops the same year it was bottled, so you might have to wait a few months before buying the bottle that you'll want to keep for 18 years.
Something Japanese perhaps?
It's just a matter of time...
Buy Caol Ila within budget, very light and smooth, and you will still enjoy it years hence even if tastes change to darker things.
F.T.F.A.
Balblair ‘05. Nice easy drinking single malt, released in limited numbers every year (this is the 12 year old). The vintage bottles carry a premium and will be great in 18 years.
https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskie...elease-whisky/
The alternative is to drink an ‘05 now and wait 12 years and get the balblair ‘17? Assuming they’re still making them of course.
Couple of cask strength malts. Pick something finished in a sherry cask for preference. Maybe a Speyside. Something that sails under the "rich and fruity" description. (It's a relative term.)
Drink with a little spring water added. Cask strength is generally too strong to enjoy neat as the alcohol burn masks the taste.
Get some 18yr stuff bottled in 2017. This is more about the token value of the dates on the label than the content no?
If you’re going for a spirit, and provided you keep one in a cool dark place it will taste the same in 18 years.
But symbolically it remains a good gesture so I suggest you buy anything you like, be it gin, whisky or cognac/armagnac provided you have 2017 on the label.
If you keep the bottle in your cellar, wrap it in cling film first to preserve the label.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Alternative suggestions buy 2 bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau- then if you don’t like the little scrote when he is 18 give him the “special” wine .
I can certify it works. My cellar in France is perfect temperature-wise but the humidity is a little high, which is rather good for the corks as they do not dry but kills most labels. I have some burgundy wines but mainly Sauternes, ‘vendanges tardives’ from Gewurtztraminer and some ports that have been there for over 25 years. Living in the UK mean the opportunities for access are greatly reduced otherwise a lot of the stuff would be gone, replaced by younger wines. I still try to get a few crates every year though
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Talisker 18? Not just because of the double meaning, but because it's a rather good whisky.