威士忌爱好者的最佳礼物

There is an incorrect image of whiskey lovers in popular culture: mustachioed people sunken in tattered leather chairs, with tattered leather faces, surrounded by dark wood paneling, sipping from their snifters of brown stuff. But well outside the four corners of that Nick Offerman meme are the whiskey people you probably know: the ones with a dozen bottles on their messy home bars, the highball drinkers looking for easy mixing options, the folks who just like the feel of a heavy rocks glass in their hands.

Getting the whiskey person in your life a nice bottle, whether for sipping or mixing, is always a safe choice, but so is a good glass or cocktail book. Here are recommendations for some of our favorite gifts for whiskey lovers (nowhiskey stoneshere!), liquid and otherwise.

Bottles

The first “good whiskey” I ever had was a $17 pour of Michter’s in my early 20s at a bar that eventually became a hangout for sceney USC undergrads. It was not exactly the spot for contemplation of whiskey nuance, but it creaked open the door for me on the joy of sipping spirits straight. Skip ahead a decade and there may be more good whiskey available than ever before. It would be impossible to do an exhaustive list of every whiskey we at Epi have ever loved, but we put together a run of gifts for whiskey lovers here of varied types and price points, and importantly, bottles we either always have on hand or would love to receive ourselves.

Compass Box Glasgow Blend

You may consider scotch whisky a sipping spirit, butscotch cocktails can be awesome. The problem is finding a bottle that is both tasty enough and affordable enough that it makes sense for mixed drinks. This one is A+.

Town Branch True Cask bourbon

Two things to know about this bourbon: It offers lovely flavors of cherry, honey, and peppery spice. It’s also 108.1 proof. That’s a big bourbon and it can comfortably handle the dilution of a cocktail.

James E. Pepper 1776 Rye

This budget-friendly rye is an excellent base for cocktails. Bartender Justin Siemer, once of the famed Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland, OR, told us this was his go-to rye for “virtually everything.”

The Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Unlike bourbon or scotch, Irish whiskey isn't always top of mind as a gift. But it should be. This one is delightfully fruity and very smooth. And at the price, no one has to feel bad about mixing it in a cocktail.

Laws San Luis Rye Whiskey Bonded

Colorado’s Laws Whiskey House is part of the great expansion of distilleries stretching across the United States. Laws does a cool thing with its offerings, bringing local grains into focus (in this case an heirloom rye from Colorado’s San Luis Valley). You really taste the difference in each of its core bottles. This one is on the sweeter side for a rye, with hints of citrus, making it a good gift for a wide range of whiskey tastes.

Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky

Japanese whisky can get very pricey very quickly and this Nikka is squarely in the “nice-but-still-affordable” range. It is subtle and slightly sweet—you can swap it in for bourbon in cocktails, though it is just as nice to drink straight.

Oban 14-Year Single Malt Scotch

Any whiskey (ahem, whisky) drinker you know is likely to enjoy a good glass of scotch, and this one feels particularly appropriate for cold weather, thanks to its orangey flavors and undercurrent of warm spice and smoke. It's tasty stuff, ideal for sipping alongside a cheese plate after dinner.

Whiskey glasses

Good whiskey deserves a good whiskey glass. Here are some glassware options that will make every pour feel a little more special. One thing you won’t find below is a whiskey decanter set. Over the years I’ve often asked distillers about these; they made clear to me that they didn’t think there was a good reason to keep whiskey in a decanter. So spend that money on a good bottle to go with these glasses.

Toyo-Sasaki硬Strong glasses

If your whiskey connoisseur isn’t always the most sure-handed, a set of Toyo-Sasaki glasses isn’t just good-looking—it’s also practical. Both the rocks glass and tumbler here are made with the company’s hard-strong technology, making them less prone to breaks and scratches.

Glencairn glasses

If you have a budding whiskey nerd on your list, a set of Glencairn glasses will keep them moving in the right direction. The shape was designed specifically to allow the aromas and tastes of whiskey to come through fully. The cut glass gift set here is also weighty enough to feel special.

The Neat Glass

What more do we really need to tell you than this is the glass the pros use when judging the world’s best whiskey? The wide bowl and opening allow drinkers to experience taste and aroma without getting overwhelmed by higher alcohol contents.

Riedel heavy rocks glass

For the whiskey drinker who keeps a journal of their nosing and tasting experiences, a Glencairn or a Neat Glass is nice, but holding a heavy-bottom rocks glass like this one from Riedel is an experience every whiskey drinker should get to have (bonus points for the two-ounce pour mark on these).

Other bottles

Whiskey can, but doesn’t need to, reside alone in a glass. Here are a few recommendations for other bottles to expand your whiskey enthusiast’s home bar—and pantry.

Fred Jerbis Vermut 25 Rosso

If your favorite whiskey drinker likes to sip aManhattan, the gift of a fresh bottle of sweet vermouth, especially one they haven’t tried before, is a surefire hit. (If they’re beginners, remind themto keep it in the fridge and use it within 30 days of opening.)

Gold Fashioned

150美元即饮鸡尾酒是definitely a statement, but the Gold Fashioned, from the same minds and palates from Chicago who created Apologue liqueurs, has the muscle to back it up. At its core it’s an old-fashioned, made with a mix of five-year-old Indiana rye and eight-year-old bourbon. But then it brings in ingredients from five other continents, like saffron from which they make their own bitters, and demerara sugar, cacao, and vanilla beans to make an old-fashioned that is particularly rich, warming, and, I’ll say it: luxe. The whole package is a beautiful gift—bottle, booze…right down to the atomized orange zest that’s included.

Bittermans Bitters

Key to so many cocktails, good bitters are important to have on hand. Spring for the set of eight if you’re feeling generous, or grab a single bottle of the Xocolatl Mole bitters, which pair nicely with lots of whiskeys.

Haku Mizunar Whiskey Barrel Aged Shoyu

Everything does not need to be aged in whisky barrels. But this gift-worthy soy sauce shows that a touch of savory richness imparted by Japanese oak barrels can be a good thing indeed.

Whiskey accessories

There is more to drinking whiskey than...well...drinking whiskey. Books, ice molds, and other accoutrements can improve a whiskey lover’s experience before, during, and after their dram.

Oxford Cocktail Companion

The nine-year odyssey of one of the world’s foremost drink historians, David Wondrich, is heavy, both actually (it’s 834 pages long) and figuratively. If your whiskey person doesn’t like to sip in silence but prefers to wax on about what they’re drinking, Wondrich’s book will provide the ammunition for weeks, perhaps years, of conversation.

Death & Co. Welcome Home

“Warning,” says Epicurious digital director Maggie Hoffman, “this cocktail book is not really for beginners. It’s a decidedly nerdy book, for booze-obsessed folks who are interested in esoteric ingredients, drink-making theory, and conducting their own tastings of a single cocktail adjusted three ways.” All that knowledge comes courtesy of one of the foremost drink-mixing teams in the world. (And yes, there are cocktail recipes too.)

Japanese bitters dashers

Repped by none other than the folks from Death & Co., these beautiful bottles make precise (and clean, which some bottles of bitters don’t allow for) additions of bitters to cocktails like old-fashioneds or Manhattans.

Tovolo giant ice cube tray or sphere maker

If someone is going to drink their whiskey on ice (or as an old-fashioned), that ice better be giant and good-looking, like the ice you get from either the tray or ice sphere maker from Tovolo.