2010 Holiday gift guide on a budget

gifts

The holidays are coming and most blogs have written their “gift guides” in the last week or so. I guess this post is mostly aimed at you Europeans/Americans out there, as we Israelis and Jews, do not celebrate Xmas, and hence get no gifts. Bummer!

My idea is to put a few recommendation together for non-expensive gifts, you would be able to afford without needing to sell a kidney or donate your body to science…

I’ve gathered a few suggestion that will set you back no more than £35 !!! (and most under 30)

so here we go:

Nikka From the Barrel  , £25

nikkkaFTB1

It’s always nice to give someone a gift of a whisky he has not tried before, and this little cracker from japan was a real surprise when i tried it a few months ago. This one is a blend of malt and grain from Japan, and bottled at cask strength. It’s pretty much amazing. Malt snubs do not shrug and say “it’s not a single malt” , well it’s not, but it’s better than a lot of malts I’ve had. It comes in a little 0.5 bottle, and each drip is pure pleasure. Highly recommended. Will make every whisky lover happy.

Benromach 10 , £28

benromach10

Benromach is one of the smaller distilleries out there, and this 10 year old which is peated (yes, a peated speyside) is a brilliant little gem of a dram. Not Islay style peat, but it’s just a great whisky.

Bulleit Bourbon , £19

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Bourbon time. This one I’ve previously reviewed is a mix of Rye and Corn, and is lovely. The rye does make this one stand out from an ‘ordinary’ bourbon, but it’s not too spicy and not too rye-ish. A good start for bourbon and rye, and an interesting mix of both. All for a good price.

BenRiach Curiositas , £26

benriach

Another peated Speysider, yummy stuff, at a good price, and without the need to be an ‘Islay’. Smoke, Peat, Lemon. It’s all there. nice!

Aberlour a’Bunadh Batch #31, £34

abunadh

The a’Bunadh doesn’t need much presentation. It’s one of the best value for money Sherry drams  / Monsters out there. with a 60% and above ABV, it’s the perfect Xmas dram for your sherry monster lover. A sure hit. I love this one, and i am not alone… batch #31. that says all.

One of Master of malt’s tasting sets

Master of malt’s dram size samples have been with us for a few months, but they have only added full tasting sets lately. there are many sets to choose from prices ranging from about £23 to £160… You can find some nice sets for a good price. I would recommend something a bit different, this time. let’s leave the highlands,lowlands,Islay and the other scotch regions, and venture to find world whiskies….

sets

The World whiskies set contains :  Connemara Peated Cask Strength  ,  Mackmyra First Edition , – Millstone 8 Year Old – French Oak ,  Elmer T Lee  ,  Nikka 195 Single Cask Coffey Grain. All are  interesting…

There are much more sets that will appeal to every whisky fan looking to try out new malts.

Highland Park New Make spirit, £20.00

hpnewmake

If your whisky friend/lover is an HP devotee, i think this non-whisky (it can’t be called whisky until it’s 3 years of age) is a refresher. 50% ABV, it tells the story, of where HP whisky begins. Lovely.

Glasses etc.

Now every whisky lover (or whisky geek) loves his whisky glasses. Usually a pair of glasses is cheap and a very nice addition or a whole present, your beloved one will love getting. here are a few options:

The HP Glass  , £4.50 each

hpglass

: A bit of a change from the beloved yet a bit corny Glencairn. Looks sexy as hell, agreed? You could be sitting and swirling your HP (or any other malt you wish) just like Gerry Tosh (and chew on it , and chew, and chew….)

have a look at this video with the ever amazing HP 18.

The Ardbeg Glass , £ 3.95 each

ardbegglass

So tiny, so sexy, and with this little hood. Total Charm. (now enough with this glass-fetish). I love sipping my malts in this one. so light in weight, so lovely.

Happy Holidays!

Gal.

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