If he used to like Johnnie Walker Gold and Blue, what would most likely fit the bill?
Balvenie 12 yr or Balvenie 14yr Caribbean.
Oban
I would buy your friend a selection of the miniature bottles of single-malt; let him sample, and he can decide which he likes best, while letting him know that he can expect a special gift of a full-size bottle of his favorite. Among the miniatures, you should include Talisker, Cardhu, and Caol Ila, as they are the base single malts of Johnnie Walker Black, and likely to be among the ones he likes best. Don’t forget Laphroaig (deep, smoky, peaty), Glenmorangie, Glenlivet, Cragganmore, Glenfiddich, Oban, and Lagavulin, to round up a nice 10 selections. If none of these make his day, there are many, many more that he could sample; the above choices are amongst the best this world offers.
If you do go with a single malt, then stick with those from the Highland region like Oban, Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, etc. These scotches have milder tastes that more closely approximate the blended whiskeys.
Stay away from Islay scotches like Lagavulin and Laphroaig. I personally love these scotches, but they have very smoky and unique tastes. Some even leave a hint of iodine in the mouth. Truly an acquired taste.
There are many who will recommend Talisker. I have tasted Talisker and was not impressed, but it could just be my taste buds. It tasted a little flat to me the couple of times I tried it. Oban, Glenlivet, and Glenfiddich have much more rounded and full tastes that are much more satifying IMHO.
18 YO Macallan (~$160-200). I carted a bottle up to the top of White mountain :-) Only had a sip there though, couple shots and I’d be a mummy up there.
Bulleit is spectacular bourbon for the price too, if he’s partial to that.
Heck, get him the 12 year old Macallan. It's only $49 and is nothing to sneeze at. 18 is a little extravagant, unless the guy's your lifelong best friend, imo.
Don't think you can get the 25 year old Macallan for less than $200. But if you find some, let me know! Worth every penny. Like drinking silk.
Tell him the ability to taste declines with age and nothing is going to bring that back.
Some time ago I lived in Lafayette, LA. There is a restaurant there called Charley G’s. The proprietor of the place was a connoisseur of cigars and alcoholic beverages. Every 3 months he sponsored an invitation only dinner where a particular type of alcoholic beverage was featured along with fine cigars to compliment.
I recall the dinner where Scotch was the beverage featured. There was a Scottish gentleman on hand who had been involved with exporting Scotch for many years. He served about 7 Scotch whiskeys, a different one to compliment each course. He told the story of each Scotch before serving. One of them, I can’t recall the distillery, he noted was from one of the oldest in Scotland. He recalled that when Victoria was queen, she had gone out in the countryside to look at properties for a new retreat. She stopped at a property adjacent to the distillery estate and was looking at the property with her entourage. The proprietor of the estate saw the royal party and invited the queen to sample the whiskey. They proceeded to the cellars and sampled whiskey to the point that the queen was sloshed and unable to stand on her own. Anyway, a great story along with a great Scotch makes for a memorable evening.
I like smooth single-malts such as Glenmorangie, Glenlivet, and Glenfiddich, at least 12 y.o., 15 y.o. is better. Beyond that , it gets pretty pricey. I don’t care for the smoky, peaty Scotches. To me. they taste like burnt rubber.
Thank you all for your responses. Sincerely appreciated.
There are many good suggestions in this thread, and they are accurate in distinguishing between the Englishman’s blended Scotch whisky and the Scotsman’s single malt Scotch whisky. However, there is one inescapable problem with all of the possible recommendations. No one but your friend can know what is pleasing to his palate. Only your friend can determine what is good and what tastes like cat pee. That said, there is a solution to the problem.
There are many opportunities to attend Scotch whisky nosings and tastings. Some corporations even go so far as to pay for their employees to attend these events to educate their palates about what does and does not appeal to themselves and their clients. You may find it to be most pleasing for your friend if you were to arrange for him and both of you to attend one of these events to ultimately choose one or more than one of these whiskies to enjoy in future years.
Search the Internet for Scotch whisky tastings and see the sites such as the following example:
http://www.scotchwhiskytasting.com/
P.S. Among my favorites are the very different Dallas Dhu and Laphroaig. Different tastes for different moods.
Highland Park Aged 18 Years (43% ABV, $120) Highland Park sits at the top of Scotland in the windswept Orkney Islands. For many years, the distillery stood in the shadow of its better-known sibling, the Macallan, but Highland Park has built up quite a reputation of its own. Its 18-year-old is a favorite of bartenders and whisky reviewers; take a few sips and you’ll be hard-pressed to argue. The single malt is tasty with a delicate balance of sweet, fruity, spicy and smoky flavors.
I prefer Irish whiskey though, specifically Bushmill's 16 year old single malt (about $70). It is exceptionally smooth, being triple distilled, but with complex flavor notes due to ageing in sherry, bourbon, and port wine casks.
As it’s been mentioned, Mccallan of any age is hard to beat. I like all of the Glenns. If you want less smoke, try Highland Park - very affordable and approachable.
Since he likes blends: a fifth of Dewars white, a fifth of Chivas, and a hundred and fifty dollar BevMo gift card oughta do it.
The taste of single malts varies widely. I like Oban 18, Dalmore 12 and cigar malt. They are fruity and have less peat. I can’t stand Laphrog which tastes worse than iodine to me. I know people who love it. Taliskers and the various MaCallans aren’t bad and are quite popular and highly rated.
The is a store in the San Fernando Valley portion of Los Angeles where I live that has about 500 different Scorched (S
Wine and Liquor Depot on Saticoy in Van Nuys) You probably have a specialty store near you that knows their Scotch. You could talk to them or a bar t h at caries a big variety o f the better Scotch.
You really needYou can start with what he liked about Johnnie Walker and what he doesn’t like about others he’s tried to help you narrow it down.
The Whiskey Advocate on line has lots of reviews that I have found helpful http://whiskyadvocate.com/buying-guide/ and search for single malt and read the reviews. Johnnie Walker is a blend rather than single malt. Read the reviews of t h e two he liked and compare them with your own tasting of the two Johnnie Walkers as a starting point then you can use the reviews to help you hunt.
The new Dawn with a pinch of fabric softener to keep the suds down.
(and yes, I used to drink scotch.)
It's about a $45-$50 bottle of pure sippin' enjoyment. It also makes a great 'first timer's' intro to single-malt scotch.
Trust me, a good single-malt is not about its price, it's about what you enjoy!
Personally I only drink Single Malts, I fell in love with them on my trip to Scotland..
There are SO many... all are good, some are great. I never drink any other hard liquor... not even blended, but it sounds like your friend does.
what a wonderful creation...
Cragganmore is a very nice Single for about $50. It’s a little less common, so he may not have tried it before.