Buying whisky as a gift can be a nightmare if you don’t know what you’re looking for. There are plenty of countries around the world, each with hundreds of distilleries, making whiskies that range in flavour from elegant and floral to rich and smoky.
The cherry on top is that whisky lovers have their own favoured styles, distilleries and bottles. If you don’t know what those are, you may as well run at the spirits shelves, blindfolded and arms out, and hope for the best.
Whisky makes a fantastic gift for Father’s Day (although trust me, I know plenty of mums who’d love a bottle too), but how do you make sure the whisky you buy is the perfect match?
I asked dads on my Instagram what they’d like to receive, and they all agreed on the same three things: something they’d never tried before or just something that showed love and thought had gone into it.
If you’ve no idea what they like to drink, I’ve compiled 10 whiskies that should take the guesswork out of the equation. Each one is a whisky I’d personally love to have as part of my own collection, so right out the gate, the quality is there. As for the variety, you’ll find different whisky styles and flavours from countries across the world, and with bottles covering a range of price points.
Best whisky at a glance
- Best overall – Nc’Nean: £53.95, Royalmilewhiskies.com
- Best for history lovers – Glen Scotia Victoriana: £69.95, Thewhiskyexchange.com
- Best supermarket whisky – Waitrose No1 Speyside Single Malt: £25, Waitrose.com
- Best for easy drinking – The Leith Export Co. Table Whisky: £36.50, Leithdistillery.com
- Best for Japanese whisky lovers – Hibiki Harmony: £75, Amazon.co.uk
This is a roundup selected for Father’s Day, but the beautiful thing about whisky is that it can be enjoyed by anyone and at any time of year. So use this list the next time you’re purchasing whisky as a gift for your mum, bestie or even for yourself.
Tested by: Becky Paskin
Becky’s been in the drinks industry for two decades. She is an award-winning drinks writer and presenter, with 20 years of experience tasting, judging and speaking about all things booze – particularly whisky. The only journalist in the world with a distilling qualification, she’s a regular lead judge for spirit competitions. You can find her writing about everything from whisky and cocktails to wine and travel in major magazines and newspapers, and regularly speaking about all the above on ITV’s Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh. She also has a weekly newsletter, Drink This, pouring drinks, bar and travel recommendations and insight.
Nc’Nean organic single Scotch whisky
Best for: Nature lovers
Classification: Highlands Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46% Size: 70cl
What we love: Female-founded (a rarity in whisky) B-corp and organic. Beautiful bottle made from recycled glass. If the fact Nc’nean (pronounced nuk-nee-an) is organic, female-founded and B-Corp doesn’t immediately win you over, this whisky’s elegantly charming, fruit-laden flavour will. The nose is achingly inviting with aromas of juicy ripe peaches and apricots, sour green apples and overripe wild strawberries dripping with thick honey. The bright palate opens into more juicy fruits, with notes of peach and lemon posset, vanilla cream pastries and toasted almonds. This is a very special distillery (located on Scotland’s west coast near Oban) that carefully crafts its single malt whisky in small batches, with nothing but reverence and respect for nature and its environment. It’s truly a whisky with heart.
Buy now £49.99, Masterofmalt.com
Glen Scotia victoriana
Best for: History lovers
Classification: Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 54.2% Size: 70cl
What we love: Its unique flavour. Its historic tale. Smokiness that’s not from peated malt. Take note: It’s a higher abv than most. Campbeltown was once the largest whisky-making town in Scotland, famous for its coastal, oily and full-flavoured single malt. Glen Scotia’s Victoriana is a tribute to that lost style, its fruit-forward, unpeated whisky finished in ex-PX Sherry casks and heavily-charred ex-Bourbon barrels for a hint of smoke that’s akin to engine oil and the dying embers of a beach bonfire. You also get a generous helping of baked apples, sultanas, red berries, vanilla cream and spice. This is such a unique whisky, unreplicable by any other distillery and one that’s romantically evocative of Campbeltown’s historic Victorian style.
Buy now £75, Masterofmalt.com
The Leith Export Co. table whisky
Best for: An easy-drinking crowd pleaser
Classification: Lowlands Single Grain Scotch Whisky
ABV: 43% Size: 70cl
What we love: Extremely approachable. Great value. A rare style of Scotch. Take note: Some people prefer the structure of a single malt. Scotch grain whisky has to be the most underrated style going, which means it’s less likely to be something your recipient has in their home collection. There are only a handful of brands available, including the well-known square blue Haig Club, once promoted by Mr. David Beckham. This single grain Scotch whisky from The Leith Export Co. has been distilled and bottled in Edinburgh, and designed as an easy sipper for communal sharing (hence the term: Table Whisky). With notes of buttered popcorn, stewed apples, marmalade and caramel sauce, it’s a gentle dram, perfect for those with a sweet tooth and blended whisky lovers looking for something a little different.
Buy now £44.50, Masterofmalt.com
Michter’s Sour Mash Whiskey
Best for: For the Bourbon lover who thinks they’ve tried it all
Classification: American whiskey
ABV: 43% Size: 70cl
What we love: Its balance between Bourbon and rye flavours. Produced in limited quantities. Unique production style. Take note: Some may not enjoy the beer-like aroma. Not technically a Bourbon or a rye, but something in the middle, thanks to its unique blend of grains. Kentucky’s Michter’s distillery crafts this unique whiskey with the sour mash method, where some of the previous mash is reused as a starter to ferment the new batch – a bit like making sourdough. This process gives the whiskey distinctive beer-like, bready aromas, along with notes of toasted corn, toffee apples, buttered rye bread, black pepper and a hint of milk chocolate on the finish. It’s a totally different style that embodies the best of Bourbon and rye, with a fun twist.
Buy now £58.25, Masterofmalt.com
Talisker 18 Year Old
Best for: Those who never treat themselves
Classification: Islands Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 45.8% Size: 70cl
What we love: You’re transported to Skye in one sip. Its generous flavours go on and on. A sure-fire hit. Take note: Sits at the pricey end for an 18-year-old. Talisker is a favourite among whisky fans, and its 18-year-old is widely considered the best of the range. The Skye-based distillery produces a peated, maritime single malt Scotch whisky that’s full of orchard fruits and salinity with varying degrees of smoke. Its 18-year-old expression is on the pricey end, but it’s absolutely bursting with flavour: sea-washed briney notes marry seamlessly with juicy red fruits, like fat red grapes, stewed strawberries, poached pears, and a sprinkling of cinnamon, anise and vanilla. It’s what I’d call a transportative whisky – it takes you right to a beachside bonfire on Skye’s coast, gorging on a generous slice of cherry and sultana-laden fruit cake with slightly burnt edges. Bliss.
Buy now £200, Selfridges.com
Hibiki Harmony
Best for: Japanese whisky lovers
Classification: Japanese Blended Whisky
ABV: 43% Size: 70cl
What we love: Unusually delicate and aromatic. A beautiful bottle that could be reused as a decanter. Take note: Better suited to those who appreciate delicate flavours. Epitomising the art of Japanese blending, Hibiki Harmony is a masterclass in elegance and balance. A blend of Japanese malt and grain whiskies matured in a variety of casks, the whisky is delicate and floral, with aromas of orange blossom, honey and red grapefruit. The palate is soft and inviting – rose, orange zest, gingerbread and a beautiful light sweetness on the finish balanced by a kiss of spice. Gentle, balanced and refined, Hibiki Harmony is perfect for those who like their whisky to whisper rather than shout.
Buy now £72, Laithwaites.co.uk
Glenmorangie Signet
Best for: Making a statement
Classification: Highlands Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46% Size: 70cl
What we love: Layers and layers of flavour. Gorgeous bottle and presentation box. Take note: High price tag. Glenmorangie Signet is an impressive dram whichever way you look at it – a sleek, eye-catching bottle with a smart presentation box, and superb whisky to match. The Highland single malt is crafted using long-roasted chocolate malt for extra chocolatey, mocha flavours. Silky and sweet, it’s a real treat of a whisky that unfolds in layers as you taste: honey, blood orange, biscuity malt, sweet raisins and PX sherry, with a long, lasting finish of sticky raisins and Swiss milk chocolate. A cult favourite among serious whisky lovers, but it comes at a cost.
Buy now £225, Fortnumandmason.com
Fielden Rye Whisky
Best for: Something different for rye whisky lovers
Classification: English Grain Whisky
ABV: 48% Size: 70cl
What we love: England’s take on rye whisky. Regenerative farming approach. Excellent value for money. Take note: I’m yet to be unimpressed by a whisky from Fielden. This eco-conscious English brand prides itself on harvesting 100 per cent British rye, grown using chemical-free, regenerative farming practices. This is farm-to-bottle whisky at its finest, and it seriously delivers on flavour. Its flagship rye whisky, composed of rye, barley and wheat, is matured in American oak barrels with some finishing in Sauternes, Moscatel and Madeira sweet wine casks. The result is an incredibly indulgent, rich whisky with notes of Madeira cake and buttercream, red apples and berries. Waves of dried fruit and spice are pinned down by toasted rye and a mouth-coating oiliness, leaving notes of dark chocolate and dried cherries on the finish. A marvellous journey and a joyful English whisky revelation for rye lovers.
Buy now £59, Masterofmalt.com
Green Spot Château Léoville Barton Bordeaux Finish
Best for: Irish whiskey lovers
Classification: Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey
ABV: 46% Size: 70cl
What we love: Rich and oily mouthfeel. Super long finish. This is a bottle sure to impress fans of Irish whiskey. Green Spot is a single pot still whiskey (a mash of malted and unmalted barley), crafted by the folks behind Jameson and Redbreast. The ‘Spot’ range (there’s also Red, Yellow and Blue), is well-loved among whisky fans, and this Château Léoville Barton edition – matured in oloroso Sherry and American oak and finished in Bordeaux red wine casks – is no different. It’s a superbly rich, oily whisky with dried fruits, dark cherries, gooey dark chocolate cake, hazelnuts and a lingering spice that lasts and lasts. If you’re after indulgence at a steal of a price, this is your safe bet.
Buy now £62, Amazon.co.uk
Waitrose No1 Speyside Single Malt
Best for: Those on a budget
Classification: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40% Size: 70cl
What we love: Value for money. Best supermarket-owned single malt. Perfect for cocktails. Take note: Only available at Waitrose. Waitrose surprised us all when it launched three new own-label single malts recently, not only at budget-loving prices but with whisky that’s actually really rather good. The Speyside single malt (there’s also a standard, no-age-statement Highland and Islay) is a deliciously sessionable whisky, whether you’re on a budget or not, with notes of juicy apples, pears and dried tropical fruits, mingling with overripe banana, digestive biscuits and warming baking spice. Excellent value for money, this is a really easy-drinking and balanced whisky that’s beautiful to sip neat or mix in a summer highball.
Buy now £25, Waitrose.com
What are the best whiskies?
Honestly, all these whiskies are fantastic in my view, so it really comes down to your budget and the style of whisky you (or your gift recipient) enjoys. They’re all a little bit different from your standard supermarket whisky, too, so they all stand a chance of eliciting curiosity and excitement.
I personally have my favourites, with the strongest contender being Nc’nean. You’re not just purchasing an incredibly delicious whisky (I’ve poured this at many a tasting and it’s a real crowd pleaser), you’re supporting a small company that’s making the world a better place. That’s a double-win in my eyes, and a gift anyone would be honoured to receive.
How I taste tested the best whisky
I approached tasting each whisky as I would in any blind tasting competition. The samples were poured in order of their style and strength (lightest to strongest), and assessed for the complexity and character of their aroma, flavour and finish. I prefer to assess whisky first thing in the morning, before food, with only sips of water between samples to cleanse the palate.
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