The World’s Best Scotch (And Japanese Whisky)

Nothing says ‘Fabulous Father’s Day gift’ quite like a bottle of scotch. Well, maybe a barrel of it (more on that later). A connection between the booze and the holiday can hardly be seen as surprising. After all, the beloved brown spirit tends to possess so many of the same qualities that define a respected patriarch: strength, wisdom, and a well-rounded complexity inclined to improve with age.

If you’re gifting scotch for dad—or for any fatherly figure in your life—we respect your decision. And will here present you with some incredible options, indeed some of the best options on shelves today. The most important consideration for you is one of cost. Because when it comes to whisky, of course, there is a massive range with which to work. In fact, the difference in price between our first and ultimate entry below constitutes a financial chasm wide enough to swallow the Grand Canyon. No matter how expensive his tastes, below you’ll find something exceptional to suit dad on his designated day.

Talisker 10 Year — $50

Let’s start with a time-tested winner that constantly punches beyond its weight class. It’s a brilliant bottle for showcasing the gentle maritime characteristics of the legendary Skye-based malt maker. There’s also a touch of ripened berry fruit to pair alongside the salty ocean air held within. A lot to ponder at an entirely reasonable price. Though if you’re looking to go bigger you ought to check out the 44-year-old Forests of the Deep expression just unveiled by the distillery. Finished in casks that were charred by “flames of marine oak and kelp,” it’s a limited release set to retail at $4600.

Bunnahabhain Toiteach A Dha — $75

Dad doesn’t have to know how to pronounce this slightly smoky Islay gem, just how to pour it. Scottish Gaelic for, “smoky two,” it’s a delightfully complex liquid that melds peat malt and sherry cooperage into a happy whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Elements of tar and seaweed in the nose, spiced dark fruit in the finish; a dramatic journey from beginning to end.

Benriach Cask Edition 12 Year Old Pedro Ximénez Puncheon — $100

This Speyside standout has just debuted its first ever single cask bottlings to American markets. And visionary master blender Rachel Barrie is definitely rolling the best barrels forward. As with any single cask expression, tasting notes will vary from release to release. But if you can get your hands on this initial PX offering, expect to uncork a nose of sun-warmed raisins and orange marmalade followed on the palate with butterscotch and sultana…All the hallmarks of a brilliant sherry-influenced malt, minus the jaw dropping price tag. Joining the PX in the debut trio is a 24-year-old Oloroso matured malt and a 26-year-old fetched from Marsala wine-soaked hogsheads. You cannot go wrong with any of them, but you will spend more—$330 and $380, respectively.

Balblair 15 Years Old — $120

Hugging the shores of the Dornoch Firth, Balblair is the Highlands at its finest. And also among its oldest, with a history stretching all the way back to 1790. It remains a producer revered by those “in the know.” So if your dad fancies himself something of a whiskey geek, this is a great place to poke around. Specifically, get your hands on the distillery’s wondrously floral 15-year-old release. The nose exerts elements of rose and gorse, but eventually gives way to dark chocolate, courtesy of first-fill Spanish oak butts used during maturation. A gift (read: finish) that keeps on giving.

Glenmorangie Signet — $220

This ultra premium release is made using a specialty chocolate malt that’s only distilled at Glenmorangie once per year. In other words, they’re not making a whole lot of it. But it’s not just the rarity that you’re after here, but the roast. This is a rich and rounded whisky that can best be described as a coffee-bomb. If your dad enjoys a good espresso, this is certainly the malt for him. All in all, it’s one of the more unique flavor profiles in all of scotch. And it comes packaged in a gold-embossed decanter that instantly ups the beauty factor of any back bar.

The Last Drop 20-40 Year Old Japanese Blended Malt Whisky — $5100

The Last Drop is an independent bottler dedicated to finding the rarest reserves of exceptional spirit, delivering them dutifully to anxious aficionados before they are gone forever. Earlier this year, the brand revealed its first foray into the world of Japanese whisky. What a way to start: a blend of malts from the now-shuttered Hanyu Distillery, collected between the years of 1980 and 2000. Those malts were girded by the introduction of similarly aged malts from up and down the Far East nation and married within an ex-sherry butt. Bottled at a whopping 60% ABV, this is an assertive-yet-graceful liquid that plumbs the depths of complexity connoisseurs have come to expect from Japanese whisky.

Port Ellen/Brora Casks Of Distinction — $880,000 to $1.5 million

Why buy dad a mere bottle of whisky when you can buy him a whole barrel of impossibly rare single malt from distilleries that shuttered decades ago? Well, there’s about a million and a half reasons why, which is what either of these casks are expected to retrieve (in USD) when they go under the hammer on June 14th at Sotheby’s in London. That’s quite a stately sum for what will amount to around 145 bottles worth of juice per cask. But parent company Diageo has found a few novel ways to add value. For one, you can choose to keep the casks in their bonded warehouses for an additional five years beyond the purchase date. For two, they come with bespoke artwork from internationally acclaimed artists. The purchaser of the Port Ellen receives a sculpture from industrial designer Ini Archibong, while the Brora winner gets to go on a shoot in Scotland with photographer Trey Ratcliff. The images collected along the way will eventually adorn the bottles that come out of the barrel. So dad gets a memorable vacation to go along with his unforgettable scotch. You can’t put a price tag on that—although Sotheby’s might disagree.