Best (reasonably priced) scotch?

[youthere]

I need a present for my new stepdad. He's a scotch drinker, I am not so I don't know what is good and what is rotgut. Suggestions for a decent bottle that won't break me?

[AllegroRondo]

1. I like Glenfiddich

but thats me. A bottle is under $30.

[kmla]

2. I'm partial to Chivas Regal.

A bottle should only set you back about $25-30 or so.

But that's just me.

[Zavulon]

8. I'll second this choice.

You can't go wrong with Chivas.

[SteppingRazor]

14. Chivas is the best blended Scotch, but it ain't single malt...

if this guy's a real Scotch drinker, you gotta go single.

Reasonably priced ones include The Macallan (probably my recommendation) and The Dalmore. For a few extra bucks, you can pick up Laphroaig, and the man will love you forever. Balvenie's a good reasonably priced one too.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

19. Never had it...

But I'll bet you could still find the boxes with the glasses. The glasses are really nice this year. I hear it's great stuff.
Duckie

[SacredCow]

3. MacAllan or Glenmorangie

Both offer excellent single-malt scotch and a pretty wide range of prices depending on age and finish.

[ironflange]

4. Sneak a peek in his liquor cabinet

See what he's drinking now. Scotch drinkers tend to be loyal, so if he likes Glenlivet, for instance, a bottle of Glenfiddich may get you a polite "thank you." If there's Johnny Red Label in there, a bottle of Black Label would be greatly appreciated. I think blend drinkers are less picky than single-malt drinkers. Try this: take note of what he has now, if it's a blend, then go to the store and find another blend that's maybe ten bucks more than his brand.

I'm hoping Santa brings me a nice bottle of Lagavulin.

Wanna do some research? http://www.scotchwhisky.com/

[youthere]

5. That's helpful advice...

He lives in Wisconsin and I'm in Iowa so checking his liquor cabinet isn't really an option, but my mom mentioned Jim Beam..and I know that's blended scotch so your advice does help..Thank you!

[MonkeyFunk]

6. no..

Jim Beam is a bourbon.

[youthere]

11. Ooops..I meant J & B..

for some reason I translate that to jim Beam.. go figure..
I don't know a lot about hard liquor..I don't normally stray too far from the wine bottle myself.

[never cry wolf]

7. Jim Beam is not scotch

It is bourbon. There are some reasonable single malts out there. If he is a blended scotch drinker a single malt is a treat he can save for special occasions. If he is single malt, best to get the same as he likes.

[youthere]

10. Sorry..not Jim Beam..J & B...can you tell I don't drink much?

[Lochloosa]

9. My wife loves Pinch

I can't stand scotch.

[zauberflote]

12. Boiling it down

Some of these choices are excellent but cost a lot. Single malts like Lagavulin, incredibly delicious as it is, will set you back $90 these days. MaCallan, at least the 18-year old version which would be the one to buy, costs $125 now. It wasn't always so.

Most single malts cost more than $40. Some that don't and are among my favorites are Balvenie Doublewood 12 year old and Ardbeg 10 year old, a fiery, peaty masterpiece. Both cost around $40.
Well known single malts are Glenlivet, Glenfiddich and Glenmorangie, the best selling Scotch in Scotland. They'll definitely make an impression. They have great marketing but they're all kind of ordinary to me. Not that I'd ever turn them down or anything...

Blended is another way to go. Premium blends include Chivas Regal, Pinch and Johnny Walker Black. They'll be around $35 and they'll make a good impression.
My favorite reasonably priced blended Scotch, the same as J&B at about $27 a bottle but much better, is Teacher's Highland Cream. But I'd probably go for something a little more.

If you aren't going to get a single malt, which would probably be my top choice, try Pinch. It has a nice, smokey flavor and it also has the best looking bottle of any on the market.

[NV Whino]

13. Finnlagen

Around $16 at Trader Joes. Very smoky and darned good for an inexpensive single malt. Tomatin if you can find it. Haven't seen it for a while. But always a safe bet Glenfiddich for around $25.

[sweetheart]

15. find out if he likes a peety or a highland malt

Scottish whisky has a load of fancy names that'll confuse you to all bejessus, but you
can basically rate them on one consistent scale.... the peaty malts, most peaty, are the
'islay' malts, 'bunnabanahan', 'lagavuillin', 'laphroag', 'caol ila', 'bowmore' and 'Ardbeg'. These
are the ones for someone who likes 'peaty' malts. Lagavuillin is most expensive of that lot.

Talisker is one down from that extreme peatiness, as are some other island malts,... and
then the spectrum continues towards 'highland' malts.

These don't have as much the peaty aftertaste, and rather have more a flavour that is in common with
jack daniels a little bit. A Highland malt, is pretty much everything else. A whisky connosoir
would drop his/her glass at this point for the scriledge of that comment, but its kinda true.

If you want to impress your stepdad with a malt that a whisky lover would much respect, you
can't go wrong with an islay malt. If you can't ask in advance, i've never seen anyone pour
islay malt down the drain. :-)

[democracyindanger]

16. The best thing you can do is find out what he likes.

I think most scotch drinkers will have a favorite, and if you don't want to spend the $$$ on something unique, I'd go with a bottle of his favorite.

For instance, my favorite is Glenlivet. Sure, I'll drink Glenfiddich in a snap, but if I got a bottle of it as a gift, while I'd certainly appreciate the thought I'd also be thinking, "Damn. Coulda got the 'Livet for the same price."

Regardless, if you know what his fave is, you know what his taste tends to, and you can just go to a (good) liquor store and hopefully somebody there will be knowledgeable enough to give some options.

[dr.strangelove]

17. Oban

Its pricey but sonderful. If you want slightly cheaper go for the Macallen.

[eyepaddle]

18. Talisker was my favorite reasonably priced Scotch

I haven't bough any for more than a year, but it should be in the $30 range. I thought it wass up with the $75 stuff. The last time I checked though even Laphroaig was coming down in price--that's my favorite. Laphroaig can be an aquired taste--even among Scotch fans though.