Gift-giving is a skill and an artform. No matter the occasion, finding the right present that tells the recipient you care about them can be a challenge.
When shopping for the ultimate gift, you’re looking for a present that maximizes three things: usefulness or enjoyability, price, and sentimental value. If all three of these elements are balanced, you have yourself a great gift.
If the recipient is someone who enjoys whiskey from a reputable distillery, then a bottle of single-malt Irish whiskey, single-malt Scotch whisky, or single-barrel Kentucky bourbon could be just what you need. For an old-fashioned connoisseur or bourbon whiskey enthusiast in your life, it’s an enjoyable gift with a varying price range that can show you’ve put in effort.
Still, if you’re not a whiskey person and don’t know much about this spirit, you might not know how to choose a giftable bottle. Gifting a whiskey lover a bad whiskey that you find on Amazon is worse than no gift at all. Even when making cocktails like New York’s classic Manhattan, low-quality whiskey is never acceptable.
No need to fear! Gifting whiskey doesn’t have to be an overly complicated process if you don’t want it to be — especially with a little help from us. Here are a few of the best whiskeys that you can give a single-malt whiskey lover in your life.
The Best All-Around Whiskey To Gift: Bourbon & Spire
Our unique method of in-bottle finishing is what puts all of our Oak & Eden whiskeys one step above the rest. At the heart of every delicious bottle of whiskey is one thing: wood. The barrel aging process is responsible for much of the flavor (and all of that deep color) you get in a beautiful whiskey, filling the liquor with the botanicals and flavor elements from the casks.
In-bottle aging allows the magic that wood works on your whiskey in the barrel to continue in the bottle. In every bottle of Oak & Eden whiskey, you’ll find a Spire: a spiral cut, hand-selected piece of wood that has been charred to perfection to add the ideal finishing notes to our whiskey while in the bottle.
This is one gift that gets better with age — making it perfect for birthdays, Father’s Day, retirements, and more.
The Best Rye Whiskey To Gift: Oak & Eden Anthro Series Jamestown Revival Whiskey
If you shopping for a whiskey drinker that you know loves the spicy, pepper flavor of rye whiskey, then you have no farther to look than Oak & Eden’s Antro Series of whiskeys for the best of the best.
Oak & Eden’s Anthro Series is a celebration of the innovative creators, artists, and adventurers that represent the unique, one-of-a-kind flavors we strive for at Oak & Eden. There are several stunning whiskeys in the Anthro Series worthy of attention, but one rye stands out above the rest: Jamestown Revival American Whiskey.
Inspired by and crafted in close collaboration with Americana musical duet Jamestown Revival, this blend of barrel-proof rye whiskey is finished to perfection with a toasted french oak spire in the bottle. French oak — as opposed to the American oak used for bourbons — offers nearly twice the naturally occurring botanicals.
These botanicals infuse the rye with cinnamon and allspice flavors that perfectly compliment that spicy bite of rye whiskey.
For rye lovers, it doesn’t get much better than this.
The Best Whiskey Gift for Coffee Lovers: Oak & Eden Bourbon and Brew
One of our favorite things about in-bottle finishing is that it unlocks new potential for flavorful and enhanced whiskeys. By infusing our spires with unique and inventive flavors, we have been able to create a series of infused whiskeys that have all of the craft of our Inspired whiskeys with a twist of something extra.
If you're looking for the ultimate whiskey gift idea for an aspiring bartender, there’s a case to be made for going a traditional and simple route. However, there are also times when a more interesting gift can be more appropriate. For a whiskey lover who is also a coffee lover, we have the perfect bottle.
Bourbon & Brew is one of our most popular infused bourbons, which starts off with our classic bourbon. Bottled at 90 proof by our distillers, this three-year-old bottle is a whiskey aficionado’s dream after aging in our American oak barrels. Our delicious bourbon then gets the special treatment when it comes time for the spire. It’ll make anyone’s whiskey dreams come true.
Using a French oak spire, we allow it to soak and infuse in a cold brew coffee made from Delagua coffee from Colombia, made by Voltage Coffee Project, a fellow Texas-based company. The French oak spire is twice as porous as American oak, allowing the spire to soak in the wonderful flavors of the cold brew and infuse the bourbon in the bottle.
For something a little different, you can’t go wrong with Bourbon & Brew — it’s one of the best gifts for someone who loves the unique flavors of exciting drinks with a high ABV.
The Best Bourbon To Gift: Oak & Eden Anthro Series Abraham Alexander Whiskey
While our Inspired Series Bourbon & Spire bourbon is a classic and straightforward bourbon choice that any whiskey drinker will love, we have exactly what you need if you want to give a bourbon lover something extra special. The perfect sipper to gift has to be a bottle of Oak & Eden Antro Series Abraham Alexander Bourbon.
Abraham Alexander is a singer and songwriter who moved to Texas from Greece when he was eleven years old. His music reflects his experiences with racial injustice in Greece and here in the United States while never sacrificing the joyful, hopeful, and soul-lifting beat of his heart. In collaboration with Abraham Alexander, we crafted the ultimate bourbon that is heavy, rich, and flavorful while remaining light, bright, and punchy.
Abraham Alexander Anthro Series Bourbon starts with our 90-proof bourbon, made right here in the U.S.A. We then bottle our bourbon with a vanilla-infused American oak spire to continue adding traditional bourbon wood flavors to the bottle, including a bit of vanilla to lighten things up.
Bourbon has always been renowned for its naturally occurring vanilla and caramel notes, and Abraham Alexander Bourbon simply shines with these flavors, providing a bourbon that everyone will love. Throw in some whiskey glasses, a decanter, or whiskey stones to make this the perfect gift for someone special.
The Best Wheated Bourbon To Gift: Oak & Eden Wheat & Honey
While a classic single-barrel bourbon is always a great go-to, there are some additional flavor characteristics you get from adding a hefty portion of wheat to the mash bill. Wheated bourbons give you all the same depth and flavor that you get in a traditional bourbon, along with the mellow, sweet, almost bready addition of wheat balancing everything out.
Wheat & Honey starts like any great bourbon: with 51% corn, followed by a whopping 45% wheat and 4% malted barley. This gives us the perfect mash bill to let the corn do its work and bring in the wheat flavor profile. The partnership of wood and honey is toasted to the perfect degree, ultimately producing a finish that is deep and rich with subtle notes of candied fruit, vanilla and toffee.
While wheated bourbons are not the most common choice on the market today, this bottle makes a great gift because it is unique. Giving a wheated bourbon tells a whiskey drinker that you not only know about their interests but want to give them something that isn’t your typical bottle.
Takeaways From Our Whiskey Gift Guide
Gifting is never easy, regardless of the situation or recipient. Giving whiskey or bourbon is a classic gift option, especially as a gift for people you know love whiskey. If you aren’t a whiskey expert or just don’t know where to start looking, the options can get overwhelmingly fast. Do you get Japanese Whisky, an Islay Scotch, classic Tennessee whiskey, or Ireland’s best?
It doesn’t have to be overly complicated: a great whiskey is a great whiskey, and nobody is going to be upset about receiving a decent bottle as a present.
If you are looking to start with something basic, a great all-around whiskey is our Oak & Eden Inspired Series of whiskeys. There you will find everything from our classic bourbon to our rye blend, all using our patented in-bottle finishing technique.
If you want to give a whiskey with a more adventurous flavor profile, consider exploring our Infused Series. These whiskeys start with the same blends as our Inspired Series, then take a shift as the spire gets infused with another liquid, from coffee to rum to cabernet.
Finally, if you want to get them a truly special bottle, Oak & Eden Anthro Series is a great place to start. The Anthro series are specially crafted blends of whiskey made in collaboration with innovators, creators, and ramblers whose one-of-a-kind qualities go effortlessly with our one-of-a-kind whiskeys.
Giving a whiskey as a gift doesn’t have to be stressful. Any of these options would make a stellar gift that will be much appreciated no matter who’s unwrapping the box.
Sources:
What Is the Effect of Aging on Liquor? | The Spruce Eats
Whiskey Vs. Bourbon: Understanding the Key Differences | Insider
What's the difference between French and American oak? | The Globe and Mail
