The feeling of year-end cheer and goodwill is upon us, and what better way to close off 2023 than with a few whiskies and great company? To help you figure out what to give or bring over to a party, here are a few suggestions for the whisky lovers in your life.
For Parties
Deanston Virgin Oak and Black Bull blends. The Deanston Virgin Oak is an outstanding single malt for its price, and has a sweet, honeyed and soft vanilla profile. The Black Bull blends are another great choice: the Kyloe, 12 Year Old and Peated are bottled at 50% abv, with a high malt content (50%), making it exceptionally good value and versatile enough for cocktails, highballs, or on its own.
Buy Deanston Virgin Oak for RM240
Buy Black Bull Scotch from RM250
For Small Gatherings
Finding a whisky that anyone – from whisky newbies to experienced drinkers – is a tough task. For a small gathering, we recommend something like the Arran Barrel Reserve – with its pleasant, bright, and fruity flavours, this Arran single malt comes at a wallet-friendly price, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who’ll dislike it.
Buy Arran Barrel Reserve for RM283
For Gifting
The Teeling Small Batch Giftpack comes in a gorgeous gold gift tin box, along with two quality tumblers that’s perfect to enjoy a whiskey on ice. It’s not hard to see why this Irish whiskey is one of our best-sellers: with its rum cask finish, this budget-friendly Teeling is a delightfully drinkable whiskey that’s good for any occasion.
Buy Teeling Small Batch Gold Giftpack for RM269
For Something Unique
The newly arrived Glenfarclas 2014 Single Cask Release is something to consider: bottled exclusively for Malaysia with only 149 bottles available, this sherry bomb might look like a heavyweight, but it has a lot of nuances once you tease out the flavours. Notes of fruitcake spices, raisins, brown sugar, and dark chocolate are all here, and with a 59.8% abv bottling strength, there’s plenty to enjoy.
Buy Glenfarclas Single Cask Release for RM779
For The Peated Whisky Lover
For those who love their peated whiskies strong and powerful, the Mac-Talla Mara is the one to go for; bottled at 58.2% abv, it is surprisingly balanced and flavourful, with a good dose of peat, reminiscent of smoked barley and barbecue.
For an elegant peated whisky, we can’t recommend the Ledaig 18 enough. Consistently a favourite amongst whisky enthusiasts, this peated offering from Tobermory was first matured for 16 years in ex-bourbon casks, and finished for 2 years in sherry casks, giving the whisky delicious sweet and fruity notes.
Buy Ledaig 18 Year Old for RM776
For The Sherry Lover
In getting the most out of your ringgit, we suggest opting for the Old Perth Original Blend or the Glencadam Reserva Andalucia. The Old Perth Original is a classic sherry matured blended malt at 46% abv, making it a bargain compared to many overhyped sherry matured single malts out there.
The Glencadam Reserva Andalucia, on the other hand, is a lovely balanced single malt that combines the gorgeous barley-sweet character of Glencadam’s bourbon-matured style with a sherry-cask finish for added richness.
