nice alcholo for nephew to put away for 17years

[Glaucus]

Nephews first birthday, he'll get loads of toys etc, would rather get something he can keep and appreciate when he's older. Already got him a proper pewter tankard for last christmas.

So was thinking maybe a nice bottle of spirits/port or something? Any ideas what's the normal drink people get in these situations.

 

[SHEDDER1uk]

What's the normal drink to get a year old. No idea on that one.

 

[Glaucus]

It's a pretty standard gift, especially at christenings etc.

 

[f00b4r]

Not scotch as it doesn't age outside the barrel.
Wine is now grown differently and most will not improve after about 4 years.
What about a nice port (although apparently this does not age as well in a bottle as it would being left in the cask at least it will improve)?

 

[Spitfir3]

Port? Thats what my granddad did

 

[Participant]

Tankard then booze, lol his parents will certainly have you pegged as a man who likes his booze!

 

[Kosmiche]

A Carling shandy

 

[Maccapacca]

Can't you buy scotch now that's fresh in the barrel now and pick it up later or do you need to give him something physical? Port.

 

[Scuzi]

Most 18 year olds will not appreciate the finer spirits. It takes years of taste bud abuse to be able to enjoy them!

I believe some distilleries will let you buy a bottles worth from a current cask, which can be decanted when the kid is older. This would be more special than a bottle that's sat degrading in a cupboard for 20 years. I still have half a bottle of Ardbeg 10 I bought when I went to Islay in 2004. It's not as good as it was.

 

[gregorius]

A bottle of one of the better vintage ports; Taylor's say. Then tell him to keep it until he's 40...

 

[pitchfork]

Just get him a bottle of Macallan 10 year and be done with it. He'll probably smash the top off and get violently ill on it when he's 15 anyway.

Never even heard of giving booze at a christening.

 

[Martynt74]

I still have half a bottle of Ardbeg 10 I bought when I went to Islay in 2004. It's not as good as it was.

I think thats probably due to it being opened to be honest. Had it been sealed then it'd be just as good as when it was new

 

[jimmy321]

Not scotch as it doesn't age outside the barrel./QUOTE]

Many including myself will disagree with this, sure it will not mature like it is in the cask but it will change over long periods of time certainly over decades and perhaps not for the best.

Some call it 'bottle ageing' and others the 'old bottle effect' last year I tried a 10yo whisky bottled 2013 and the same whisky bottled around 1970 and it was clearly 'aged'.

The guys that worked at the distillery were blabbing on about the quality of their casks and quality control in their modern plant and how the older whisky would not be as good as the new version they looked quite insulted when I disagreed the older whisky was clearly better and it was tried by a few who all said they preferred it.

Anyway apart from that if you buy a bottle of whisky today and compare it side by side with a bottle bought in 10-20 years time it will certainly be different as the casks, malt, blender*, weather conditions etc will all have an effect.

*Even a single malt is blended with casks from the same distillery unless it's a single cask which will have it's own character.

 

[Jolteh]

Just don't get wine.

I've tried a few wines people have kept in their homes for 10+ years and they've all been grim.

As a sidenote, I'd agree with the sentiment that giving booze 'to keep' for something like a christening is a bit unusual (read: pretentious). I'd steer clear of buying gifts to try and make a statement about yourself and buy something that will be useful to the parents, ie, a gift card for a shop that sells baby stuff.

 

[D.P.]

Just don't get wine.

I've tried a few wines people have kept in their homes for 10+ years and they've all been grim.

As a sidenote, I'd agree with the sentiment that giving booze 'to keep' for something like a christening is a bit unusual (read: pretentious). I'd steer clear of buying gifts to try and make a statement about yourself and buy something that will be useful to the parents, ie, a gift card for a shop that sells baby stuff.

Almost all wines don't at all age well, even after 3-4 years they can loose huge amounts of taste and start tasting quite disgusting shortly after.

I've been doing a wine tasting course and this was one of the teaching points one evening and we tried half a dozen wines that were aged 3-6 years compared to the new bottle. Quite astounding the difference and how disappointing.

 

[f00b4r]

Many including myself will disagree with this, sure it will not mature like it is in the cask but it will change over long periods of time certainly over decades and perhaps not for the best.

Some call it 'bottle ageing' and others the 'old bottle effect' last year I tried a 10yo whisky bottled 2013 and the same whisky bottled around 1970 and it was clearly 'aged'.

The guys that worked at the distillery were blabbing on about the quality of their casks and quality control in their modern plant and how the older whisky would not be as good as the new version they looked quite insulted when I disagreed the older whisky was clearly better and it was tried by a few who all said they preferred it.

Anyway apart from that if you buy a bottle of whisky today and compare it side by side with a bottle bought in 10-20 years time it will certainly be different as the casks, malt, blender*, weather conditions etc will all have an effect.

*Even a single malt is blended with casks from the same distillery unless it's a single cask which will have it's own character.

Hmm interesting as that goes against everything i have read before.
Also my father was recently given a 15(?) year old single malt from the 50's or 60's so I will let you know how it turns out when we crack it open next time we are together

 

[Regy53]

My grandad got me a bottle of vintage port the day I was born.

Gave it to me a few years ago I was 25.

We had a family christmas last year with around 30 of us renting a hall. Seemed a good time to open it and share it with a few that I wished. Lovely occasion one I will remember for a long time.

The port was fantastic.

 

[Glaucus]

So port seems the way forward. So any suggestions of which?

 

[taB]

Port all round for my nephews and godsprogs.

Caveat: I sell it.

2012 is the latest release and while many are very affordable, it's a vintage of Single Quinta releases and so they have a shorter life span.

2011 is starting to appear in bottles now (rather than just by the case) and is a terrific year for longevity and quality (best post 1994 in most instances and many exceeding that and much older quality years).

Things to think about:
Get something with a 30 year drinking window or thereabouts. When they're 18 it will be unappreciated and taste like pee; ensure it's got a lifespan to last until they may appreciate it.

Most young ports (11/12 vintages) will only be available in bond at present. This means pre-tax and there's nothing physical to give them for a year or two. You'll need to factor in that there's a bit of tax to pay down the line. Older ones will be available "all-in" but the older you go the shorter its final longevity (approx.).

Do they have somewhere to keep it? Whether it's a friend's cellar, their own place or wherever it will benefit from being properly stored.

If you want to give their birth year (2013 I guess) then you'll need to wait until April next year to see if any of the houses declare a vintage. Rumour so far is that it could be a good year.

Do shout if you need more info, email in trust. I've gone for more obscure buys generally with my gifts but if you want to go for a safe recent bet I'd be looking mainly at Taylor, Graham and Noval from 2011.

 

[D.P.]

Some distilleries allow you to reserve some whisky in the cask to bottle once mature.

The problem with most drinks is they don't age well once bottled.
Port is an exception but it needs to be a vintage port specially for bottle aging.