There have been so many good drops out there this year it’s hard to put my thumb on what was the best. But if you’re looking for out of the ordinary Christmas presents for staff, clients or loved ones then have a quick crack at some of these:
A Subscription to the Beer Cartel.
This is a great idea for a gift that will keep giving. The idea is that you choose how long you want your subscription to run, from 1 month to 12 months, and then either select a half dozen or dozen beers. It’s a well thought out selection, and it’s designed so that you have two or three of each beer – great for sharing with caring friends that would buy such an awesome present!!!! Each month you will receive a new range of specially selected craft beers from Australia and around the globe. You will also receive tasting notes so that you can learn about the beers and the brewers who make them as well as scoring sheets so you can rate the beers you try. The perfect membership for the real beer enthusiast! Prices start at about $50, visit www.beercartel.com.au
Beer as a gift….???
It’s seen as acceptable to give a bottle of wine as a gift at Christmas, but think outside the box a little and you can find a world of great beers that can cellar well, most can be bought by the six- pack or by the carton. My tips would be to look for:
Coopers Vintage – if money were no objection this would be my daily drink. With aromas of citrus and floral notes, it’s very smooth in the mouth and lingers for a long time, making you want to pick up that glass and have more…and more and more. But watch out, it’s got quite a high alcohol content that can sneak up on you. At 7.5% alcohol (that’s 2.2 standard drinks per stubby) it’s not only the heaviest beer produced by Coopers, but also one of the heaviest in the world. Because of the strong flavour of this beer, it is a good match with foods that are spicy or contain meat. It cellars well too, I’m just finishing off the 2006 vintage now.
Endeavour True Vintage Pale Ale and Endeavour True Vintage Amber Ale – I only stumbled across these recently and would be more than happy to see a four pack of either in my stocking come Christmas day. The 2011 Pale shows floral citrus on the nose, with a touch of dried herbs. On the tongue it’s fresh, lively and zippy, with citrus and passionfruit and a touch of spice and a lick of stone fruit. Good bitterness and a smooth clean mouthfeel too. The 2011 Amber is rich and full on the nose, with just a touch of caramel and roasted, spicy characters and dark fruit cake type aromas. On the tongue it’s a sideshow of tastes, herbs, cinnamon and an earthiness to it. Plenty of body to it, and bitterness, it isn’t a quaffing beer and begs to be had with red meat.
Crown Ambassador – this is one that seems to me to be aimed more at the corporate gift market or the collector. At nearly $90 for a 750ml bottle it’s a little steep, but it is a new luxury style of beer for Australia. The 2011 is the fourth release and continues the tradition of adding distinctive crystal malt and fresh Galaxy hops to the brew to create a lager full of complexity and style. This vintage was due to be released in August but held back by the master brewer to gain further bottle maturation time. The lager is aged in French oak barrels for three months imparting an even deeper and more concentrated flavour. Bottles are individually numbered, and, it should be pointed out are immaculately packed in a premium gift box, which is why, along with the price, I see corporate gift all over it.
A Great Scotch.
Gee, where do you start here? Price would be the place I guess. For just under $30 you can grab a twin pack of Chivas Regal Scotch. It contains a 200ml bottle of Chivas 12yo and the outstanding Chivas 18yo. Chivas 12yo is a whisky with honey and hazelnut notes and a long creamy finish, but has a bite from the alcohol; the 18yo on the other hand is long, warm and smooth, with aromas of buttery toffee, dark chocolate and dried fruit. A great gift at the price.
At the $50 mark I’d look at the new Johnnie Walker Double Black or Monkey Shoulder Scotch Whisky. The Double Black is a new addition to the Johnnie Walker blended whisky range, and shows everything people enjoy about Johnnie Walker Black, but as its been aged in deep charred old oak casks it has this lovely smokiness to it. The best way to release this great nose is to add a small drop of pure water. Plus, and they probably won’t like me saying it, this makes an awesome marinade for the meat on the bbq!
Monkey Shoulder is also a blended whisky, except that it’s been blended from three of Speyside’s finest single malts and using batches from only 27 casks to produce this fine malt whisky. Aromas of sherry, butterscotch, barley, strawberry and vanilla, are complimented by tangy, citrus, mint, oak and orange peel on the tongue. This is so easy to drink, and I can’t recommend highly enough to someone looking for a super easy drinking scotch.
At the top end, but still below the $100 mark has the Glenfiddich 14yo Rich Oak Aged Scotch and, my personal favourite, Lagavulin 16yo Scotch Whisky. Lagavulin has a strange yellowish brown colour that lets you know it will have a strong smoky peat smell but you also get the smell of salt beach air, followed by nuttiness, a hint of toffee and light fruitiness before a spicy finish
Glenfiddich Rich Oak is a completely unique single malt, finished in brand new American and new Spanish oak casks after being matured for 14 years. Alive with flavour, it shows creamy vanilla, a soft toffee sweetness and spicy oak with layers of ripe summer fruit, creating a rich and complex single malt.
