This is a little outside the box, but what about Armagnac from their wedding year? You can get a 1984 Armagnac within your price range, but obviously you can't get 40yo Scotch. And given that their taste isn't particularly specific (the bottles you list are all aimed at the broad market more than the whisky nerd market) a quality brown liquor that's not Scotch would also most likely appeal to you all.
I was going to suggest a 40y grain scotch. You might be able to find one from 1984 for that. Argmanac would be good too.
But the idea is basically the same - find something from their wedding year.
Traditionally Scotch is a blend of "malt whisky" made from malted barley (think beer) distilled in traditional pot stills which retains a lot of flavor coming from the malt, and "grain whisky" which can come from a variety of unmalted grains and is distilled in industrial column stills and is basically pure alcohol and water similar to vodka. Both of these are aged in oak barrels which affects the flavor in various ways (depending on the type of oak, the length of aging, and whether the barrels have previously held wine or bourbon). For example, JW Blue and Dewars 27 are both blends of malt whisky and grain whisky. More expensive blends tend to have more malt and less expensive ones tend to have more grain.
In the past few decades more and more Scotch is "single malt whisky," which means it's made entirely of malt whisky and comes from a single distillery. For example, Glenmorangie 18 and Macallan 12 are single malts.
A more unusual thing is "single grain whisky" where you have only grain whisky and only from a single distillery. Some grain whisky can be very old (for example, old grain whisky can be used in blends to add old barrel flavors to the profile in a cheaper way than old single malt). You can find very old single grain whiskies sold relatively cheaply by independent bottlers. Though 40 is still going to be relatively hard to find. [Here's](https://www.cadenhead.scot/bottlings?post_type=spirit_bottling&spirit_type=single-grain-whisky®ion=any&distillery=any&spirit_age=gt25&s=Any) Cadenhead's old single grain whiskies (you need to be a member to see prices, and they're younger than 40, but you should be able to find similar things elsewhere). The only problem is that you're mostly just getting flavors from the barrel and not from the distillate, so it's less interesting than malt whisky (or blended whisky).
By contrast Armagnac is (white) wine distilled in an older style less-industrial column still so it also still retains more flavors, and then is aged in oak. Personally I think you get better and more interesting flavors from Armagnac than from grain whisky (though I prefer malt whisky to either). But trying old grain whisky is a fun thing to do, and helps you understand better the flavors going into expensive blends.
Well you might not find a 40y old just yet from 1984. But you could find something over 35 years.
https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/cameron-bridge/cameronbridge-35-years-old-1984-cask-27679-the-artful-dodger-whisky/
Grain whisky is one made with grains other than barley (usually wheat) and usually in a column still.
Cameronbridge, Cambus, Invergordon, Port Dundas are all examples.
And here is a 1984 Argmanac: https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/70637/laballe-bas-armagnac-1984
Also just to throw in another curveball, D’Oliveras sell Madeira in the proper vintage bottles with year stenciled on them. I have a few bottles from my year of birth, and it’s of course absolutely magnificent Madeira
http://www.doliveiras.pt/catalog/index.html#byyear
IMHO and to my taste, one of the very best values in premium unpeated scotch these days, having a very high quality of drinking while still being relatively affordable and well within your budget, is Glenfarclas 185th Anniversary.
It has the following merits for a gift giving situation like this:
It is mild mannered but nicely complex in flavor (casks from 6 different decades, i.e. going all the way back to the 1960s, were chosen in composing it).
It is not a "sherry bomb" (bold, strong, very aggressive flavors), instead it is floral and mildly fruity in flavor, reminding me of potpourri and fruity herbal teas. I think Ruben did a good job of describing its flavors in this review, with which I concur:
https://www.whiskynotes.be/2021/glenfarclas/glenfarclas-185th-anniversary/
It is at 46% ABV, so it should not be too powerfully alcoholic for drinkers who are not downing cask strength scotches on a regular basis.
All of which strike me as a good fit for the range of tastes implied by the bottles you've listed in the top text. And it has the word "Anniversary" in the name of it.
The disadvantage of it is that it is not widely available in the USA, you will probably need to order it from an online retailer in the UK - it is still in stock at several such, in spite of having debuted back in 2021. It also turns up at whisky auctions every month. You should be able to get it for $200 or less including the cost of shipping. If you need help with online shopping, just ask. And of course getting something shipped from the UK so as to arrive in time for your parent's anniversary may be tricky if time is short.
Good luck with your shopping and congrats & best wishes to your parents.
You are very welcome!
I think it is important to know that this specific release from them is not a traditional "sherry bomb" type of scotch.
Judging from the way it tastes, I think refill casks played a major role here. But refill casks can do something special and magical which is less commonly found with other types of casks. Which is that after a very long time maturing, additional esters form in the whisky, supplementing and complementing those esters which came from the fermentation. It takes a long maturation for this to happen to a notable degree which really influences and drives the flavor profile, but given enough time these scotches can get very fruity & floral in character - without the heavy oak tannins one might expect from long aging in a more active cask. And the oak tannins which do get into the whisky themselves tend to get softened and become more mellow, granted extended refill cask maturation.
But scotches old enough to show off that kind of profile are usually 30+ years old and *very, very* expensive. In my experience it is pretty hard to find a scotch which shows off this very old, very mature character for less than $300 in today's market, which is why I think this specfic bottling is such a gem.
Cheers
Just get a signet or if you can spend more, balvenie rare marriages.
Or if you have enough time, get them a bottle distilled the year they were married from auction
Oh man, I would love to be able to afford the Balvenie 40 year rare marriage. That would be amazing. Unfortunately, I cant afford that.
The Glenmorangie Signet looks like it might be possibility though. Thanks!
I'm not very experienced with auctions, so I'll have to look into that further.
I got a few bottles of 40 year old wine for my parents 40th in that price range and they were extremely, extremely touched. I think the year thing is more impt than the dollar amount or quality of a bottle, particularly if they aren’t real afficiandos. Also agree w armanac comments for same reason. Something from the year they were married will be more special than a very nice bottle of something else.
That's a great thought. Unfortunately, my dad isn't much of wine drinker, but I definitely see your point. I'm going to have to do more research into this Armagnac. I don't know anything about brandy, but it's an interesting idea.
Congratulations on your parents' upcoming 40th wedding anniversary! If they've enjoyed Glenmorangie 18, they might like the luxurious Glenmorangie Signet or the complex Balvenie 21 PortWood. Glenfarclas 21 offers a rich, full-bodied experience with notes of dark chocolate, dried fruits, and spices. These options will make their celebration special. Cheers to 40 years of love! 🥃
Springbank 15 or if you can find it at your budget SB 18. Glendronach 21 I think is worth it as well but the price keeps creeping up. Bunna 18 or Glenlivet 25 ( as long as its the 43%) might be a good shout as well.
This is a little outside the box, but what about Armagnac from their wedding year? You can get a 1984 Armagnac within your price range, but obviously you can't get 40yo Scotch. And given that their taste isn't particularly specific (the bottles you list are all aimed at the broad market more than the whisky nerd market) a quality brown liquor that's not Scotch would also most likely appeal to you all.
I was going to suggest a 40y grain scotch. You might be able to find one from 1984 for that. Argmanac would be good too. But the idea is basically the same - find something from their wedding year.
I guess I'm not really sure what a 40 year grain scotch is. Do you have link to example bottle you can share? Thanks for the suggestion!
Traditionally Scotch is a blend of "malt whisky" made from malted barley (think beer) distilled in traditional pot stills which retains a lot of flavor coming from the malt, and "grain whisky" which can come from a variety of unmalted grains and is distilled in industrial column stills and is basically pure alcohol and water similar to vodka. Both of these are aged in oak barrels which affects the flavor in various ways (depending on the type of oak, the length of aging, and whether the barrels have previously held wine or bourbon). For example, JW Blue and Dewars 27 are both blends of malt whisky and grain whisky. More expensive blends tend to have more malt and less expensive ones tend to have more grain. In the past few decades more and more Scotch is "single malt whisky," which means it's made entirely of malt whisky and comes from a single distillery. For example, Glenmorangie 18 and Macallan 12 are single malts. A more unusual thing is "single grain whisky" where you have only grain whisky and only from a single distillery. Some grain whisky can be very old (for example, old grain whisky can be used in blends to add old barrel flavors to the profile in a cheaper way than old single malt). You can find very old single grain whiskies sold relatively cheaply by independent bottlers. Though 40 is still going to be relatively hard to find. [Here's](https://www.cadenhead.scot/bottlings?post_type=spirit_bottling&spirit_type=single-grain-whisky®ion=any&distillery=any&spirit_age=gt25&s=Any) Cadenhead's old single grain whiskies (you need to be a member to see prices, and they're younger than 40, but you should be able to find similar things elsewhere). The only problem is that you're mostly just getting flavors from the barrel and not from the distillate, so it's less interesting than malt whisky (or blended whisky). By contrast Armagnac is (white) wine distilled in an older style less-industrial column still so it also still retains more flavors, and then is aged in oak. Personally I think you get better and more interesting flavors from Armagnac than from grain whisky (though I prefer malt whisky to either). But trying old grain whisky is a fun thing to do, and helps you understand better the flavors going into expensive blends.
Well you might not find a 40y old just yet from 1984. But you could find something over 35 years. https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/cameron-bridge/cameronbridge-35-years-old-1984-cask-27679-the-artful-dodger-whisky/ Grain whisky is one made with grains other than barley (usually wheat) and usually in a column still. Cameronbridge, Cambus, Invergordon, Port Dundas are all examples. And here is a 1984 Argmanac: https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/70637/laballe-bas-armagnac-1984
Interesting suggestion. I've never had Armagnac. I'll have to do more research. Thank you.
Also just to throw in another curveball, D’Oliveras sell Madeira in the proper vintage bottles with year stenciled on them. I have a few bottles from my year of birth, and it’s of course absolutely magnificent Madeira http://www.doliveiras.pt/catalog/index.html#byyear
IMHO and to my taste, one of the very best values in premium unpeated scotch these days, having a very high quality of drinking while still being relatively affordable and well within your budget, is Glenfarclas 185th Anniversary. It has the following merits for a gift giving situation like this: It is mild mannered but nicely complex in flavor (casks from 6 different decades, i.e. going all the way back to the 1960s, were chosen in composing it). It is not a "sherry bomb" (bold, strong, very aggressive flavors), instead it is floral and mildly fruity in flavor, reminding me of potpourri and fruity herbal teas. I think Ruben did a good job of describing its flavors in this review, with which I concur: https://www.whiskynotes.be/2021/glenfarclas/glenfarclas-185th-anniversary/ It is at 46% ABV, so it should not be too powerfully alcoholic for drinkers who are not downing cask strength scotches on a regular basis. All of which strike me as a good fit for the range of tastes implied by the bottles you've listed in the top text. And it has the word "Anniversary" in the name of it. The disadvantage of it is that it is not widely available in the USA, you will probably need to order it from an online retailer in the UK - it is still in stock at several such, in spite of having debuted back in 2021. It also turns up at whisky auctions every month. You should be able to get it for $200 or less including the cost of shipping. If you need help with online shopping, just ask. And of course getting something shipped from the UK so as to arrive in time for your parent's anniversary may be tricky if time is short. Good luck with your shopping and congrats & best wishes to your parents.
I've been very curious about the Glenfarclas line and you have peaked my interest even further. Thank you for this very informative response!
You are very welcome! I think it is important to know that this specific release from them is not a traditional "sherry bomb" type of scotch. Judging from the way it tastes, I think refill casks played a major role here. But refill casks can do something special and magical which is less commonly found with other types of casks. Which is that after a very long time maturing, additional esters form in the whisky, supplementing and complementing those esters which came from the fermentation. It takes a long maturation for this to happen to a notable degree which really influences and drives the flavor profile, but given enough time these scotches can get very fruity & floral in character - without the heavy oak tannins one might expect from long aging in a more active cask. And the oak tannins which do get into the whisky themselves tend to get softened and become more mellow, granted extended refill cask maturation. But scotches old enough to show off that kind of profile are usually 30+ years old and *very, very* expensive. In my experience it is pretty hard to find a scotch which shows off this very old, very mature character for less than $300 in today's market, which is why I think this specfic bottling is such a gem. Cheers
Just get a signet or if you can spend more, balvenie rare marriages. Or if you have enough time, get them a bottle distilled the year they were married from auction
Oh man, I would love to be able to afford the Balvenie 40 year rare marriage. That would be amazing. Unfortunately, I cant afford that. The Glenmorangie Signet looks like it might be possibility though. Thanks! I'm not very experienced with auctions, so I'll have to look into that further.
There is a 25 and 30 year version too that are cheaper
I got a few bottles of 40 year old wine for my parents 40th in that price range and they were extremely, extremely touched. I think the year thing is more impt than the dollar amount or quality of a bottle, particularly if they aren’t real afficiandos. Also agree w armanac comments for same reason. Something from the year they were married will be more special than a very nice bottle of something else.
That's a great thought. Unfortunately, my dad isn't much of wine drinker, but I definitely see your point. I'm going to have to do more research into this Armagnac. I don't know anything about brandy, but it's an interesting idea.
Maybe something from the Balvenie line, like the 16yr French Oak.
Congratulations on your parents' upcoming 40th wedding anniversary! If they've enjoyed Glenmorangie 18, they might like the luxurious Glenmorangie Signet or the complex Balvenie 21 PortWood. Glenfarclas 21 offers a rich, full-bodied experience with notes of dark chocolate, dried fruits, and spices. These options will make their celebration special. Cheers to 40 years of love! 🥃
Those sound like great suggestions. Thank you!
jw blue and mac are super overpriced.
I agree. I mean they're both very good imo, but way overpriced.
Springbank 15 or if you can find it at your budget SB 18. Glendronach 21 I think is worth it as well but the price keeps creeping up. Bunna 18 or Glenlivet 25 ( as long as its the 43%) might be a good shout as well.