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Spirits

Father’s Day Gift Solutions

June 12, 2020 — If you’ve been procrastinating about getting Dad a gift, you are coming down to the wire.  Father’s Day is Sunday, June 21 so get off your duff get him something he’ll treasure but probably wouldn’t buy for himself.  You’re done with ties, tools and golf balls and so is he.  It’s time to shower him with a little luxury to say thank you for all he’s done for you.  Below are a few suggestions, any one of which will make you look like a hero and convince Dad he raised you right after all.

COGNAC

Nothing says luxury like Cognac.  Sipping a really good Cognac, savoring its many layers and considering the history, precision and expertise that went into its creation enhances one’s perspective of the daily grind.  This is especially so when the choice is Cognac Frapin.  For 21 generations since 1270 the Frapin family has cultivated 240 hectares of grapes in Grande Champagne eventually turning their talents to distilling.  With dozens of prestigious awards from around the world over the centuries, any one of the following offerings would be a thoughtful gift for Father’s Day.

Cognac Frapin 1270 is the winner of the Double Gold at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition.  It demonstrates the quality of excellence passed down from 21 generations of wine growers and distillers. The blend shows smoothness with freshness and originality, plus it can be enjoyed neat or mixed in a cocktail.  The elegant bottle and box is priced at  $54.99.

Cognac Frapin Cellar Master Edition No. 1 This distinctive blend, selected by Cellar Master Patrice Piveteau, has been aged for over 10 years in chai Francois Rabelais, a humid cellar that typically provides roundness and suppleness to the liquid. Patrice decided to release this cask strength naturally without using any filtration or chilling to keep the spirit’s purity. The Cellar Master Edition has a deep golden hue, a clean and aromatic nose, and woody vanilla notes that evolve from fruity to floral. The palate is balanced and lively, with essence of apricot, ginger, and a long finish.  Suggested retail $99.00.

Cognac Frapin Collector’s Edition 1994. Powerful yet elegant, this single cask vintage has distinctive character due to ageing in a Limousin oak barrel for 24 years in Chateau Fontpinot’s dry cellars, which adds finesse and firmness to the cognac. The Collector’s Edition is bright, yellow-colored orange with a fruity nose that offers hints of dried apricot, orange, light vanilla and a long finish.

RUM

If rum is really what Dad fancies, you can’t do better than Flor de Caña an ultra-premium, full-bodied rum from a 5th generation family estate in Nicaragua.  The International Wine and Spirits Competition in London named it the Best Rum Producer of the Year in 2017.

Flor de Caña 25’s dark, elegant amber hue paves the way for an enchanting aroma of vanilla, wood, and dark cocoa. Sticky-sweet and cut by fruity, nutty, and caramel notes, this buttery-finished rum won ‘Best Rum of the Year’ at the International Rum Conference in Madrid.  Elegant and beautifully packaged the SRP is $154.99.

WHISKY & WHISKEY

For the Dad who loves tradition and good single malt from Scotland, The Balvenie has two great bottles to choose from. The Balvenie Double Wood 12 Year Old and the The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year Old.

The 12 Year Old has the distinction of being matured in two wood types. Over the period of maturation, it is transferred from a traditional oak whisky cask to a first fill European oak sherry cask. Each stage lends different qualities to the resulting single malt. The traditional casks soften and add character, while the sherry wood brings depth and fullness of flavor. The taste is a smooth mellow single malt of beautifully combined flavors –- nutty sweetness, cinnamon spiciness and a delicately proportioned layer of sherry all encompassed in a long and warming finish. SRP $59.99

The Caribbean Cask 14 Year Old is the ultimate gift. The whisky is created by maturing The Balvenie first in second-fill traditional oak whisky casks before transferring the whisky to casks previously used to mature Caribbean rum. The taste is rounded with vanilla and sweet oak notes, with a fruity character that develops with time, all encompassed in a soft and lingering finish. SRP $74.99

For the Dad who likes his whiskey spelled with an “E” and made in America, Hudson Manhattan Rye Whiskey is the perfect gift and it makes a killer Manhattan, too. The spirit’s peppery start transitions to a honey-cinnamon depth with butteriness that lingers after each sip.

Hudson Whiskey has become an iconic American Whiskey since the first of its distinctive bottles were shipped in 2006. Produced at Tuthilltown Spirits distillery, the first to open in New York after Prohibition, Hudson Whiskey is the first legally distilled whiskey in New York State since Repeal. Hudson’s signature expression, Baby Bourbon, is also the first-ever New York State-produced bourbon.   Both the Manhattan Rye and the Baby Bourbon retail for $49.99.

No time to shop?  Drizly.com is there to help.

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