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I got a birth year bottle for my son. The year he turned 18. Not hard at all.
I'm not a port drinker. Do you have any suggestions?
Indeed, but not really what I'm looking to do. And that would be primarily for me since he doesn't drink scotch.
We are just as suprised as you. Time keeps on slippin' into the future...
Nobody who sells a 50 yr old port wine is going to be making swill. You can pretty much decide what you want to spend, and pick up a bottle at that price, and have confidence you're giving a nice gift. That said, Taylor Fladgate is classic (do not confuse Taylor Fladgate for the similar-sounding "Taylor's" in the US--the former is Portuguese and is world-renowned (and commonly referred to as simply "Taylor" or "Taylor's" outside the US), the latter is $8/bottle NY stuff that's not what you're looking for). Kopke is also pretty classic. Both of those labels are pretty easy to find, though 50 yr bottles may not just be sitting on the shelf at your neighborhood liquor store. But like I say, any 50 yr-old port is going to be something special.
Thanks. We do have Spec's, and Total Wine. I'll have to check out the Port sections.
Man, I drove in my first race in '75.
My younger brother bought me and my twin a bottle of 50 year tawny port for our birthday, and we all drunk it together. It was delicious. Port is a fair bit sweeter than bourbon, but I think he'll like it.
Given that my wife and I celebrated our 52nd wedding anniversary earlier this summer, as scary as that sounds, yep. Kids born in 1975 are tuning 50 this year. Our son will hit 49 later this year. Gad, we're getting old.
The Bhakta would be in my budget, but I'm curious about it being a "mix" of vintages.
When the catch barrel is full of the runoff from rinsing other barrels, they redistill it and call it a blend.
If your friend was conceived the year before he was born, you can argue that he is also a mix of vintages and the Bhakta is appropriate
A few years ago, my Kiwi son in law Andy's parents visited from Australia, where they then lived. Along the way, they stopped in Scotland, where she was originally from, and visited her relatives who own the Longmorn distillery. Knowing I like a good single malt, they asked for a bottle for me. They tapped an 80 year old cask (!) for her, and gave her a hand labeled bottle, which miraculously made it through customs inside a Glenlivet box. All I can say is wow... I had to buy a bottle of a more recent Longmorn vintage to have something to properly compare it to, and still wow. After the first few glasses, I saved the rest in a cool dark place and poured one glass each year on Christmas until it was gone, a toast to Andy's father who passed shortly after the visit. I can still hear her thick Scottish brogue, "I'm family, otherwise that would have been an 800 pound bottle!"
Getting.??
Like I say, you're unlikely to find a 50yr bottle sitting on the shelf. Be sure to talk to the folks in the store and let them know what you're looking for--I'm sure they'll do their best to help you.
I’ve had a glass of 25 year old Macallan, and can only imagine - no, strike that, cannot even imagine an 80 year old single malt. That must have been divine.
I know that's how they make blended scotch.