Daisy54

I'm going to Scotland & England in March, and I promised my son-in-law I'd bring him a bottle of Scotch whisky. But I don't want to get something that's available in U.S. liquor stores. Does anyone know of an upscale brand that's not imported to the U.S.? I'm hoping to purchase this bottle at Heathrow on my way home to avoid having to carry it around with me on my trip.

janis

Actually - anymore, most of the single malts and blends available in the UK are readily found in most US cities. Places like Beverages and More and other chains and independents will have as good a choice as in most UK off licenses.

So my suggestion would be to tour one of the many distilleries in Scotland (depending on what parts of Scotland you visit), and just buy a bottle there - so you have a connection to the gift. Or barring that - the Whisky Center in Edinburgh offers tastings and you can buy the one you like best.

Gardyloo

It's highly unlikely you'll find anything at Heathrow that you wouldn't be able to find (probably cheaper) in the US. Even very small boutique distillers have their products distributed in N. America - it's hard to ignore the world's biggest market. Still, check out the "World of Whiskies" shop in T3 at Heathrow - you can at least find something breathtakingly expensive.

jsmith

There is at least one shop at Heathrow that specializes in Scotch that can steer you in the right direction. For myself, I've been buying Grants 100. Grants is a brand generally available in the US but I've never seen the 100 proof here. Good luck.

jsmith

Before the purists jump all over me, I do know that Grants is a blend and not a single malt. I sometimes forget that it's necessary to impress.

Marilyn

You might ask your son-in-law if he wants a blend or a single malt, and also whether he favors a smoky scotch or not. We did a lot of tasting in just a few days and liked the smoky Islay malts the best, but they are not to everyone's taste. Even if the brand is available in the US, there might be a particular aged "vintage" (surely not the correct word?) that is not. (14 year instead of 10, for example)

joegri

Daisy: Go to the whisky center in Edinburgh and purchase a bottle of Dallas Dhu, a single malt that as of my last visit was still not in production. It is a fine smooth single malt and on my last trip I was able to obtain a 35 year old vintage (an all right word).
Your son-in-law will love it if he loves single malts.
jsmith, blends are fine. I happen to like Famous Grouse, a good blend, from time to time.

jsmith

The definitive site for Scotch whisky is:

http://www.scotchwhisky.net/index.htm

GSteed

Is the brand, Sheep Dip( scotch), still available in London? A scotch.

sheila

Why would you buy that except for the novelty value?

BTilke

The Heathrow whiskey shop has some good deals. On my last trip to the U.S., I brought my cousin a pretty large bottle of Highland Park, bought at a price lower than you could find in the U.S.
I wanted to bring over a bottle of Springbank, but the guy at the Heathrow shop said it's too hard to get. Springbank is highly rated and very good, so if you can find a bottle of it toward the end of your trip, that's the one I'd recommend. Springbank is pretty hard to get in the U.S. unless you're in an area that has an upscale liquor store...and even then, it may be difficult. I suggest you go to the best liquor store in your area and take a look at the whiskey selection, and make a note of which of the better brands are available and for how much. Also, ask your son-in-law if he has a general preferred taste, i.e., highland, Speyside, island. Some people love the taste of the whiskies from the island of Islay (Laphroaig, for example), others hate it.
P.S. Checkin at Heathrow can be REALLY slow, so if you want to do any shopping there, give yourself plenty of extra check-in time!!

petitepois

If you're going to Scotland, I recommend stopping in at an Oddbins or some other off-license and asking them what they recommend. I did this last month in Edinburgh and we came away with a beautiful whisky (Caol Isla). The guy in the Oddbins was very kind and knowledgeable. You don't need to go to a special whisky shop to buy special whisky!

sheila

For price you would be better to buy from World of Whiskies at the airport. They have a pretty good selection. The bottles tend to be litre bottles rather than the standard 70cl that we buy in the shops.

You will get a better selection in an Oddbins or a specialist whisky shop- the one in the Royal Mile, the one in Tomintoul or the one in Dufftown all spring to mind.

If I were you, I'd give your son-in-law a copy of Michael Jackson's Malt Whisky Companion, ask him what he likes and try to get him that.

If it has to be a surprise, try to find out what sort of whisky he likes and come back here, and we'll try to give you more guidance on what you should buy. Me, I'm a bit of a whisky person, so would love to help.

My own favourite all time whisky is Lagavulin double matured which I pretty much can only get from World of Whiskies. It's so sad that I have to buy it in oversized bottles

david_west

If you are in London, there is a fantastic shop in Old Compton st in Soho that stocks all sorts of rare whiskies (not cheap though). It also stocks lots of other drinks.

I highly recommend the Glen Hoddle.

sheila

Don't listen to that man. He's winding one of us up!!

alan64

The duty free area in Heathrow has a few scotch whiskies to choose from. Most of the time there are reps from some distilleries and you can ask them which of the available bottles are not sold in the U.S. There are often special editions there that you can't get in the states. Last time there I picked up a bottle of Glenfiddich Havana Cask Finish 21 yr old that's very good. A very good pure malt not normally available in the U.S. is Johnny Walker Green Label.

If you know what brand(s) your son-in-law likes, that will help in choosing a similar style whisky, since there's quite a difference between an Islay and a Speyside.

Keith

Calvados (apple brndy) from France is available in the UK. The older, higher quality calvados is not available in the US and it rivals the best single malts.

Keith

laverendrye

Ah, the wonderful Glen Hoddle from the little distillery at White Hart Lane! Even rarer is one of the late Mordecai Richler's favorites, the Glen Tuchusleker.

Daisy54

Wow! Thank you all so much for your great suggestions on my whisky purchasing! Not being a whisky drinker myself, this whole singles malt/blend stuff is Greek to me, so I will consult further with my SIL on which he prefers. I've also taken notes from your replies to bring with me to help me choose a good gift for my SIL. Oh, and to BTilke, regarding getting to Heathrow early - I've been there a coule times and I always try to get to Heathrow as early as possible, not only for check-in and security, but also for the great shopping to be had there - my last chance to shop Harrods before leaving Britain.

Thanks agian fodorites, for all your knowledgeable help.

Ann41

The distilleries in Ireland all have at least one bottle that is only for sale at the distillery. I'm assuming it's the same in Scotland.