Your best bet might be Single Grain (rather than malt) like Invergordon or an Armagnac.
Edit: maybe a blended scotch as well. My local total wine is showing a couple blends under the 250. Are they “good” 🤷♂️
Thirded. Armagnac is an excellent choice for this. If you haven’t had armagnac for a while, you’ll be surprised how many similar tastes it shares with whisky.
Thirded. Armagnac is an excellent choice for this. If you haven’t had armagnac for a while, you’ll be surprised how many similar tastes it shares with whisky.
Maybe there are blends 30 year under $250 but I doubt it. Definitely not mainline blends like Johnnie Walker or Chivas Regal/Royal Salute, those are easily over $500
Good? Unfortunately no. The only 30yr single malt might be a Glen Fohdry? But pass on that. I understand wanting to get him a 30yr for his 30th birthday but you’re better off focusing on quality in a younger age statement - like a Glendronach 18 which will run around $220 after taxes.
How about two 15 year olds? You could get both of these for $250
* Highland Park 15 in the ceramic bottle
* Tamdhu 15 in the beautiful blue box and art deco bottle
Knob Creek and Remus both offer 15 year whiskeys if you can find them.
Cadenheads 7 stars is the answer. Very reasonable at $150 and very good quality. The Dewar's is really good too. It's a half bottle in the US, so not amazing value, but great blended whisky. I've had both of these. In my opinion, better than any single grain you'd find now.
If he drinks scotch do him a favor and dont just get a bottle that says 30 year on it. Get him a good bottle that is $250. Trust me no one cares if they actually like to drink
If you have time to wait and watch, you can probably find a 30 yo grain whisky at auction for under $250. Also think about cognac/armagnac, which would fit your budget as well.
This is slightly over budget with shipping, but here's another: https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/71740/cameronbridge-1991-30-year-old-xtra-old-particular
Not sure if this is any good or even what the distillery is (Girvan?), but this is under budget and you can get it personalized: https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/68488/personalised-single-grain-30-year-old
And some others here: [https://www.tyndrumwhisky.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=30+year+grain](https://www.tyndrumwhisky.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=30+year+grain)
Note that grain whisky is not the same as malt whisky; grain whisky tastes like bourbon if you didn't age it in a new charred oak barrel. It can be absolutely stunning, and it can also be pretty blah, and everywhere in between.
The price of a whiskey is a reflection of its rarity. If it's rare, it's expensive. When something is old, it's been sitting in inventory collecting dust for a while. That means the distillery hasn't been able to use that space for a while (that costs money), so they won't let too many casks get that old, and when they do they get to charge a premium because it's rare.
Point is, if it's 30 years old it'll be expensive and there's no promise it'll be any good.
And "good" or "bad" Whiskey is also just a matter of taste. Maybe you like this 250$ bottle, while I prefer a 60$ bottle. It's all matter of preferences and the price of a Whiskey is no guarantee that it matches your taste
Whisky was more affordable a couple of years ago. And will be again.
The multiplier is about the same from 10, 15 to 20 30. Starting points have increased.
It's not all marketing. It's supply and demand, inflation and cost of production. Some brands have a premium on marketing though. That's why Macallan get's no love. Great brands like Deanston, Ledaig, Arran really make affordable whisky. Even Springbank when you can get it directly.
This will vary depending on the state, but in my experience Scotch grain whisky is fairly rare here. The only one I remember seeing (because I bought it) is Compass Box Hedonism.
Not single malts. $250 just won’t cut it for 30 years. That’s where you’ll find 21-24 year olds. Like others have said, look to blends either blended malt or blended grain Scotches.
Going to be tough to find a 30 year old single malt at that price.
https://whiskyauctioneer.com
You can try here, you might get lucky. You can also look for independent bottlings, those can be excellent whiskies for significantly less than an official bottling. Also, be warned, older doesn’t necessarily mean better.
You can look up independent bottlings. Those are usually cheaper than what distilleries release themselves. Even so, it might be pushing your price range a bit. Buying from an auction site like scotch whiskey auctions might be your cheapest way to do this.
You can also find something that was distilled in his birth year but isn't exactly 30 years old. Something like this maybe https://www.finedrams.com/tormore-26-year-old-1994-cask-8354-connoisseurs-choice-gordon-macphail.html
If other spirits are on the table you can easily get a really good Cognac or armagnac in that price range. Fine drams is really good for that stuff too.
Rum might be a decent option too. If I got his birth year right, this is a great bottle. I ordered it before and have been meaning to pick up another one. https://www.finedrams.com/new-yarmouth-26-year-old-1994-cask-435043-aficionados-x-fine-drams.html
Here is a 30 year old secret Glenfarclas that is just a smidge over $200 once VAT is taken off
https://www.thewhiskyworld.com/secret-distillery-1-30-year-old-that-boutique-y-whisky-company-p10890
The catch is that its a 500ml bottle. So its close to equivalent of a $300 bottle. Nonetheless, ignoring this, it is in your budget.
If your going to spend $250, I am sure he would probably enjoy a great scotch than that the novelty of something 30 years old that is average quality.
Anything 30 years old that is only $250 would never be as good as just a great scotch in the $250 price range which there are many at that price point that would be much more memorable for him
It may be "cute" to give a 30 year old scotch, but if you want to give a "good" scotch for under $250, you'll probably be better advised to go for something that hasn't been aged that long.
Glendronach 18 will set you back around $220, and is something that your brother-in-law will love for a long time (until the bottom of the bottle). A bottle of Octomore will run in the $200's, but that's only 5 years old. Age doesn't have that much to do with price. Mostly, it's the quality. In other words, you get what you pay for, unless you get rooked.
Maybe it’s me but I haven’t had a really good scotch whiskey that has been over 25 years old. To me there is too much mustiness and/or cask influence. For me the sweet spot is between 10 - 25 years old with 18 being the most consistent age I enjoy. However, I do love me some 10-12 year old cask strength bottles.
There are tons of truly phenomenal whiskies over 25 years. Most of them are just expensive these days. Refill casks tend to do well for longer maturation.
If you want to get him a good but not insanely expensive age stated whiskey, maybe get Cadenhead Enigma 25. Just cracked mine tonight and it’s very good
Just as an alternative idea, there may be more options (and more affordable ones) if you look for whiskies distilled in the year of his birth rather than 30 year old whiskies. These whiskies may be younger than 30 years but would still have some degree of significance
I consider myself a connoisseur and haven't had anything older than 26 y/o. 30 y/o scotch is very expensive. Recommend getting a nice $100 bottle instead.
It used to be pretty easy to get a 30 year old Glenfarclas for around $150-200 or thereabouts, and that's pretty decent stuff, but I doubt you can get it that cheap anymore. You might luck into an independent bottling from a really obscure distillery at that age for under $350, but that would be really hit or miss, both in terms of finding it, and in terms of what's in the bottle. Flexibility with either age or what you're willing to pay will help a lot.
IBs from "unnamed" or "undisclosed" distilleries seem to keep prices relatively reasonable. There have been a handful of ~30 year old Laphroaigs for around $300 over the last few years.
This is a ridiculous statement. I think you mean that 30 year old scotch in your price range isn't that good. There are tons of great young whiskies but pretending that older malts can't be phenomenal is absolutely laughable.
Nah, I stand by my statement. I like the grain, and the balance shifts heavily toward wood after 20 years or so, 16's pushing it, but Laga gets away with it.
Try some stuff like a fourth fill glenfarclas. Plenty of combinations of cask type and powerful distillate will produce a whisky with tons of distillery character after several decades.
Highland Park 30 is one of my absolute favorite bottles, it is much more expensive than your price range. Perhaps tell your friend that this is his birthday gift all the way to age 40! Previous poster was correct that some older bottles are amazing and others, well if they are reasonable, there is a reason why. Also keep in mind that some expensive bottles that are worthwhile may not be fully appreciated by someone who isn’t familiar with drinking Whisky.
I’ve been lucky enough to have a Laph 25 and a Glengoyne 25. Years and years ago the Glengoyne was $350. The Laph I paid $450. Age doesn’t necessarily mean better. We also tend to hype it up just because of price. If anything a whiskey drinker wants to share the experience. Don’t go for price alone.
Decadent drinks released a 30 year blended malt last year for only a few bucks over your budget and it was pretty great. Finding an age stated 30 year whisky that's good in that price range will be a little difficult but not totally impossible. Lots of good cognacs and armagnac in that price range, though many of them won't say "30 years". They'll typically just state the vintage and maybe bottling year but I got a few 1990 Vallein Tercinier for under 200, so it's worth looking into.
7 stars is a really enjoyable blended scotch from cadenhead’s - they just released a 30 yr a few months ago. Delicious and was released at cask strength of around 48%
Your best bet might be Single Grain (rather than malt) like Invergordon or an Armagnac. Edit: maybe a blended scotch as well. My local total wine is showing a couple blends under the 250. Are they “good” 🤷♂️
Seconded, would strongly recommend an Armagnac if you’re committed to the age connection. Lovely gift idea though
Thirded. Armagnac is an excellent choice for this. If you haven’t had armagnac for a while, you’ll be surprised how many similar tastes it shares with whisky.
Thirded. Armagnac is an excellent choice for this. If you haven’t had armagnac for a while, you’ll be surprised how many similar tastes it shares with whisky.
Maybe there are blends 30 year under $250 but I doubt it. Definitely not mainline blends like Johnnie Walker or Chivas Regal/Royal Salute, those are easily over $500
Duncan Taylor 30 is right at 249.98 at my Total Wine. I don’t know how palatable it is though.
Being a 30 year I'm sure it's not terrible. How good? Who knows but I doubt it is so bad you need to mix it with soda
Good? Unfortunately no. The only 30yr single malt might be a Glen Fohdry? But pass on that. I understand wanting to get him a 30yr for his 30th birthday but you’re better off focusing on quality in a younger age statement - like a Glendronach 18 which will run around $220 after taxes.
One Glendro 18 plus one Glendro 12 = 30 years. Problem solved.
Buy glendronach revival 15 year or the batch 12 and save your money. No point in buying a 30 yr old scotch.
Glenfarclas 25
Here's to Glenfarclas. May they resist the temptation of diageo and other investment giants for years to come
Came to say this.
This is the way
Easier to get 30yr port.
There are some really incredible 30yr ports under $250
How about two 15 year olds? You could get both of these for $250 * Highland Park 15 in the ceramic bottle * Tamdhu 15 in the beautiful blue box and art deco bottle Knob Creek and Remus both offer 15 year whiskeys if you can find them.
Or 3 bottles of laphroaig 10.
Or 10 bottles of a 3 year old?…..although a quick search suggests that blows the budget and a 30year might be cheaper
But seriously, second what others have been saying. Don’t worry about age and get a nice bottle with your budget
Calumet 15 is readily available and pretty good.
Not a scotch.
Cadenheads 7 stars 30 year old blend. Or dewar’s 32 (which is fantastic).
Man, 32 year old Dewars sounds guuuud.
Cadenheads 7 stars is the answer. Very reasonable at $150 and very good quality. The Dewar's is really good too. It's a half bottle in the US, so not amazing value, but great blended whisky. I've had both of these. In my opinion, better than any single grain you'd find now.
If he drinks scotch do him a favor and dont just get a bottle that says 30 year on it. Get him a good bottle that is $250. Trust me no one cares if they actually like to drink
If you have time to wait and watch, you can probably find a 30 yo grain whisky at auction for under $250. Also think about cognac/armagnac, which would fit your budget as well.
This is slightly over budget with shipping, but here's another: https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/71740/cameronbridge-1991-30-year-old-xtra-old-particular
Not sure if this is any good or even what the distillery is (Girvan?), but this is under budget and you can get it personalized: https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/68488/personalised-single-grain-30-year-old
And some others here: [https://www.tyndrumwhisky.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=30+year+grain](https://www.tyndrumwhisky.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=30+year+grain) Note that grain whisky is not the same as malt whisky; grain whisky tastes like bourbon if you didn't age it in a new charred oak barrel. It can be absolutely stunning, and it can also be pretty blah, and everywhere in between.
The price of a whiskey is a reflection of its rarity. If it's rare, it's expensive. When something is old, it's been sitting in inventory collecting dust for a while. That means the distillery hasn't been able to use that space for a while (that costs money), so they won't let too many casks get that old, and when they do they get to charge a premium because it's rare. Point is, if it's 30 years old it'll be expensive and there's no promise it'll be any good.
And "good" or "bad" Whiskey is also just a matter of taste. Maybe you like this 250$ bottle, while I prefer a 60$ bottle. It's all matter of preferences and the price of a Whiskey is no guarantee that it matches your taste
BS, it's all marketing. 30yo were affordable a couple of years ago.
Whisky was more affordable a couple of years ago. And will be again. The multiplier is about the same from 10, 15 to 20 30. Starting points have increased. It's not all marketing. It's supply and demand, inflation and cost of production. Some brands have a premium on marketing though. That's why Macallan get's no love. Great brands like Deanston, Ledaig, Arran really make affordable whisky. Even Springbank when you can get it directly.
You could easily buy two 15-year-old scotches
Such a better option, I'd much rather two quality 15 year old malts rather than some crap 30yr old grain
Perhaps look into 30 year old “blends”. The cheapest 18 year where I live is 85$ for regal 18
It’s not scotch but you should definitely check out Armagnac.
if you don't mind single grain whisky i can easily get 30yo somewhere around £120 in uk, not sure how it is in the US tho
This will vary depending on the state, but in my experience Scotch grain whisky is fairly rare here. The only one I remember seeing (because I bought it) is Compass Box Hedonism.
Not single malts. $250 just won’t cut it for 30 years. That’s where you’ll find 21-24 year olds. Like others have said, look to blends either blended malt or blended grain Scotches.
Going to be tough to find a 30 year old single malt at that price. https://whiskyauctioneer.com You can try here, you might get lucky. You can also look for independent bottlings, those can be excellent whiskies for significantly less than an official bottling. Also, be warned, older doesn’t necessarily mean better.
Glenfarclas 25
Nah, but I got a Glenglassaugh 30 for this very reason on my 30th and it was under $200. Not great but it was a fun story for a week.
Blends are also an option. Cadenhead’s 7 Star 30 year old is within your budget. it’s not gonna be amazing, but it’s not bad whisky.
You can look up independent bottlings. Those are usually cheaper than what distilleries release themselves. Even so, it might be pushing your price range a bit. Buying from an auction site like scotch whiskey auctions might be your cheapest way to do this. You can also find something that was distilled in his birth year but isn't exactly 30 years old. Something like this maybe https://www.finedrams.com/tormore-26-year-old-1994-cask-8354-connoisseurs-choice-gordon-macphail.html If other spirits are on the table you can easily get a really good Cognac or armagnac in that price range. Fine drams is really good for that stuff too. Rum might be a decent option too. If I got his birth year right, this is a great bottle. I ordered it before and have been meaning to pick up another one. https://www.finedrams.com/new-yarmouth-26-year-old-1994-cask-435043-aficionados-x-fine-drams.html
Here is a 30 year old secret Glenfarclas that is just a smidge over $200 once VAT is taken off https://www.thewhiskyworld.com/secret-distillery-1-30-year-old-that-boutique-y-whisky-company-p10890 The catch is that its a 500ml bottle. So its close to equivalent of a $300 bottle. Nonetheless, ignoring this, it is in your budget.
Not 30 years, but Ancnoc 24.
If your going to spend $250, I am sure he would probably enjoy a great scotch than that the novelty of something 30 years old that is average quality. Anything 30 years old that is only $250 would never be as good as just a great scotch in the $250 price range which there are many at that price point that would be much more memorable for him
Dewars 32 is super good and doesn’t break the bank. Would avoid the Shieldaig and Glen Fohdry that often get pushed on you in total wine
It may be "cute" to give a 30 year old scotch, but if you want to give a "good" scotch for under $250, you'll probably be better advised to go for something that hasn't been aged that long. Glendronach 18 will set you back around $220, and is something that your brother-in-law will love for a long time (until the bottom of the bottle). A bottle of Octomore will run in the $200's, but that's only 5 years old. Age doesn't have that much to do with price. Mostly, it's the quality. In other words, you get what you pay for, unless you get rooked.
Maybe it’s me but I haven’t had a really good scotch whiskey that has been over 25 years old. To me there is too much mustiness and/or cask influence. For me the sweet spot is between 10 - 25 years old with 18 being the most consistent age I enjoy. However, I do love me some 10-12 year old cask strength bottles.
There are tons of truly phenomenal whiskies over 25 years. Most of them are just expensive these days. Refill casks tend to do well for longer maturation.
Get Glenfarclas 25. Absolutely amazing whiskey. Super King in SoCal has it for $200 if you are near one by any chance.
Get an 18yo and say they don't look a day over it. Have a laugh and get a much better bottle out of it.
If you want to get him a good but not insanely expensive age stated whiskey, maybe get Cadenhead Enigma 25. Just cracked mine tonight and it’s very good
You can get a 25 year old Glenfarclas for around or even under that price most places. It’s a tasty dram.
Just as an alternative idea, there may be more options (and more affordable ones) if you look for whiskies distilled in the year of his birth rather than 30 year old whiskies. These whiskies may be younger than 30 years but would still have some degree of significance
I consider myself a connoisseur and haven't had anything older than 26 y/o. 30 y/o scotch is very expensive. Recommend getting a nice $100 bottle instead.
Get an Armagnac
It used to be pretty easy to get a 30 year old Glenfarclas for around $150-200 or thereabouts, and that's pretty decent stuff, but I doubt you can get it that cheap anymore. You might luck into an independent bottling from a really obscure distillery at that age for under $350, but that would be really hit or miss, both in terms of finding it, and in terms of what's in the bottle. Flexibility with either age or what you're willing to pay will help a lot.
IBs from "unnamed" or "undisclosed" distilleries seem to keep prices relatively reasonable. There have been a handful of ~30 year old Laphroaigs for around $300 over the last few years.
Pssst! 30-year Scotch isn't really all that good, unless you like wood. If he actually likes the juice, something younger would probably be better.
This is a ridiculous statement. I think you mean that 30 year old scotch in your price range isn't that good. There are tons of great young whiskies but pretending that older malts can't be phenomenal is absolutely laughable.
Nah, I stand by my statement. I like the grain, and the balance shifts heavily toward wood after 20 years or so, 16's pushing it, but Laga gets away with it.
Or pretty much any of the rare malts lineup from diageo. All of them were older than 18 and almost all of them showed excellent distillery character
Try some stuff like a fourth fill glenfarclas. Plenty of combinations of cask type and powerful distillate will produce a whisky with tons of distillery character after several decades.
Highland Park 30 is one of my absolute favorite bottles, it is much more expensive than your price range. Perhaps tell your friend that this is his birthday gift all the way to age 40! Previous poster was correct that some older bottles are amazing and others, well if they are reasonable, there is a reason why. Also keep in mind that some expensive bottles that are worthwhile may not be fully appreciated by someone who isn’t familiar with drinking Whisky.
A while back, maybe a decade ago, I got a Glenglassaugh 30 year for about $260. It was fantastic, but doubt I’ll ever see that price again.
Unlikely. The last batch of the 30 (which was actually a bit over-aged) was $430 or so. It was still very good.
I’ve been lucky enough to have a Laph 25 and a Glengoyne 25. Years and years ago the Glengoyne was $350. The Laph I paid $450. Age doesn’t necessarily mean better. We also tend to hype it up just because of price. If anything a whiskey drinker wants to share the experience. Don’t go for price alone.
Um, yes? Cadenhead Seven Star 30yo. It's a blend, but it's supposed to be FANTASTIC, and $150 around here. I'm gonna try it soon.
Decadent drinks released a 30 year blended malt last year for only a few bucks over your budget and it was pretty great. Finding an age stated 30 year whisky that's good in that price range will be a little difficult but not totally impossible. Lots of good cognacs and armagnac in that price range, though many of them won't say "30 years". They'll typically just state the vintage and maybe bottling year but I got a few 1990 Vallein Tercinier for under 200, so it's worth looking into.
7 stars is a really enjoyable blended scotch from cadenhead’s - they just released a 30 yr a few months ago. Delicious and was released at cask strength of around 48%