During the holiday season, we are all worried about buying gifts, giving gifts, and crossing our fingers that the person on the receiving end actually enjoys what we have so carefully picked out!  Through the years I have seen some entertaining and flat-out hysterical gifts.  There was the time my mother gave my grandfather a rock.  Yes, a rock…to carve his own sculpture out of!  Or the time my thirteen year-old brother received a Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt… I am sure that would have been a big hit in the eighth grade!  My cousin carefully opened a large package on her tenth birthday in front of a crowd of 50 people only to pull out a fish.  This wasn’t just any fish though, when prompted it would burst out “Down By The River” from its tiny wooden fish mouth.  Just what every ten year old girl wants, right? 

The best part of receiving a gift is having the opportunity to share it with the giver.  So before you settle on a talking fish or a lump of clay think carefully “would I want this?”  For all of the over-twenty-one year olds on your list, why not treat them to a delicious bottle of amber liquid.    

The Family Sage

Glenfiddich 30 Year Old, a velvety single malt that balances sherry, fig and dark chocolate is the perfect choice.  Pair with a personal favorite the famous Teuscher Champagne Truffles (www.teuscher.com).  These little drops of heaven have a champagne cream center, surrounded by dark chocolate ganache, covered with milk chocolate and dusted with confectioner’s sugar. 

The Devoted Colleague

Hudson Manhattan Rye – This feisty spirit was the basis for the legendary Manhattan cocktail.  Made from whole grain rye, one batch at a time, it is not the blended rye whiskey your parents used to mix with soda.  It is fruity, floral and smooth, with a recognizable edge that leaves no doubt the origin of the spirit.  Pair with a bottle of Angostura bitters, homemade maraschino cherries from Employees Only (www.employeesonlynyc.com), a bottle of Vermouth, and attach a recipe for a create your own Manhattan experience!

The Power Woman

The Balvenie 21 Year Old Portwood – A marriage of rare Balvenie is transferred to port casks, or pipes, which have held fine port wines.  Refined with remarkable character, it is creamy and silky with fruit, honey and spice notes.  To compliment this Scotch, pair with firm, supple cheese like Pecorino Foglie De Noce; a light and crumbly cheese that melts in your mouth and ushers in the milky, nutty, and herbaceous flavor of the cheese.

The Compassionate Spouse

Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1978 – The very first of its kind, this groundbreaking virtual selection was Glenfiddich alt aster, Brian Kinsman’s inaugural Vintage Reserve Selection.  Velvety smooth with rich vanilla oak flavors intriguingly punctuated with a vibrant fruitiness.  Pair with a beautiful set of single malt glasses from Riedel (www.riedel.com).  The glass is specially designed based on a panel of Scotch whisky experts to emphasize the elegant creaminess of top quality single malt whisky.   

Cheers to a happy holiday!

(Source: facebook.com)

(Source: tokiopretty, via thisbattleisnotover)

It’s that time of the year again.  When weekend getaways where you can curl up next to a warm fire are essential to balancing the madness of running around in the crisp November weather! And what goes better with a weekend adventure then a hot mug of cider spiked with your favorite bourbon?  If your answer is nothing, then I have the place for you! 

A few hours outside the always crazed Manhattan, lies the ever so quiet Hudson Valley.  It is an ideal getaway spot for all whiskey lovers.  Grab your closest friends or significant other and book a room at the Maplestone, a luxury B&B nestled in New Paltz, NY. 

A quick ride away awaits Tuthilltown Spirits. It’s the producer of award winning handcrafted spirits and is interestingly New York’s first whiskey distillery since Prohibition.  In 2005, The Hudson Whiskey range was introduced, and since has had a great impact in both the spirits industry, the bartending community, and consumers alike.   

If you find yourself in the mood to take a peek at how a micro distillery operates, Tuthilltown offers guided reservation tours on Saturdays & Sundays.  If you’re not able to snatch a spot on one of these coveted tours (or if you are just in the mood to sample the goods) there is a Tasting Room on the property.  The staff will gladly take you through the range, so that you can fully embrace the whiskey. After your finished, stop by the Tuthill House at the Mill Restaurant & Tavern.  This national historic landmark offers homemade American cuisine in a historic 1788 Grist Mill. 

My personal favorite would have to be the French onion soup.  Nothing screams whiskey season like sitting in a warm restaurant overlooking a waterfall, drinking a dram, and eating some delicious soup!

Like any good Whiskey Dame would, I’m sure you all are to have a great time enjoying everything that Tuthiltown has to offer.  Don’t forget to stop by the Distillery Shop to purchase your favorite Hudson Whiskey for your fireside chat later on!  After the day you’ve had, I’m sure you’ll want to make sure to have some whiskey to enjoy as the winter months approach. My personal favorite would have to be the Hudson Baby Bourbon mixed in with fresh hot apple cider.  There is nothing better to break that winter chill!

“The proper drinking of Scotch whisky is more than indulgence: it is a toast to civilization, a tribute to the continuity of culture, a manifesto of man’s determination to use the resources of nature to refresh mind and body and enjoy to the full the senses with which he has been endowed.”
(David Daiches, Scotch Whisky 1969)