The Best Whisky Tasting Sets

Father’s day is just around the corner, and this always begs a question for me. My father, although not greatly knowledgeable about whisky, does like to drink it fairly regularly. There will always be a bottle or two in the house, and they are usually ones that are tried and tested. He know which ones he likes, and doesn’t vary very much. I know that there must be other whiskies out there that he would like, but I don’t want to splash out on a whole bottle just in case he doesn’t. So for this Father’s day I have been looking at whisky gift sets starting from under £10 which he might find fun, and also find other whiskies he might like without having to buy full bottles. These are some of the more interesting and fun ones I have found, so hopefully they will be useful for you too.

Anthon Berg Single Malts Scotch Whisky Collection

My first selection, although not strictly pure whisky, will certainly let my father try a few flavours without him not liking them entirely. I know he loves chocolate, and chocolate is probably one of the best food pairings for whisky. So, a pack of whisky chocolates should go down a treat. And at under £10 it doesn’t break the bank. In this pack there are 5 whiskies including  sweet highland whiskies, classic Speyside whisky, coastal, island and even a smoky one from Islay. A great little gift box.

Size: 78gr
ABV: Unknown
Find it here: £6.84

Bushmills Irish Whiskey Gift Pack

This is a great way to start to get to know Irish whisky. A good value pack which packs a lot flavour. Bushmills is in Northern Ireland and if you’re ever wanting to visit a great distillery whilst seeing the Giants Causeway, then Bushmills is very close by. Very fruity, easy going whisky which typifies what Irish whisky is all about.

Size: 3 x 5cl
ABV: 40%
Find it here: £13.95

Isle of Jura Gift Pack

Hailing from one of my favourite distilleries is a nifty little gift pack from the Isle of Jura. The three whiskies are from their core range, so if your father really likes one of them, then maybe there’s another present for the future sorted. With lots of orchard fruit flavours and honey, with a little whiff of the sea showing the whiskies Island heritage. These are great value.

Size: 3 x 5cl
ABV: 40%
Find it here: £15.99

Teeling Trinity gift pack

Whisky doesn’t all have to be about scotch, and I have a few suggestions outside of Scotland. Teeling were the family to bring distilling back to the heart of Dublin and are producing some fabulous whiskey. With lots of fruity tropical flavours and a mix of grain, small batch and single malt, these Irish whiskies I think will be loved by any whisky drinker, and if they haven’t tried Irish whiskey before, they’ll be drinking more of it in the future after tasting this pack.

Size: 3 x 5cl
ABV: 46%
Find it here: £19.95

The Discovery collection by the Lost Distillery Company

This is a gift pack with a difference. Over time many Scotch whisky distilleries have closed, never to reopen. The whiskies they made were a different style to today’s whiskies. The Lost Distillery Company have tried to recreate the style of whisky some of these closed distilleries would have been producing. With some history about the distilleries, and three very tasty whiskies, this little gift pack is bit more interesting than the usual brands.

Size: 5 x 3cl
ABV: 43%
Find it here: £19.99

Chivas Regal Whisky Blending Kit

Here is a great gift for someone looking to experiment with the types of whisky they like. With a mix of six little bottles of whisky all with different flavour profiles, it allows the whisky lover to make their own special blend. The only fall back is that once they’ve found it, it will be the only one, and completely unreplaceable! But it will be fun. I am presuming however that as it’s a Chivas product, if they like the flavours they are creating, they will most likely find them in a Chivas blend in the shops!

Size: 6 x 5cl
ABV: 40%
Find it here: £24.99

Father’s Day Whisky Tasting Set

Here the chaps at Drinks by the Dram have put together a special tasting pack for Father’s Day. Just in case we’d all forgotten what we’re celebrating. With a mix of smoky and non-smoky scotch, smooth Irish and even a bourbon, this pack has all the major flavour bases covered, and I think it’s the best overall package for someone who has found they like whisky but have no idea where to turn next.

Size: 5 x 3cl
ABV: 44.9%
Find it here: £25.95

Nikka Whisky tasting Set

It would be remiss of me if I didn’t include a gift pack with Japanese Whisky. Nikka was founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, so they’ve been making whisky for rather a long time and have become very good at it. They have two distilleries, Yoichi and Miyagiko and are making all sorts of whisky with some of the best single malts as well as blended malts and grain whiskies. All of which you will find in this fabulous tasting set.

Size: 5 x 3cl
ABV: 43.6%
Find it here: £31.95

The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky Tasting Gift Pack 

It isn’t surprising one of the best-known distilleries in Speyside have put this gift pack together. However, there is something very special about this pack. The Balvenie 17 year old (The whisky which got Aidy hooked), has been discontinued for some time, and it had a huge following with good reason. But here is it, in this exceptional tasting pack from The Balvenie. A great gift for any whisky lover, but unmissable if your dad’s a Balvenie fan.

Size: 3 x 5cl
ABV: 43%
Find it here: £39.99

The Character of Islay Whisky Company Premium Whisky Tasting Set

This is a gift pack for the man who you know loves smoky whisky. Inside the pack will give the drinker an experience of tasting whiskies which are normally very expensive to buy as single bottles, with nearly all of them costing well over £100 and the most expensive nearly £400. Beyond that, there is even one in the pack which has been sold out as a single bottle for a while. A set for the Islay aficionado, this is something very special.

Size: 5 x 3cl
ABV: 49.1%
Find it here: £54.95

Looking for more whisky recommendations? Look no further than 12 of the best Irish whiskeys and The best whiskies to watch out for this year!

6 Irish Coffee Recipes for All Whiskey Lovers

The season of cosy cocktails is upon us, and the Irish Coffee has to be right at the top of that list. Rich, warming and velvety smooth, it’s simply perfect as the nights draw in.  

They’re so simple to make, but that doesn’t mean you can’t vary it up! Picking the perfect whiskey can transform an Irish Coffee, so take a look at our favourites below. Richer, spicier, fruitier, whatever your preference it’s here.

Traditional Irish Coffee- Powers

If you want to taste Irish Coffee as it was originally intended, then this traditional recipe is the way to go because it’s exactly the way that Chef Joe Sheridan made it back in 1943, at Foynes Airport. It’s also the method that we follow in Episode 2 of The Three Drinkers in Ireland if you want to find out more! At the centre of it is Powers, a classic Irish whiskey that’s been around since 1791! This concoction is a true taste of history.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons brown sugar
120ml hot coffee
45ml Powers Irish whiskey
Cream lightly whipped

Method
First, warm your glass with hot water for a little bit (make sure you tip it out) before adding the sugar and then the beautiful steaming coffee. Add the Irish whiskey, and pour that silky very lightly whipped cream on top over the back of a spoon – this way it sits beautifully on top! As they say in Ireland, Slainte!

Fruity Irish Coffee - Jameson

Jameson is the biggest selling Irish whiskey in the world and for good reason. Deemed by many as the ultimate beginner’s dram, it has more pronounced sweeter notes with apples, honey and tropical fruits coming to the fore, rather than spice or smoke which can be more challenging. This is perfect for a really tasty and subtly fruity Irish Coffee to warm you on a cold night. 

Ingredients
30ml cream
10ml demerara sugar syrup
90ml espresso
35ml Jameson Original
Grated nutmeg (garnish)
1 vanilla pod (garnish)

Method
The sugar syrup is so simple to make, just dissolve demerara sugar in boiling water, and stir this into your measure of Jameson. Add the espresso shots. Then, whip the cream a little to stiffen it and pour it over the back of a spoon so it sits nicely on top. Garnish with a dusting of nutmeg or cinnamon and a vanilla pod for a drink that looks and tastes stunning.

Spicier Irish Coffee - Slane

Slane Irish Whiskey is made from not one, not two but three different casks – virgin oak, Sherry, and seasoned casks which previously contained Tennessee whiskey and bourbon. The end result is a really full taste, with flavours of butterscotch and vanilla, as well as warming notes of baking spice. It’s ideal for a spicier and particularly Autumnal Irish Coffee.

Ingredients
40ml Slane Irish Whiskey
15ml vanilla-infused demerara syrup
70ml espresso
20ml double cream
Dark chocolate shavings (garnish)

Method
Half fill your glass with boiling water and add syrup, coffee, and whiskey. The syrup can be made by combining boiling water, demerara, and vanilla essence or pods. Top with the lightly stiffened double cream float (again, using the back of the spoon) and finish with chocolate shavings. This is pure indulgence and the perfect balance of sugar and spice.

Peaty Irish Coffee - Kilbeggan

Now, this is a whiskey steeped in history. It’s named after one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland who founded a monastery nearby in the 6th century, and the Kilbeggan Distillery itself is the oldest of its kind in Ireland. It’s distilled twice rather than thrice, so retains strong peaty qualities and a long finish full of flavour.

Ingredients
15ml cream
15ml brown sugar syrup
90ml coffee
40ml Kilbeggan Single Grain Irish Whiskey
Grated nutmeg (garnish)

Method
Add your Kilbeggan and brown sugar syrup to the glass (to make this heat sugar to water in a 2:1 ratio until the sugar dissolves). Fill up with coffee and cover the top with a small amount of cream. Grate some gorgeous nutmeg to finish and voila!

Rich Irish Coffee – Roe And Co

Roe and Co have been on our lips since scooping the prestigious Master award at the Irish Whiskey Masters in 2019. It’s a beautifully balanced whiskey with creaminess, a velvety texture and notes of woody vanilla and spiced pears. Worryingly moreish and one you definitely have to try! Why not in a Irish Coffee?

Ingredients
40ml Roe & Co
75ml hot coffee
1 tsp demerara sugar
20ml double cream
Grated nutmeg (garnish)

Method
Super simple this one. Just add everything but the cream and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Then spoon over the gently whipped double cream on top and grate some nutmeg to finish. It’s luxuriously rich and fulfilling to the max.

Super Smooth Irish Coffee- Teeling

We bring you another Master winner, this time from 2020 and it’s Teeling’s glorious Small Batch. The blend of malt and grain whiskeys is aged in ex-Bourbon barrels initially, before unconventionally being moved for further ageing in Central American rum barrels. Because of this, it’s fruity on the nose, super smooth on the palate and finishes with an enticing caramel creaminess. The combination of rum and whiskey creates a unique flavour profile that you may well fall in love with! 

Ingredients
40ml Teeling Small Batch
80ml brown sugar syrup (50/50 split)
120ml coffee
20ml double cream

Method
Word to the wise, the sugar syrup here is a 50/50 split of sugar and hot water, which is less sugary than usual, in case you were thinking 80ml is a lot! Preheat your glass and add the whiskey, syrup, and freshly brewed coffee. Stir thoroughly and pour the cream over the back of a spoon. Again, grate some nutmeg if it suits your tastes and away you go!

If all that has got you in the mood for other coffee cocktails, then check out our best selections here. And for more great Irish Whiskey content, explore our other favourites with, ‘The Best Irish Whiskey’.

Words by Calum Ecroyd