This Father’s Day, Toast Dad with Wine, Whiskey, Tequila, and More
(But not all in one sitting.) Whether Dad’s a wine snob or a small-batch guy, there’s a bottle out there with his name on it.
Argaux Blind Tasting Kit
Can you decipher a Zinfandel from a Malbec? A Sauvignon Blanc from a Chablis? This kit gives you a chance to taste like a pro, with your family and friends. Choose red, white, or mixed and your bottle count. Bonus: Argaux will donate a portion of proceeds to the NAACP.
Casa Dragones Tequila Barrel Blend
Sipping tequila: It’s a thing. Especially when your glass contains this barrel blend, which Casa Dragones has matured in both French Oak and American Oak casks. The aging process adds nutmeg notes mid-palate and rounds out the long, satisfying finish.
Jefferson’s Twin Oak Bourbon
We’re fans of the mad scientist behind this boutique bourbon label, Trey Zoeller, for his innovating aging and maturation techniques. This bottle offers a 10-year Kentucky bourbon aged additionally with charred staves for a wallop of vanilla and cinnamon flavors.
Tahoe Blue Vodka
A blend of liquor made from grapes, corn, and sugarcane, this Sunset Spirits Competition best-in-class winner is smoother than most vodkas. It’s our favorite for everything from Greyhounds (squeeze in grapefruit and go) to Bloody Marys. Bonus: The company donates proceeds to conservation and preservation in the Tahoe area, totaling more than $100,000 to date.
W.L. Weller Single Barrel
Once left to gather dust on shelves, this cult whiskey is heralded as the more accessible form of the most coveted bourbon there is, Pappy Van Winkle. With this single barrel variant, Weller enters new territory, drawing all of the whiskey in each bottle from a single cask. Bottled at just under 50 percent alcohol, the palate offers baking spice and vanilla—though as a single-barrel bottling, each offers nuances on the flavor profile worth savoring.
Lucky Envelope Cask Exchange American Single-Malt Whiskey
One of our favorite distilleries in the West, Westland is known for fun experiments, partnerships, and April-Fool’s special releases (such as their sports drink spoof a few years back, or giving drinks descriptions like “Bold Smooth,” a statement on the nonsensical and often contradicting drivel often spouted by, ahem, whiskey writers). This whiskey is no joke, however, with a cask exchange at the center of the experiment. You may remember a previous partnership with Silver City; this year they’re partnering with local Seattle brewery Lucky Envelope. Westland essentially loans the brewery whiskey casks for beer aging—and then re-uses those casks afterwards to create entertaining whiskey flavor profiles in a limited release format.