Father’s Day is this weekend and for your special dad, why not give him something he will really love… one of these special prizes . Yes, a tie is traditional, or a fun gadget or electronic, but come on, doesn’t dad just want a great bottle of scotch or whiskey…double bonus, you can enjoy a dram too as you toast how special your Dad is this year. I was on The Broadcast yesterday morning to share a few of my favorite spirits that will please any lucky father and make you the kid of the year.  A link to the segment is here, notes on each are below. Cheers to Dad!

I was just in Spain and the love of a simple, clean, refreshing and uncomplicated “Gin Tonic” remains the mainstay for cocktail lovers from morning to night. The above Hendricks cocktail cart was stationed in front of a tiny cafe inside the Parque del Buen Retiro in Madrid at 10am, eagerly awaiting its first customers. Hendricks Gin uses two different kinds of distillation stills in their small batch process to create their highly aromatic spirit, filled with traditional juniper and cucumber notes, but elevated, with layers of ginger, lemon, coriander, sage and rose flowers.  Delicious with a slice of green apple and lemon. $35, widely available at fine liquor stores.

If your dad is a bit nostalgic or simply a lover of a classic Old Fashined, Manhattan or Sazerac, Hudson Valley Manhattan Rye Whiskey is a must.  Hudson was the first distillery to emerge in post-prohibition New York, specializing in small-batch, craft whiskey.  For Rye lovers there really is nothing better in a whiskey, especially when made with precision, with whole grain mashing during fermentation and distillation to extract the most flavor. $50, available at Spec’s stores.

“If you don’t love John Wayne and hate cancer, you aren’t a true Texan.” A good friend of mine said this to me recently as we were planning the John Wayne film festival. Now you can enjoy Wayne a bit more with “The Duke” Bourbon, created by Ethan Wayne, son of the legendary actor, with his partners Jayson Woodbridge, Chris Radomsk and Rich Howell. The pure, hand crafted Kentucky Bourbon was made to honor his father, and a little known dream the actor had to distill his own whiskey. Created with the hope to embody the spirit, strength and richness John Wayne personified, the spirit is just now becoming available throughout Dallas for about $40 a bottle, available locally at Sigel’s stores.

Glenfiddich 15 year Solera Single Malt Scotch served neat or with a single cube of ice will transform the non-scotch drinker into a fan, and make those who love the spirit become a lbrand fan for life. The single malt, made with fresh spring water from the Scottish highlands, aged in sherry, bourbon and new oak before marrying together for final aging in partially filled Solera casks.  Solera aging is traditionally used for fortefied wines, allowing a hint of oxidation to occur, which doens’t affect the overall flavor of the spirit but does help concentrate and intensify the flavors, resulting here with a scotch filled with orange, baking spice, coconut and vanilla notes, while maintaining the hearty, earthy notes traditionally found in scotch. $50, widely available.

Bremer Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon in Magnum is an impressive gift for dad….or mom…or any wine lover. Yoda’s dad (a.k.a. Gary) loves a large format bottle, they look great next to a table at a dinner party and can actually age a bit slower than traditional 750ml bottles, allowing great storage ability if you like a little age on your wine like we do. This one from Bremer is an incredible representation of robust, yet refined Napa Valley Cabernet from mineral rich, volcanic soils on Howell Mountain. $125 via their website.