Planning for the Future - a Celebration Drop

So, the world of Parenthood descended on me this year, much to me and my partner's delight.

Having a chat with a mate and we were discussing what drop I should buy now and put away for 18 years and (figuratively) pop the cork in the future?

Probably should buy a bottle in both Thailand and one in the West.

It's pointless to buy something high end because there are issues about storage, sneaky relatives, etc ... all those things you can imagine could descend an 18 year old bottle of ??????? in the future in Thailand. Grange Hermitage is cira $800 for this years released vintage and a bottle of the King of Cognacs, Remy Martin Louis xiii will set you back a cool $3,000!

My mate suggested a nice single malt, aged for 18 years is as good as any.

What are your thoughts ... what drop would you buy in Thailand and one in the West that you'd feel comfortable sliding into the bottom drawer, let the dust and cobwebs settle and 18 years later, pop the cork and share with your boys who are men?

Brand names as opposed to generic suggestions would be great.

Thanks Kris ...

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You have twins, so a single malt would not suffice!

Two single malts perhaps. Your choice, so many to choose from, but try to find a local one, not the common supermarket ones. Good excuse for a trip to the Highlands of Scotland, or let Pie and Beans be your guide.

Some great malts to be had in the Hebrides!

I'd buy something a bottle of something Thai and an Aussie wine, so they can really taste their heritage.

David, you must specify more clearly what you are looking for. Let me assume you are looking for something that will be 18y old when your kids turn 18...

• Single Malts Option 1: When ever you buy them, you can buy an 18y old malt... you can get 18y old malt today or in 17 years, it will not matter, since single malts don't age anymore once out of the casket...
• Single Malts Option 2: You can of course wait until single malts with vintage 2014 come to the market. That means they are put in the casket now to start aging and when they are taken out (in 18 years) you would have to hurry to get them on the birth day of your kids... but the cool thing is that you would have single malts with the vintage of your kids birthday and the same age
• Wine option 1: When you want wines that will be 18y old by the time your kids turn 18, then they must have vintage 2014... which means when you want to buy them today, you must talk with wine dealers and buy into a wine that will hopefully survive the 18y aging process and still be drinkable... but that is a certain risk you have to take, since you are buying blind (the grapes are not yet collected... quality like Oechsel still unknown) and you might end with drinking vinegar instead of wine in 18 years to come...
• Wine option 2: you still can wait maybe 5-10 more years and then buy some 2014 vintage (for a higher price) with a pretty good guarantee that you can keep them for another 5-10 years in a good environment

What I did was looking around for Single Malts with the vintage of my sons birth year and preferrably even single casket... cost me a fortune, but I found them and we killed them on their respective birthdays...

final option: when you want to start a collection for them... look every year at vintage 2014 and buy 2 bottles every year... 1y old, 2y old... till you reach 18y and them give them that collection as present, might even be worth lot of money to have such a collection.

David, you may find this of interest.

http://www.winespectator.com/drvinny/show/id/41622

Interesting whisky doesn't improve once out of the barrell,never knew that.

You could always put away approx 150 dollars a year for 18 years and buy that Remy cognac specially for Dad. Must be delicious stuff.

Thanks for all the info above.

Referring to Swiss's post excellent above, I naïvely assumed, like wine, that a Whisky would improve with age ... obviously not.

Options are still open then.

Congratulations on the baby.

Re wine, the problem with a new wine is you cannot be sure it will keep, it almost certainly will not keep in Thailand's climate.

A malt, well there again you have to keep it and Thailand is not a good climate - and anyway, the quality of a malt is determined by the years in the barrel, not the years in the bottle.

That said, I bought a bottle of Macallan 25 Year Old when each of the little GH were born, they are sitting in Granny GH's cellar for a suitable occasion - though the price inflation is going to make that an expensive tipple on the day.

Also in the cellar are bottles of Port which I've bought on various occasions as future gifts.

BUT and this is the but, a cool cellar in the UK is the right place to keep these things - I just do not think they will keep in Thailand.

Congratulations on the baby.

Re wine, the problem with a new wine is you cannot be sure it will keep, it almost certainly will not keep in Thailand's climate.

A malt, well there again you have to keep it and Thailand is not a good climate - and anyway, the quality of a malt is determined by the years in the barrel, not the years in the bottle.

That said, I bought a bottle of Macallan 25 Year Old when each of the little GH were born, they are sitting in Granny GH's cellar for a suitable occasion - though the price inflation is going to make that an expensive tipple on the day.

Also in the cellar are bottles of Port which I've bought on various occasions as future gifts.

BUT and this is the but, a cool cellar in the UK is the right place to keep these things - I just do not think they will keep in Thailand.

Macallan 25 Year Old

Excellent choice and taste.

Normally I wouldnt even consider gold as an "investment choice", however what I have done is go to Yaowarat (spelling) China Town in Bkk and buy, Year of The Dragon/Pig/Horse etc gold coins for the year of birth.

Throw them in a drawer and forget about them, dont consider them as being for investment purposes.

Dont know if its even possible to buy Angel gold coins these days, try Kruggerrand or American Eagle gold coins.

Whats your budget?

Rather than something to drink how about opening two bank savings accounts and putting something in them every month, (in OZ for a better interest rate).

Good 21st birthday presents or for when they need money to go to uni. Good for you to for it saves you forking out at these times.

Your 18 year old boys will probably be unimpressed if you give them wine or whisky.

Take them to your local pub/bar and buy them their first legal drink (is it legal here at 18?).

Act surprised when the bartender greets them by name and asks if they want "the usual".

David, you do realize that Tassie are producing some of the best whiskies in the world now, read recently that its even better than some of the scottish malts and that was at the tastings in Scotland. Buy your heritage in aussie and you can always get some hong thong for the thai side.

Buy some 50 year old Taylors port....and when I visit I can convince you the Laddies will never appreciate it.

We will though....hell yeah!

Buy some 50 year old Taylors port....and when I visit I can convince you the Laddies will never appreciate it.

We will though....hell yeah!

Uncle Smokie ... why am I not surprised with your post ...

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Rather than something to drink how about opening two bank savings accounts and putting something in them every month, (in OZ for a better interest rate).

Good 21st birthday presents or for when they need money to go to uni. Good for you to for it saves you forking out at these times.

Great Idea and, sure, we'll be doing something along those lines ... I'm a huge fan of early investments, compounding interest etc.

The boys will be well grounded in that area.

My thoughts, on this that the special drop would be the 'fun' part ... the celebration of putting up with me as their Dad for those past 18 years !

Congratulations on the baby.

Re wine, the problem with a new wine is you cannot be sure it will keep, it almost certainly will not keep in Thailand's climate.

A malt, well there again you have to keep it and Thailand is not a good climate - and anyway, the quality of a malt is determined by the years in the barrel, not the years in the bottle.

That said, I bought a bottle of Macallan 25 Year Old when each of the little GH were born, they are sitting in Granny GH's cellar for a suitable occasion - though the price inflation is going to make that an expensive tipple on the day.

Also in the cellar are bottles of Port which I've bought on various occasions as future gifts.

BUT and this is the but, a cool cellar in the UK is the right place to keep these things - I just do not think they will keep in Thailand.

Sadly, sold out from the retailers. Advertised prices vary wildly, starting @ over $1,000 a bottle!

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Distill your own Whiskey from grains grown on your land and give them that on their 18th. Here is a video on the original Whiskey (Uisce Beatha) ( Ishka ba ha) making process.

It's called poitin (putch een) (small still)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBmMyvjBI3I

Congratulations on the baby.

Re wine, the problem with a new wine is you cannot be sure it will keep, it almost certainly will not keep in Thailand's climate.

A malt, well there again you have to keep it and Thailand is not a good climate - and anyway, the quality of a malt is determined by the years in the barrel, not the years in the bottle.

That said, I bought a bottle of Macallan 25 Year Old when each of the little GH were born, they are sitting in Granny GH's cellar for a suitable occasion - though the price inflation is going to make that an expensive tipple on the day.

Also in the cellar are bottles of Port which I've bought on various occasions as future gifts.

BUT and this is the but, a cool cellar in the UK is the right place to keep these things - I just do not think they will keep in Thailand.

Sadly, sold out from the retailers. Advertised prices vary wildly, starting @ over $1,000 a bottle!

.

Wow there's some expensive booze out there!

It would play havock on my mind trying not to open that.

Eureka!!! I have it,

Buy one bottle of Regency and a bottle of the best aussie brandy and keep them until they come of age.

my two penny worth anyway!

Eureka!!! I have it,

Buy one bottle of Regency and a bottle of the best aussie brandy and keep them until they come of age.

my two penny worth anyway!

That way, each of your children can see which they prefer.

Congratulations on the baby.

Re wine, the problem with a new wine is you cannot be sure it will keep, it almost certainly will not keep in Thailand's climate.

A malt, well there again you have to keep it and Thailand is not a good climate - and anyway, the quality of a malt is determined by the years in the barrel, not the years in the bottle.

That said, I bought a bottle of Macallan 25 Year Old when each of the little GH were born, they are sitting in Granny GH's cellar for a suitable occasion - though the price inflation is going to make that an expensive tipple on the day.

Also in the cellar are bottles of Port which I've bought on various occasions as future gifts.

BUT and this is the but, a cool cellar in the UK is the right place to keep these things - I just do not think they will keep in Thailand.

I like my Italien and Spanish wines and I could not do without them. For a climat like Thailand with houses that don't have a good cellar, I would be buying a winecooler like this (see pic), there are enless systems with different capacities available.

Edited August 28, 201411 yr by Swiss1960

I would be buying a winecooler

Or have something like this build in your kitchen, if you can find a suitable cooling system.

Thanks for all the info above.

Referring to Swiss's post excellent above, I naïvely assumed, like wine, that a Whisky would improve with age ... obviously not.

Options are still open then.

Well, David, before some other Wisky specialist kills me for my phrase "no ageing after botteling", let me correct this but only slightly...

Ageing in wine happens when the "oxidation" continues - meaning the air that is inside the wine bottle (together with the air diffusion through the cork) interacts with some of the components in the wine and together with the tanins, they slowly react to form new aromatic tastes in the wine, called ageing. As I said before, ageing in wine can be positive or negative. Of course, wine specialists will also have issues with the word "oxidation", as the process of ageing is more complex than just oxidation alone.

Now fact is that the best Whiskys mature in oak casks previously used for very good wines or port. Depending on the wine / grape type that was in the bottle, the flavour of the Whisky can change massively. Of course, some of the tanins that are inside the wood will also be given to the Whisky, so there IS a small amount of tanins in the Whisky which could age. But... the high amount of alcohol together with the pretty well sealed bottle will almost entirely prevent the tanins from oxidating and therefore, in theory, Whisky does not age in the bottle.

As with everything around Whisky... there are different opinions about ageing... some specialists - like the Scotch Whisky Association (http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/) will say "no, there is no such thing as ageing after botteling" and others - like www.dramming.com (a well known Whisky rating site) - will say "yes, there is ageing going on, but let us call it Changing instead of Ageing"... of course, this process of bottle changing can be controlled by the storage of the Whisky, just ensure that the temperature is controlled (no too big changes) and whe Whisky never is exposed to direct sunlight.

But in general - for the "normal" Whisky drinkers - they will not realize any aging in Whisky over time, as they just do not have the sensitive tongue and nose that Whisky professionals develop over time.

I would be buying a winecooler

Or have something like this build in your kitchen, if you can find a suitable cooling system.

A dream... if you can afford it...

The funny side of it might be in 18 years time, when the family is sitting by the Pond at the Farm in Thailand, we will share a drink with the boys and I dust off the 18 yo bottle of ****

The boys will look at me, collectively do a and say something like ...

Geeze Dad, we only turn 18 once ... at least you could have bought us a NEW bottle.

KIDS ...

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I would be buying a winecooler

Or have something like this build in your kitchen, if you can find a suitable cooling system.

Truly truly spectacular!

Looks like a roulette wheel of wine.

Probably a simple answer and probably a dumb question, but how does wine improve with age in the bottle but not whisky?

David, instead of thinking only for yourself and what wine you will be drinking in 18 years, you better open a bank account for your kids and make them happy in 20 years or so when they will be in charge of this account.

Don't want to offend you, but that would be a better option for me.

Probably a simple answer and probably a dumb question, but how does wine improve with age in the bottle but not whisky?

Already gave the answer here, just ask for more info