The season of giving and gifting is upon us. Friends, family and even strangers gather to celebrate a season for sharing and caring for our fellow neighbors.
A gift isn’t merely an object or form of affection, it’s a memory created by loved ones.
One can say that there is no longer a standard form of common gift ideas. Each gift is hand-picked, and sometimes even made to cater to the person receiving the gift. The most important part of picking out a gift is knowing the person who receives it will love it.
A gift that seems to be rising in popularity each year is liquor. The process of picking out a bottle of fine scotch for a father, grandfather or close friend can take just as much time as making a thoughtful gift.
Kevin Neitzel, owner of The Fridge Wholesale Liquor Store located at 1150 Westport Drive, explained that it is mostly women who purchase liquor for men.
“It’s going to be probably 85 percent scotch and whiskey,” Neitzel said.
Neitzel said that though women are the majority, there are different types of people that buy liquor as gifts.
Some customers who are archaic with their purchases know what to buy and when.
“We have a lot of ladies that come in and get Pappy Van Winkle [and] Four Roses Limited Edition [bourbon], which are put out in the fall,” Neitzel said.
Because these rare and limited types of liquor are released in the fall, Neitzel said many women hound to the store in order to get their hands on a bottle. These limited edition whiskeys and scotches can run out in mere days according to Neitzel, if not in the same day.
Even though receiving a bottle of scotch as a gift can be quite the gift, small liquor shooters are also a way of showing tokens of affections.
Tyler Corcoran, senior in statistics, said even though outlandish bottles of liquor can be thoughtful, an affordable bottle of fine wine or liquor can be an equally appreciated gift.
“I think there’s a portion of value giving someone liquor as a gift,” Corcoran said. “You don’t [have to] necessarily go with a gag gift and don’t just go with a regular bottle of wine, but go with something a little more eccentric.”
As a gag gift, Corcoran gave his friend a 6 foot tall candy cane-shaped container full of holiday inspired shooters. Corcoran said there is a fine line between the people he knows who he can give a liquor gag gift to and a bottle of whiskey to.
“There’s an appropriate age group to give these types of gifts and right time to give them,” Corcoran said. “Things like beer are more of a social thing to bring to a Christmas party. It’s not really a gift.”
One must truly know the patron who will be receiving the bottle of liquor. The perfect bottle of liquor given to that person is a testament to how well they know each other and the status of the relationship.
Brennen Sanderford, junior in finance, said even though he has not personally given liquor as a gift, it is something not to be taken lightly.
“It depends on the dynamic of the family when considering giving liquor as a gift,” Sanderford said. “Often, you know what your parents like and can buy them a drink that would fit their tastes better than their friends could.”
Sanderford finds that everyone’s taste must be catered to when finding the perfect beverage gift. With personal experiences, Sanderford knows his father is a connoisseur of European imported beers as well as his preferred liquor, the Tanqueray London Dry gin.
However, the process of choosing who to give liquor as a gift is one Sanderford said he finds to be a personal matter.
As the holiday season approaches, one must really understand the taste people have towards their alcohol beverage of choice. The tone equals out to the different preference each person has. The closer the acquaintances the better the gift of liquor should be, making it more sentimental and ultimately creating memories.
