If you have a friend who is into their whiskey, you might wonder if you can send whiskey as a gift. No matter the occasion – perhaps a promotion, maybe a new baby, or simply it being a Thursday – you might want to ship Scotch to them (or their whisk(e)y of choice) as a gift.
Alcohol laws, however, remain a minefield, so this blog will look at whisky gift delivery and if it is even possible to ship a bottle of whiskey the next time you want to bring a smile to someone’s face.
Can You Send Whiskey as a Gift?
The frustrating answer to this question is that it all depends on where the person you are gifting to lives. Alcohol laws vary by state (and county), and knowing the rules in the state you are shipping to is essential. Thankfully, some companies have made this whole process much more user-friendly.
The other important point when trying to send whisky as a gift is that only licensed distributors are allowed to ship alcohol in the United States. This means you cannot wrap a bottle of Ardbeg 25 Years Old Single Malt Scotch in bubble wrap, put it in a shoe box, and take it to the nearest post office to mail to your friend. Also, please never do this in general.
How Do You Ship a Bottle of Whiskey?
The best way to send a bottle of Scotch as a gift is to buy and ship it through a licensed distributor. There are many such companies online, and they are designed to only enable deliveries to states that allow alcohol to be shipped there.
This removes the guesswork, any legal worries, and (most importantly) means that when you send whiskey as a gift, you know it is packaged safely and securely.
The need for a license doesn’t just cover the USPS either. Taking your bottle of whiskey to ship from DHL, FedEx, and UPS will also result in disappointment. Thankfully, the vast selection of top-shelf whiskey available to buy and send online allows you to pick an incredible gift that may not have been available in your local liquor store.
Choosing a Gift for Whiskey Lovers
When you send whiskey as a gift to a whiskey lover, it is essential to know what you are sending them. You might not know the difference between Scotch and bourbon (more on this below), but there are some simple concepts to follow when doing your whiskey research online.
- Flavor – There is a world of difference between the peat and smoke flavors of a Scotch like Dewar’s Double Double 32 and the caramel and vanilla smoothness of bourbon like Weller 12 Year Straight Bourbon. Knowing the flavor profile of a whiskey will help you decide which bottle your recipient will most enjoy.
- Age – The age on a whiskey bottle is the age at which the whiskey will remain, no matter how long it stays in the bottle. Whiskey is not like wine, where the product continues to age once bottled, but age matters because increased age usually means increased smoothness and flavor. Don’t always be put off by blended whiskey, either, as this means that the whiskey is a blend of different ages.
- Aroma – This links to the flavor, and whiskey connoisseurs will spend plenty of time taking in the scent of a good whiskey before drinking it. Look for whiskeys with notes about complex aromas to impress when you send Scotch as a gift.
Types of Whiskey
There are a wide variety of whiskeys, especially when you start getting into subgenres of each main category. Here, we will stick with the significant whiskey types as this is essential information when you want to send whisky as a gift.
- Scotch Whisky
- Made in Scotland.
- Primarily made from malted barley.
- Aged for 3 years (minimum) in oak casks.
- Bourbon Whiskey
- Produced in the USA.
- Aged in new white oak barrels.
- At least 51% corn mash.
- Rye Whiskey
- Made in the USA.
- At least 51% rye mash.
- Aged for three years (minimum).
- Irish Whiskey
- Made in Ireland.
- Wooden casks for at least 3 years.
- Mash must contain malted barley.
- Canadian Whiskey
- Made in the Canada.
- Aged for at least 3 years in wooden barrels.
- Made with any cereal grain.
- Japanese Whiskey
- Produced in Japan.
- Malted grain in the mash.
- Water used in production must be from Japan.
FAQs
- Can you send whiskey as a gift? Yes, but with a caveat. A licensed distributor can ship whiskey (or any alcohol), and there are still some states where alcohol cannot be shipped. Distributor websites are set up to remove the legal headache when trying to send whiskey as a gift.
- How do you ship a whiskey bottle? Use a reputable distributor with great reviews and feedback because they will send your gift in packaging designed to protect it during transit.
- Where can I learn about whiskey to send as a gift? The Tasting Alliance website has a comprehensive whiskey section that is a great guide when picking out a special bottle to give as a gift to even the pickiest of whiskey enthusiasts.
