You're shopping for

The Cask-Strength Cowboy

You're shopping for someone who tells you the proof before the name.

Four seconds of total stillness after the sip, then: "smooth." Nothing under 120 proof is, in his words, worth the glass.

• Stocking Stuffer

  Top shelf pick

  Glencairn whisky water pipette

  Two drops of water. He'll say it's cheating. It's chemistry, and he'll start using it at proofs he won't admit to.

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• The Real Gift

  On the shelf

  NEAT tasting glasses (pair)

  A flared rim designed for pours that burn. Finally, a glass that agrees with him.

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• The Grand Gesture

  On the shelf

  Whiskey aroma training kit

  Because "smooth" is not a tasting note, and he's going to need vocabulary.

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He drinks what he loves at full strength. Help him taste more of it.