Dads can be difficult to buy a gift for. I mean, really, how many shirt and tie combinations do they really need, especially when working from home?

This Father’s Day, give Dad something he will actually enjoy: booze! Whether his go-to spirit is whiskey, rum or gin, I’ve got you covered. Below are three favorites that were sent to me as samples.

Ron Abuelo Centuria, Reserva de la Familia ($140). Ron Abuelo rums are created by expert distillers at Varela Hermanos, the oldest operating distillery in Panama, dating back to 1908.

Centuria is a tribute to the family-owned company’s 100-year anniversary. This unique offering is made from a blend of rums aged 12 to 42 years old (averaging 30 years) that are aged in Jack Daniels whiskey barrels using a solera system (a process of fractional blending over many years). Each year, only a limited number of bottles are released, giving collectors and enthusiasts access to the family’s private reserves.

As a bonus, the rum is certified kosher for those dads who keep kosher.

Tasting Notes

A gorgeous mahogany color, Ron Abuelo Centuria entices with aromas of citrus (lemon and grapefruit), pecans, butterscotch and dried fruits (prunes and raisins). As for its taste, this stunner has notes of ripe dried fruits (think apricot), buttery roasted pecans and cinnamon spice, along with a mature wood finish. Sounds like a perfect nightcap to me!

This delicious rum is meant to be enjoyed neat or on the rocks, but I also enjoyed it with a wedge of lime, a splash of ginger beer, and a dash of ginger bitters—a refreshing summertime cocktail.

Lost Lantern American Vatted Malt Edition No. 1 ($120). Lost Lantern’s founders, Nora Ganley-Roper and Adam Polonski, spent a year traveling across the U.S. in search of distillers who had bet their livelihoods for a chance to make the best American whiskey.

The American Vatted Malt Edition No. 1 is a unique 12-barrel blend of whiskies from six of dad’s favorite American distilleries:

Balcones (Waco, Texas)
Copperworks (Seattle, Washington)
Santa Fe Spirits (Santa Fe, New Mexico)
Triple Eight (Nantucket, Massachusetts)
Westward (Portland, Oregon)
Virginia Distillery Company (Lovingston, Virginia)

Tasting Notes

The complex palate is rich with baking spices, white pepper, vanilla, a touch of raisins and hints of roasted barley. The initial sweetness turns into a long, warm finish with notes of dried oak and sea salt.

Only 3,000 bottles are produced, a unique and tasty gift for dad!

Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin ($36.99) A longtime gin-lover, this is now my new favorite.

Brought to us by Ireland’s Shed Distillery, this wonderfully flavorful gin is crafted in a shed at the edge of a lake in a small Irish town. Founded in 2016 by PJ Rigney and his wife Denise, it’s the first distillery in the west of Ireland in over 101 years. Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin is crafted from a unique blend of gunpowder tea (known for its smoky, peppery taste) with the finest oriental botanicals.

Tasting notes

The gin starts off fresh and fruity (lots of lime) and then hits you at the end with its spicy, smoky notes. In the middle are delightful tastes of juniper, almond and coriander.

Try it on the rocks as a superb sipping gin, or in a classic gin and tonic or shake up a craft cocktail, like The Curious Jackalope below (courtesy of chilled magazine.com).

The only downside is that it’s impossible to have just one.