Happy Father’s Day from Willem Dafoe (and Co.)!
Putting the drama into dram: Willem Dafoe and peaty pals
The American actor’s Laphroaig bottling is a corker, and a great choice for any dram-loving dad. Here are 10 superb whiskies for Father’s Day, picked to please every palate and budget. By Gordon Thomson and Tom Pattinson
The special Speysider
Tamdhu Dalbeallie Dram No. 9
If your dad thinks whisky peaked sometime around the invention of the tweed jacket, Tamdhu Dalbeallie Dram No. 9 should keep him extremely happy. Released for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2026, this limited-edition Speyside single malt is matured in first-fill European oak Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at a thunderous 60.5% ABV. It has all the old-school Tamdhu virtues – sherry, structure, depth and polish – but with enough cask-strength muscle to stop it feeling too polite. Expect dark chocolate, coffee walnut cake, deep fruit, fresh ginger, treacle, toasted marshmallow and warm spice, with that rich Oloroso grip running through it. A proper fireside dram for dads who like their whisky classic, full-bodied and just a little bit dangerous.
ABV: 60.5% | RRP: £105 | Buy here: Tamdhu
The peat bomb (with a sherry twist)
Laphroaig 14 Year Old Willem Dafoe Limited Edition
Who wouldn’t want the actor Willem Dafoe as their fantasy dad? Like the star, this limited-edition Laphroaig is intense, theatrical and almost entirely resistant to easy categorisation. The Islay distillery’s 14-year-old single malt was selected with Dafoe and matured in American oak before a finishing stretch in Oloroso sherry casks. Bottled at a muscular 53.7% and non-chill filtered, it brings Laphroaig’s medicinal smoke into richer, darker territory: burnt caramel, seaweed, menthol, muscovado sugar, salted caramel and coffee grounds, with the peat smouldering rather than shouting. A proper collector’s bottle – but one that deserves opening on a special day.
ABV: 53.7% | Price: £139.95 | Buy here: Master of Malt
The heavy rocker
Port Askaig 100 Proof
Every Father’s Day selection needs a whisky that goes up to eleven. Port Askaig 100 Proof is exactly that bottle. Bottled at a muscular 57.1% ABV, this mystery Islay malt explodes from the glass with campfire smoke, sea spray, black pepper and charred citrus. Beneath the swagger lies surprising finesse, with vanilla, white chocolate and sweet malt keeping the peat in check. Think of it as the whisky equivalent of a vintage Marshall stack: loud, unapologetic and guaranteed to make an impression. Add a splash of water and it reveals an entirely different set list. Rock stars, air guitarists and Islay fanatics will adore it.
ABV: 57.1% (100 Proof) | RRP: £48-£60 |Buy here:The Whisky Exchange
The overlooked islander
Isle of Raasay Rye Cask 3.4 x Distilled
Raasay continues to prove that Scotland’s youngest island distilleries are often its most exciting. This limited-edition Rye Cask release takes the distillery’s lightly peated spirit and gives it an intriguing twist through rye cask maturation. The result is a whisky that feels both Hebridean and distinctly modern: orchard fruits, heather honey and maritime freshness meeting peppery spice, toasted cereals and a touch of rye bread. It has all the rugged beauty you’d expect from an island perched between Skye and the mainland, but with a contemporary confidence that’s entirely its own. For dads who like discovering tomorrow’s classics today.
ABV: 59% | RRP: £95 | Buy here:Direct from the distillery
The Bourbon belter
That Boutique-y Whisky Company American Bourbon 10 Year Old
Not every father wants Scotch. Some want bourbon – and preferably plenty of it. This excellent 10-year-old Kentuckian from That Boutique-y Whisky Company delivers exactly what the style does best: generous helpings of vanilla, caramel, toasted pecans and baking spice, all wrapped in a velvety texture that practically demands a leather armchair and a lazy afternoon. The age statement adds welcome depth without sacrificing drinkability, while the quirky Boutique-y presentation keeps things fun. Sweet, rich and beautifully balanced, it’s a reminder that bourbon’s greatest trick is making complexity seem effortless. A bottle that punches comfortably above its highly approachable price point.
ABV: 45.8% | RRP: £59.95 | Buy here: Master of Malt
The great-value Irish
Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
If your dad still thinks Irish whiskey begins and ends with Jameson, Teeling Small Batch is the bottle that gently broadens horizons. Produced in Dublin and finished for up to 12 months in Central American rum casks, it takes the classic smoothness of Irish whiskey and gives it a playful tropical twist. Expect vanilla, dried apricots, orange blossom and warming baking spice, with flashes of rum-soaked raisins and toffee running through the palate. Non-chill filtered and bottled at a robust 46%, it has far more character than its modest price tag suggests. A brilliant gateway dram – and one of the best-value whiskeys on the shelf.
ABV: 46% | RRP: £29.90-£35 | Buy here: Master of Malt
The Scandi surprise
Myken Sea Mist Arctic Island Whisky
Myken lies 32 kilometres off the Norwegian coast, inside the Arctic Circle, on an island with only a handful of permanent residents, which makes it one of the more romantic whisky stories around. The distillery was founded in 2013 by five couples who wanted to help keep the island alive, converting an old fish factory and building a Whisky Cathedral. Sea Mist is their peated whisky, matured in ex-bourbon casks and ex-Pineau des Charentes casks, so it has smoke without going full Viking funeral. Expect citrus, caramel, soft vanilla, sea salt and a sweet, briny peat note that feels shaped by weather, distance and a stubborn refusal to make whisky anywhere easy.
ABV: 47% | RRP: £69.95 | Buy here: The Whisky Exchange
The refined American
Virginia Distillery Co Cabernet Cask Select Single Malt Whisky
American single malt is no longer the whisky world’s odd cousin, and Virginia Distillery Co is one of the reasons people are taking it seriously. With this summer’s World Cup co-hosted in the USA, this feels like the right year to give a whisky-loving dad from Blighty something American that’s not bog standard bourbon. Made from malted barley and finished in Cabernet Sauvignon casks, this bottling takes the softer, fruitier side of single malt and gives it a confident Blue Ridge Mountain accent. There is red grape, raisin, butterscotch, vanilla and toasted cereal, with a little dry cacao and wine-cask grip stopping it from becoming too sweet. A smart buy for dads who like being ahead of the curve, or who keep saying they want to try something new (and then never do).
ABV: 46.5% | RRP: £39.95 | Buy here: Master of Malt
The satisfying slow burner
The Witchmark Club Membership
The Witchmark Club is a 10-year whisky punt from one of England’s most ambitious new distilleries, giving members a bottle each year as the Somerset producer moves from new make spirit towards fully mature single malt. For the first few years, that means tasting the spirit as it develops, before the later releases show what Witchmark can really do in cask. It is a great gift for dads who enjoy the story as much as the dram, and who would like to follow a distillery’s progress from the start. Expect grain sweetness, orchard fruit, cereal notes and young-spirit brightness early on, with the real reward coming as the whisky gathers age, oak and confidence.
ABV: Varies by release | RRP: £900, or £75 a month for 12 months | Buy here: Direct from Witchmark Distillery
The New World banger
Ki One Tiger Edition Korean Single Malt
Korean whisky is new enough to make most dads raise an eyebrow, and Ki One is some of the best stuff going. Their Tiger Edition is the first core release from Korea’s Three Societies Distillery. Matured in a combination of sherry and wine casks, it has the plush, fruit-driven character that makes it feel generous from the first pour, but there is enough spice and oak to keep it from becoming too easy. Expect dates, figs, raisins, walnut, worn leather and malt, with toffee apples, cinnamon, orchard fruit and vanilla on the finish. For dads who already know their Speyside from their Islay, this is the bottle that says the future of whisky is no longer just Scottish.
ABV: 46% | RRP: £59.95 | Buy here: The Whisky Exchange.
