J.W. Blue Label - New Jersey Prices

about $230 here in B.C. Canada

Hi Mike

IMHO

For that kind of money there's a lot better whisky around

And I mean a LOT LOT BETTER

Steffen

Buy him something else. That's an insane price for an average whisky.

If your friend loves JWB and the gift is in your price range, go for it. A birthday is not necessarily the time to teach your friend about the virtues of single malt scotch. HOWEVER, if your friend does like single malts, your money can be much better spent. There are some fantastic single malts in the $50-100 range. I'm out of my element on the over-$100 range, but I'm sure someone on this list could recommend something absolutely amazing for that price.

-Aaron

You may also want to think about some alternatives:

1. Ask him what he wants (if it was my birthday, this would be my preference)
2. Gift certificate to a good whisky store
3. Ticket to a scotch tasting
4. Ticket to a whisky festival

Hey Mike. I was recently in NYC, and saw it pretty cheap at Warehouse Wines & Spirits. In fact, everything was cheap, and I loaded up my suitcase with six bottles: four whiskies, a nice Corton Charlemagne, and a bottle of Krug NV. Can you guess what one of the whiskies was NOT? JW Blue. I have a bottle that I purchased duty-free for about $100, and at that price it's clearly the worst value of any bottle ever purchased, including expensive wine, cognac, and whisky. As mentioned by others, this is a very average (not poor) whisky, albeit one with tremendous clout. If your friend for some reason fancies JW blue as the ultimate whisky, and you want to satisfy his incorrect assessment, then it might be worth giving WW&S a call (212-982-7791 ask for Allen; 735 Broadway (at Astor Place)). If, OTOH you want to get him an *outstanding* whisky, there are some amazing choices in the $75 range (like Highland Park 18 year, which anyone who likes blends should love), or at $180 some rare, old, incredible stuff. Most of my personal favorites are between $50 and $70, all single malts.

My 3 cents.

Oh, and would you like to be my friend? John

I wrote: if you want JW Blue, or anything else, cheap, call Warehouse Wines & Spirits in NYC...then I gave the FAX number. The PHONE # is