Gift Guide 2018: For Pappy Fanatics

There are those of us who love Pappy Van Winkle.  Those of us who save the final drop in our bottle of twenty year old family reserve because we know we'll never get another.

While you probably can't gift us a bottle of our favorite booze (last time I looked a bottle of this cost almost three grand)  the company has very cannily come up with other options.  They have an entire website of Pappy-related gifts, and while I'm not about to fall for Pappy slippers, hot sauce, cufflinks or socks (they've left no stone unturned), I'm planning on sending this rather lovely bowl, made of the staves of old bourbon barrels, to a Pappy fanatic friend.

Why is there a Pappy cult?  For one thing, they never made much, as this Forbes article explains.  For another, there was a huge Pappy heist a few years ago, further decimating the supply. And for a third - it's just plain delicious.

One person who reviewed this bowl swears he can still smell the Pappy in the wood.  Which is good enough for me. I should note that this is not exactly a lightweight gift; it costs $160 and weighs in at a cool seven pounds.  But while it won't give you a buzz, it holds a lot of memories - and it's certainly more affordable than a bottle of the good stuff.