By Craig LaBan
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Technically it’s always whiskey-sipping season in my house. But there is something extra cozy about the December chill that sparks the spirit of giving whiskey, too. The glint of colorful lights on a big ice cube rattling through a tumbler of amber elixir. The toasty vanilla perfume of barrel char, the punchy spice of distilled rye, a whiff of peat smoke from a faraway land. A great bottle that captures this kind of magic is the definition of a win-win gift because, hopefully, whoever receives it will be in the cheerful mood to crack it open right there and share! That’s just good manners.
