Why the Best Gifts Aren’t Things (But a Bottle You Labeled Yourself Doesn’t Hurt)

We’re no strangers to whiskey in this house. Our collection is solid, and we’ve got a deep appreciation for a good pour. So when our daughter gifted us a tour and tasting at Fort Hamilton Distillery, we figured it would be a fun little outing. We had no idea we’d walk away with more knowledge, new memories—and our very own bottled souvenir.

The experience was immersive from the start. We learned the rich history of whiskey and bourbon in America, going all the way back to the time of Alexander Hamilton. We talked about ingredients, distillation, casking, aging, bottling—all the delicious details we’d never really thought about before.

Then came the tasting. We sampled five spirits—whiskey, bourbon, gin—and even got a sixth taste straight from the barrel. That was a real treat. As a bonus, they offered a sample of a maple syrup aged in one of their bourbon barrels that was ridiculously delicious.

And then? We bottled our own whiskey. We filled a bottle, sealed it, labeled it, dated and signed it. Yes, it’s technically a thing we brought home—but it won’t sit on a shelf collecting dust. It’ll be shared and savored until the very last drop.

Experience gifts like this one don’t take up space in your closet—they carve out space in your life. For laughter. For learning. For love. And in our case, for a little booze-fueled bonding.

So next time you’re gift hunting? Skip the stuff. Go for the experience. (And if there’s whiskey involved, all the better!)