Father’s Day can be difficult to navigate, gift-wise, as some dads can be impossibly particular in their tastes, while others may evince no interest in any consumable goods whatsoever.

To help you pick your way through this fatherly fog, we have developed a questionnaire, which will enable you to present your dad with a whiskey-related gift that will endear him to you forever—or at least until next Father’s Day.

If, upon reading any of the below questions, you find yourself answering in the affirmative, you may wish to follow the corresponding recommendation provided by our very own Whiskey Editor and dad-knower, Susannah Skiver Barton. You will not be led astray.

Does your dad’s record collection include a confusingly large number of U2 albums?

He may want an Irish whisky to drink along with Bono and the boys, in which case the spirit best-connected to the nation’s musical legacy is Slane, named for the castle concert venue that has played host to the greatest acts of the last forty years. Bonus for vinyl-head dads: Slane Special Edition ($37), an amped-up version of the flagship blend, is bottled at 45% ABV as a nod to 45 rpm records.

Is your dad way into Iceland?

The whiskey boom of the last twenty years has spawned a whole brood of distilleries in far-flung places. Among the remotest: Eimverk Distillery in Iceland, which battles the challenges of its short growing season and harsh climate to transform locally grown barley into Flóki single malt ($100). Infamous for making some of its whisky with grain smoked over sheep dung—a traditional Icelandic fuel source—Eimverk’s core offering is an accessible way for your dad to sample the flavors of the land of ice and fire, no transoceanic voyage necessary.

Will your dad be damned if he is going to pay more than $40 for a bottle of whiskey?

Treat the man to a spirit just outside of his price range, and show him that occasionally increasing his budget, even a little, can yield outsized returns. You're looking for a barrel-proof bottle here, the surest way to punch above the sticker price. Wild Turkey Rare Breed (about $55) and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (about $65) are two standbys that consistently over-deliver on quality and flavor. And when he scoffs at how much you spent, you may point out (politely—it’s Father’s Day) that the price-per-ounce of alcohol is actually lower than his usual 80-proof budget bottle. 

Has your dad owned the same brand of car for his entire life?  

If the man’s a brand loyalist, don’t try to replace his old favorite—just provide him with an alternative that’s comfortable and familiar, but maybe a little special. An updated classic is the way to go, something like Old Overholt Bottled-in-Bond ($25), which beefs up the original’s character with higher proof, or Canadian Club 100% Rye (around $20), a spicier take on the workaday blend.

Does your dad spend an enormous amount of time on Ancestry.com?

Plenty of whiskies tout their heritage and history, but few have honored their ancestors quite like Kentucky Peerless. Once a well-known brand, it fell victim to Prohibition, only to be revived decades later by descendants of the original scion, who tell their own quirky story in the distillery tour (if you go, listen for the improbable connections to General George Patton, Al Gore, and the Allman Brothers). Though inspired by previous generations, Peerless isn’t a re-creation of the original; the process and recipe were devised from scratch, yielding bourbon ($80) and rye ($95) that are some of the best craft whiskey in the country.

Does your dad enjoy bullfighting and/or flamenco dancing?

If your dad has Iberian inclinations, give him a bottle of whisky that will make him feel like a million pesetas. Many distilleries let their whisky spend a year or two finishing in casks that once held Spanish sherry, but very few give over the entire liquid lifespan to these expensive barrels. Tamdhu ($70 for the 12-Year-Old) is one of those rare sherry-only single malts, a lush, velvety Speyside scotch that’s every bit the equal of Macallan, made just down the road.

Has your dad had enough of all the fuss?

Give him a whiskey with none of the folderol: Baker’s ($60). A traditional Kentucky bourbon, Baker’s is a solid option for nearly any situation. It’s high proof enough to stand up to mixing or ice, but ultra easy to sip as-is. There are no bells or whistles here, just clear-cut flavor and admirable depth. A fine choice for any father who's just about had it with the nonsense.

Does your dad deserve the greatest gift any father can possibly receive?

Click here for gift subscriptions to The New Wine Review.  Undying paternal love has never been so easily earned.  

Is your dad most at home on a lonesome, dusty road among the tumbleweeds?

Take Father’s Day in a southwesterly direction with a bottle of a rock-solid whiskey from Santa Fe Spirits in New Mexico or Whiskey Del Bac in Arizona, two single malt distillers that wield mesquite smoke in their grain as deftly as the Scots use peat. Or look to up-and-coming bourbon producer Still Austin from Texas, or rye and bourbon newcomer Frey Ranch from Nevada, each of which harnesses the particulars of their grain supplies, climate, and culture to express familiar styles in whole new ways.

Does your dad somehow have a TikTok following?

Maybe he’d like to use his influence to call the world’s attention to a small, innovative craft distiller like Brother Justus in Minnesota. The American single malt maker has filed patents for a first-of-its-kind peating technique that infuses the organic matter into the whiskey itself ($99), rather than using it to smoke barley. Or perhaps your dad would prefer to highlight a distillery so intent on recreating a long-lost whiskey that it commissioned a custom still based on historic designs: Leopold Brothers, whose Three-Chamber Rye ($250) is in high demand and sure to be a hit among his adoring followers.