Ask the team: What are you giving Dad for Father’s Day?

“My dad loves to make cocktails,” says Visual Merchandising Coordinator Holly. “Over the summer, he fell in love with tequila again. It takes him back to drinking the street tequila in Acapulco in the early 70s.” Okay, we get it: your dad’s cool. 

This year, Holly’s shouting her (cool) dad, Mel, a bottle of  Don Julio Blanco. This seriously good tequila is bottled un-aged for a crisp agave flavour perfect for Margaritas, Palomas and more. “You'll always catch him in a party shirt, ready to talk your ear off about his adventurous life,” says Holly. Nothing better to recall those Acapulco sunsets with!

Rohan’s dad Ron is something of a domestic mixologist in the making. "Dad loves hosting friends and family. When he bought his new apartment some time ago, the first thing he did was build a custom home bar in the dining room,” says the Dan Murphy’s Web Developer. “Stocking his bar was a multi-year affair, with the whole family bringing back unique duty-free liquors from their travels.”

So what do you get the man with a home bar as worldly as Ron’s? “His go-to drink has always been a whisky and tonic, but recently he's taken a liking to tequilas, rums and gins,” says Rohan. Enter Zacapa Centenario 23 Solera Gran Reserva Rum (if you think the name is mouthful, wait until you taste it!). This ultra-boujee Guatemalan spirit sees top notch rums between 6 and 23 years old blended, then fractionally matured for 11 years in a series of oak barrels (AKA the Solera method).  With its deep, complex flavour, it sounds right at home in Ron’s bar if you ask us.

“I was brought up to believe that the height of social and sporting success was catching the cork that Dad fired deep onto the back lawn from a bottle of bubbles,” says Creative Manager Paul Thomson. “Now no one I know has a backyard, and when I shoot alcohol at children, I’m ‘a pest’ and ‘ruining this baby shower’.” 

“The toast at my old man’s wedding was a big glass of d’Arenberg red. I know this because I was the best man,” says Paul. “Pretty sure it was Footbolt. Old school, but nothing up itself or super serious.” What better gift than a two-pack of the winery’s hallmark reds?  “Cheers to Brucey, to the excitement of being sent to “see what’s in the cellar for later”, and cheers to big ole glasses of McLaren Vale red.”

Nisha is a Delivery Lead at Dan Murphy’s and she is certainly delivering the goods for her hubby on Dad’s Day. "Richie is the life of the party,” says Nisha. “Then he moves to the next party and becomes the life of that one too! He's a real class clown, and no one loves the silly things he does as much as our little boy Kairo.” 

“Growing up without a dad, I didn't really hold much meaning for fathers day,” she says, “but the bond Richie and Kai have has changed that. This year, we’ll be celebrating with our extended family around the barbecue, beers for all and some nice gin for Richie.” A budding gin enthusiast, Richie can expect some of the best on his special day. “We’re giving him a bottle of Hendrick’s Neptunia. You can’t go wrong with Hendrick’s,” says Nisha. This limited edition gin is infused with botanicals sourced from Scotland’s Ayrshire coastline for a crisp citrus finish. “Cheers Richie, and happy Father’s Day to all the amazing dads out there!”

“My dad, Tony, doesn’t drink very often. Though he does love a beer on a ‘special occasion’,” says Digital Content Specialist Kate. “In my eyes, Father’s Day is exactly that, so we’ll have a beer together over a takeaway dinner of his choice,” she says. “Nine times out of ten, that means fish and chips.” 

“I’m getting dad a six-pack of Mountain Goat Very Enjoyable Beer,” says Kate. “It’s exactly what the name says: very enjoyable!” A tried-and-true classic, this crisp, no-nonsense brew is practically the fish and chips of the beer world.  “He’s an outdoorsy kind of guy, so these beers will probably come with a camping equipment voucher too.”

Sarah’s dad, Peter,  is a pretty lucky bloke. “Father's Day and his birthday often overlap, so the weekend is always dedicated to him,” says Dan’s Digital Content & Campaign Manager. “The celebrations will usually include presents in the morning over coffee, some golf or a walk with the dogs in the day and finish with a family dinner. This year I’ll be gifting him a bottle of the  Wynn's Black Label Cabernet to share with everyone over dinner.”

A classic in every sense, this big and bold red is the kind of wine that gives Coonawarra its rep for quality Cabernet. This one comes from Wynn’s 2013 vintage and earned a whopping 96 points from James Halliday, so it’s already pretty special. Another decade in dad’s cellar won’t do it any harm, but it’s a great way to mark the occasion if you can’t wait. “We like to try different wines together, so this is the perfect drop to open on his day.”