The best gifts and experiences for Father’s Day 2019

For those who tend to let celebrations creep up on them, leaving you scrambling for a present at the very last minute, here is your annual reminder: Father’s Day is on 16 June.

But rather than picking up a bland card or a cheap bottle of wine, why not use this year to treat dad to something extraordinary or exhilarating?

Here is The Week’s roundup of the best gifts and experiences available for Father’s Day 2019.

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Goodwood Estate experiences

Over the past 20 years, the Goodwood name has become synonymous with petrol, deafening noise and burning rubber, as the vibrant green estate in East Sussex plays host to the Festival of Speed each July.

It also offers a Father’s Day lunch, comprising two or three delicious courses, as well as a gift of Goodwood Beer for fathers.

Prices start at £32 per person. More information can be found here.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms blue ceramic

Despite the fact that Scuba is a relatively niche sport, dive watches remain hugely popular with both collectors and casual watch enthusiasts alike. And Blancpain, with its rich diving history and haute horological pedigree, is one of the grandes dames of the underwater world.

This year, the brand has reinterpreted its iconic diver’s watch, the Fifty Fathoms, with a beautiful blue ceramic version that retains the sporty character of its predecessors, but adds a touch of chic and high-tech wizardry with its red gold case and ceramic dial respectively. While other dive watches come and go, the Fifty Fathoms remains a perennial favourite among aficionados – even those who never step foot in the water.

£27,470. More information can be found here.

Talisker Whisky Coastal Challenge

For a weekender with a difference, Talisker Whisky has partnered with adventure travel company IGO Adventures to offer a unique whisky-tasting excursion like no other along one of the UK’s most dramatic coastlines.

The trip will lead whisky lovers through Exmoor National Park providing them with a dram or two of Talisker Whisky after action-packed days embracing the elements.

The three-day adventure takes place from Friday 19 until Sunday 21 July, and will include a 25km coastal hike or run and 1km swim plus trekking and fitness sessions as well as sunrise yoga, survival and bush craft skills, photography workshops and open-fire cooking using locally sourced ingredients and freshly caught fish.

Of course, all participants can choose whether they want to take up the fitness challenges or just disconnect and enjoy the great outdoors.

At night, challengers will be invited to reunite around the campfire to enjoy whisky together, as well as Talisker cocktails using ingredients foraged along the coast. The ultimate reward after a day of adventure.

Prices start from £359, igoadventures.com/challenges/talisker-whisky-coastal-challenge

A personal biography from Story Terrace

For those looking to put their family story to paper, this might be the most rewarding gift a son or daughter could buy.

Personal biographers Story Terrace offer an intensive six-to-eight week experience including one-to-one interviews with a professional writer, who transforms life memories into a stunning photo-illustrated book.

The team offers a choice of over 300 professional biographers recruited from leading newspapers and publishers “including The Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian, the BBC, Pan Macmillan, Simon & Schuster and Penguin”, Truly Experiences says.

Prices start at £1,600. See more about this personal biography here.

Hamilton Intra-Matic Auto Chrono

Hamilton is one of those watch brands that looks familiar in part because of its long history of tie-ups with films. Its watches have been seen in Men In Black, Interstellar, Ocean’s Eleven, The Shape Of Water,The Italian Job, Quantum of Solace and more.

But the Swiss-American brand’s latest offering looks not to its long association with Hollywood, but to its more distant past, when in the 1960s it introduced the Chronograph A - a watch that became incredibly popular over the years with vintage collectors.

This year's update is actually a tweak on the Intra-Matic that came out two years ago, but this one has a handsome blue-and-white dial rather than the black-and-white dial of its immediate predecessor. The result is a smart, sporty watch that is definitely ready for its cinematic close-up.

£1,930. More information can be found here.

Wolfburn Father’s Day whisky

If you want to give dad something relatively unique, Wolfburn’s Father’s Day whisky is limited to just 320 bottles worldwide. Crafted from whisky matured for four years in a single ex-Oloroso sherry cask, it’s sweet on the palate with dried fruits, honey and butterscotch giving way to light spices like clove and cinnamon.

£79.95, masterofmalt.com

TUMI Leather Wallet

For dads who do a lot of travelling, this sleek wallet from Tumi is the perfect gift. The wallet features two cash sleeves sized for international currencies, and plenty of space for cards and receipts too. It is also crafted from a smooth Nappa leather, and comes in three subtle shades. A great gift for an international dad.

£125, uk.tumi.com

Jusbox Perfumes’ Beat Cafe

In the 1960s, a generation of set out to change the world by building a counter-culture through music, poetry, politics, literature and fashion. The soundtrack to it all was Bob Dylan’s music, which has stood for rebellion ever since. The Beat Cafe scent from Jusbox was designed as a tribute to the cafes frequented by the Beat Generation, with top notes of cognac, black pepper and coriander, heart notes of tobacco and black leather and base notes of vetiver and cedar wood. A perfect gift for rebels-at-heart, whether young or old.

£140/ 78ml, selfridges.com

BeerBods delivery boxes

Whether your dad is a fan of exotic Japanese keg beers or the occasional cask ale from Cornwall, Worcestershire-based BeerBods have the perfect Father’s Day gift lined up for him.

Their expert team can offer crates of 12 of the best beers from small, independent breweries across the globe and delivered direct every 12 weeks.

Options include the Subscription box, Beer Writers’ Dozen Box, Ones to Watch Box, Traditionalist Box and Modern Classic Box, each with a range of delicious beers, many of which may have slipped under your old man’s radar until now.

Prices start from £36 for 12 weeks, £70 for 24 weeks and £135 for 48 weeks. More information can be found here.

Flying lesson at Elstree Helicopters

One for those with nerves of steel, Elstree Helicopters just outside the M25 has teamed up with Truly Experiences to offer a genuine once-in-a-lifetime thrill this Father’s Day; sending dad to the skies in his very own helicopter.

Those daring enough to take the plunge will enjoy a 40-minute lesson split equally between the classroom and in flight in a brand new Cabri G2 2-seater helicopter with a senior flight instructor.

In flight, guests can experience spectacular views of London from 1,000ft up while being guided through a set of entertaining challenges to prove their airworthyness. And of course, participants will be able to take home a certificate of achievement to hang on the wall.

Prices start at £250. More information can be found here.

Gran Patron Burdeos Tequila by Patron

When you think of tequila, it’s hard not to think of good times. A staple of parties and celebrations, there are few drinks more fitting for Father’s Day than a smooth, rich tequila, whether over ice or in a delicious margarita.

And for real quality look no further than famed tequila makers Patron, who have crafted the extraordinary Gran Patron Burdeos for just such occasions, matured in a blend of American and French oak barrels and aged for a minimum of 12 months.

With bold aromas of Bordeaux wine, and velvet-like flavours tinged with oak wood, vanilla and raisins, this exemplary tequila will go down a treat with any connoisseur.

Prices start at £470 per 700ml bottle. More information can be found here.

Beer and brewery tours

This year Fathers’ Day falls on the very same weekend as National Beer Day, so the only logical thing to do is connect the two.

Brooklyn Brewery and London Fields Brewery offer the best of craft beer from the UK and the US, with brews that would work for most dads, from no-nonsense pilsner lagers, to golden IPAs and even a low-alcohol (0.5% ABV) beer.

You could even arrange a brewery tour in either brewery. The trip to Brooklyn won’t come cheap, but once you are there, you have access to a range of their old classics and experimental unreleased beers as well.

For more, visit brooklynbrewery.com or londonfieldsbrewery.co.uk

Joshua Kane tailoring experience

Nothing makes a man feel as good as a tailored suit, and perhaps the hottest name in the world of bespoke suits is British designer Joshua Kane, who has supplied razor-sharp outfits for A-listers from comedian Russell Brand to Avengers star Tom Holland.

Starting out as a footballer for Fulham FC, the trajectory of Kane’s ascent through the echelons of fashion has been an unusual and meteoric one, as reflected in his strikingly eccentric yet gorgeous designs.

For those who want to treat their dad to a suit they can be truly proud of, arrange an appointment at Kane’s store in glamorous Fitzrovia, where the man himself will guide guests through their first fitting with full measurements and drafting designs before the appropriate fabric is picked out and cut.

What’s more - suits usually take just eight weeks to complete, with a final fitting required to ensure perfection of fit and finish.

Looking this good never came so easy.

Prices start at around £1,200. More information can be found here.

The Last Drop 1971 Vintage Blended Scotch Whisky

For dads who can’t resist a dram - or a slice of nostalgia - this will likely do the trick.

“A relic of times past”, as The Last Drop describes it, all the single malt and grain whiskies used in the extraordinary 1971 Vintage Blended Scotch Whisky were distilled 47 years ago, before undergoing a unique three-part maturation process starting in 1983.

The whisky “has all the hallmarks of the 1970s/80s blending style, with a classic, old-fashioned smokiness”, the site adds, while Masters of Malt praises its wide range of flavours including “sweet honey and vanilla that give way to tangy orange and lemon followed by warmer notes of stewed apple and toasted almonds”.

And if the 1971 Blend’s impressive price tag puts dad off cracking it open for a drink, each 750ml bottle comes with a small 50ml measure in case he’s desperate for a try. Maybe he’ll pass the remainder on to you?

UK stockists can be found here.

Overnight stay at Spitbank Fort

For a Father’s Day of opulent luxury with “oodles of wow factor”, Virgin Experiences writes, treat your dad and a guest to a historical stay on Spitbank Fort in the middle of the Solent near Portsmouth.

Completed in 1878, this nautical stone fort was constructed as a result of the 1859 Royal Commission, and is one of the four Palmerston Forts that dot the coastal areas around Hampshire.

Now, however, Spitbank has been transformed into one of the most unlikely luxury hotel sites in the UK, complete with nine opulent sleeping quarters fitted with boutique and designer furniture allowing guests to slumber peacefully amid the waves.

On the top deck of the fort is an open-air heated pool and sun deck, while customers can also sample a range of activities while on board including canape making, gin tasting, campfire roasting or even a ride in a 50mph Rib boat.

A Father’s Day stay includes a night of luxury in one of the hotel’s lush suites, with all meals provided, including lunch, four-course dinner and full breakfast, while a glass of champagne awaits on arrival, and an afternoon tea will see you on your way.

Father’s Day getaways do not get more memorable than this.

£720 for two people. More information can be found here.

Five-course lunch with Champagne for two at Gordon Ramsay's Petrus

One of the capital’s most well-known restaurants, Petrus has been listed among the best by critics and the public alike since its opening in 1999.

Based in the heart of trendy Belgravia, Gordon Ramsay’s delectable offering of modern French cuisine has racked up a Michelin star and five AA rosettes for the hotheaded chef, and continues to attract diners from across the globe with its first class service, design and - of course - food.

We could recommend the succulent beef wellington with snails (yes, really) or the indulgent dark chocolate tart but, as the restaurant’s website suggests, “you’ll be so spoilt for choice with all the Petrus menu options that you won’t be able to resist visiting us again and again until you’ve tried them all.”

If this seems too enticing to resist, Petrus is currently offering a remarkable five courses of high-end haute cuisine for just £105 per person, including champagne. If your father’s a foodie, this might be the perfect deal for you.

Prices from £105 per person. More information can be found here.

La Boite Concept La Platine LS vinyl turntable

“A great record collection deserves to be played on an even better turntable,” says GQ magazine of this gorgeous vinyl player, a collaboration between La Boite Concept and speaker specialists Elipson.

The La Platine Turntable, crafted with exquisite wood and leather, provides a warm analogue sound reproduction that is sure to make 33/45 RPM records sound as fresh as ever. It also includes high signal to noise ratio, an anti-skating system, belt drive motor, anti-vibration legs and an adjustable aluminium counterweight. This is the ultimate treat for any audiophiles out there.

£595. More information can be found here.

Sopwith Propeller Cufflinks by Me and My Car

For the more sartorially inclined, look no further than these beautiful cufflinks inspired by the iconic First World War Sopwith Camel fighter plane, famed for its heavy, powerful rotary engine and single propeller.

Me and My Car describes these highly detailed cufflinks as a fitting celebration of the great British bi-plane.

“With internal ball bearings the black cooling blades move as the highly polished rose gold blades spin round,” the gift maker adds. “Even the rivets and joining panels have been laser detailed to the highest precision on the outer aluminium cases.”

£175. More information can be found here.