Seems to me that your daughter will know him better than any strangers on a message board, so I'd go with the cologne since that's what she thinks he'll like. A nice gift set of his favorite "scent" if it's not one of the outrageously priced ones.
This year I bought the guys in our family and the neices and nephews Tervis Tumblers. I know that sounds cheesy but they are super nice, can be used all year long and clean easily. I had their names put on them and then some type of symbol to represent their personality. My Nephew is 23, soon to be married and loves to cook. His has a chefs patch on it with his name on the other side. Then I got the different caps and straws. My nieces got dolphins, flowers, cupcakes and a princess crown. My young nephew and brother--surfing patches.
So far they have been a big hit for the birthdays this year. The kids got 10 oz ones and the adults 24 oz tumblers. So it is a useful gift, one that they probably don't have, are about $20 when personalized and do not scream like cologne.
I get my teenage/young adult nephews the Entertainment Book for their area.
Right now ebates is giving a great cash back, and if you buy more than one book , the second one is $20.
I just purchased Central NJ, and NYC. The boys love the fast food
coupons and movie ticket coupons.
Sign up for ebates.com if you are shopping online today, the deals are good.