Gift Ideas for Whiskey-Lovers
Here are 5 gift ideas with many many examples!
I’m currently bundled up on the couch and online shopping for Christmas gifts. My default is to give everyone whiskey themed gifts because that’s what I know best. Luckily, most of my friends and family are whiskey drinkers anyways. If you’re looking for gift ideas for the whiskey lover in your life, then here are 5 types of gifts that would be perfect for any whiskey lover… along with many examples!
Booze!
You can gift them booze! This is straight forward enough and can be a safe bet. However, you need to know what they like and don’t like!
1. Get them their daily or something within the same whiskey category
If you have a the option to support a local craft distillery, do it! Ex: if they’re a bourbon fan, grab a bourbon from your local craft distillery that’s [hopefully] using local grains.
Ex: If you know they pour themselves a glass of Bruichladdich Classic Laddie Islay Single Malt Scotch everyday, grab the a bottle of that. That way, you know they’ll enjoy it.
2. Get them something new, but with a familiar flavor profile
Ex: if they love bourbon, try a gentle rye like WhistlePig 10 year, a baking spice forward rye like Chicken Cock or a sweet barrel finished rye like Angels Envy Rum Cask Rye.
Ex: if they love ryes, try something fruit and spicy like Starward Nova red wine barrel aged Australian single malt or the Balvenie 21 year PortWood single malt scotch.
Ex: if they love single malt scotches, try an American single malt from one of your local distillers like 10th Street in California, Balcones in Texas, Westward in Oregon, Westland in Washington, Stranahans in Colorado, Whiskey Del Bac in Arizona, etc.
3. Get them something very different!
Ex: if they love bourbon, try armagnac like Delord 25 year old or barrel aged cachça like novo fogo Barrel Aged.
Ex: if they love the smokiness of peated scotch, try a smoky American whiskey like Van Brunt Stillhouse Smoked Corn whiskey or Whiskey Del Bac Dorado mesquite smoked single malt. Or try something way out of left field like Jamaican rum such as Smith & Cross (trust me, peat heads usually find themselves enjoying high hogo rums at some point).
2. Tastings!
You can gift them a tasting! This is a lot more fun and interactive than just gifting booze, while still gifting them booze. And there are a lot of options out there!
1. DIY NEAT Blind Tasting (shameless plug)
This tasting includes four 2 oz samples of various whiskies from around the world, instructions that guide you through the blind tasting with ease, informational tasting sheet, hints to help you guess which whiskey was which after you and, of course, the answers.
Must order this week to get in time for Christmas!
2. Flaviar
They have multiple varieties of whiskeys and spirits (3 spirits in each) for $46.99.
3. The Spirit Co.
They have tasting sets with a wide variety of all different types of spirits. They ship to the US (check to see if your state is eligible) and each tasting is about $30-40-ish depending on tasting set plus an additional 20 pounds ($25USD) for international shipping.
4. Brand specific tasting sets:
Ex: Jefferson’s Wood Experiment ($100): Includes five 200 mL samples of 4 year old bourbon finished different ways to understand the impact of oak on maturation.
Ex: Barrel Bourbon Tasting Pack ($100): 100 mL samples of Dovetail, Seagrass, Armida and Barrel bourbon.
Ex: Kings County has a classic whiskey set (200 mL of unaged corn whiskey, bourbon, chocolate whiskey) for $75 and an aged whiskey set (200 mL of bourbon, peated bourbon and blended bourbon) for $86.
3. Tours/Bars!
You can gift them a distillery tour or gift card to a whiskey bar! This is like an indirect booze gift and it's more interactive than gifting a tasting or a bottle of booze.
1. Tour at a local distillery
Find your local distillery/distilleries and see if they have gift cards or gift passes. If not, see if they have free cancellation and rebooking for all of their tours. This way, whoever you are gifting the tour to is able to change the tour time with ease.
When in doubt, reach out if you don’t see an option that works! I'm sure the distillery will be more than happy to figure something out for you!
2. Get a gift card to a local whiskey bar or speakeasy
Find the local whiskey bars and speakeasies and see which have gift cards. Most likely, they are attached to or part of a restaurant, meaning it's very likely they have gift cards. But make sure there aren't any restrictions on the gift card that might restrict someone from using it to buy booze.
4. Glasses!
You can gift them glasses! I know, it's not booze! But it's necessary to taste and drink booze. Here are a few glasses I would highly recommend.
1. Glencairns are the classic tasting glasses for anyone who loves whiskey. The shape of these glasses perfectly brings the whiskey aromas right up to your nose. If they don’t already have Glencairns at their home bar, this is a great option.
You can find a number of sets on Amazon. The regular Glencairns are usually under $10/each. The fancy, crystal Glencairns are $40/each
2. NEAT Dram Tasters are the same shape as Glencairns, but they’re about a third of the size making them perfect for travelling! Seriously, I take one with me on every trip. ($15/glass- *Make sure to order this week to get them for Christmas!)
3. NEAT x humanform Tasters are a crowd favorite (and my favorite). I teamed up with my very talented friend Caroline Burckle to create these glasses. They are bottomless, allowing you to cup your whiskey like you would brandy and they feature original artwork by Caroline. These tasting glasses are all about appreciation! ($35/glass- *Make sure to order this week to get them for Christmas!)
4. Rocks glasses are an excellent choice. You can never have too many rocks glasses. They're great for cocktails and for enjoying whiskey.
There’s a wide variety of options! You can find regular glasses, fancy glasses, and some with ice sphere molds included all under $25 on Amazon.
5. Books!
You can gift them a book! Here are some of my favorites!
1. Proof: The Science of Booze by Adam Rogers
This book is super entertaining, really well written, and you don’t have to be a huge nerd to enjoy it. It's broken down into sections that go in order of how booze is made: fermentation, distillation, maturation. Then Adam discusses what happens when we drink booze, including hangovers.
2. Whiskey Masterclass by Lew Bryson
This book is really digestible, easy to read, and it's well written. You also don't have a be a nerd to enjoy it. Everything you need to know and could want to know about whiskey is in here!
3. A Good Drink: In Pursuit of Sustainable Spirits by Shanna Farrell
This book shines light on something that is often not talked about in the industry: sustainability. Shanna talks to distillers who are actually putting agriculture and sustainable practices at the forefront. If your whiskey-lover is environmentally conscious or is interested in how booze and agriculture go hand-in-hand, this book is perfect.
4. The World Atlas of Whisky by Dave Broom
This is an awesome coffee table book that has info about every distillery around the world.
