Wondering what to buy for the eccentric spirits lover in your life this Christmas? For gin-filled Christmas baubles, boozy crackers and whisky jumpers, look no further than our guide of quirky gifts.

Take a peek at our selection of unusual boozy gift ideas

If you’re in the market for something a little off-the-wall this festive season, fret not – The Spirits Business has you covered.

From Christmas pudding-flavoured whisky to bespoke gift sets from one of the world’s best class cocktail bars, you’ll find inspiration aplenty, no matter what your budget.

Stick on some carols, munch down a mince pie and flick through our reel of unusual gifts to tantalise the tastebuds.

Click through the following pages to discover our pick of the top spirits-filled Christmas gifts for 2016.

Eden Mill Gin Christmas Crackers

Price: £50

Where to buy: www.edenmill.com

Scotland’s first single-site gin distillery Eden Mill has introduced a range of delectable 100ml miniature gin crackers decorated with black and gold paper.

Gin variants include original, candy cane, cranberry and spruce, apple and cinnamon, and grapefruit and cracked black pepper.

No naff paper hats in sight here – instead, each cracker contains a gin distillery tour voucher for a new year treat.

Unicorn Tears Gin Liqueur

 

Price: £39.99

Where to buy: www.firebox.com

“Made from the tears of humanely raised Unicorns”, the iridescent glittery liqueur has returned to Firebox for Christmas 2016 .

Part of the retailers ‘Created by Firebox’ range, batch two features a brand new look, and a fine-tuned – but still top secret – recipe comprising eight botanicals. The resulting liquid is “high in juniper”, with notes of orange, lemon, coriander, and liquorice.

Treat your dearest gin lover to The Cosmopolicorn, this Christmas: Unicorn Tears Gin Liqueur, Triple Sec, cranberry juice, and a garnish of lime and sprinkles.

And if glittery spirits are your bag, the firm has also launched Phoenix Tears Spiced Rum – containing “real shimmering Phoenix tears with an opalescent lustre”.

Master of Malt ‘Build Your Own’ Advent Calendar

Price: £30

Where to buy: www.masterofmalt.com

Build your own perfect personal countdown to Christmas by creating a boozy advent calendar. Choose 24 wax-sealed 30ml drams from a selection of more than 5,500 spirits – from whisky, rum and gin to mezcal, pisco and cachaça –  with a handy sidebar keeping track of contents and cost as the calendar takes shape.

This service is available in addition to the selection of 24 spirit-filled advent calendars released for 2016, including new additions the range like Scotch, American, Irish and Japanese Whisky Advent Calendars.

Price: £20

Where to buy: www.sipsmith.com

London-based Sipsmith Distillery unveiled limited edition Mince Pie Gin for the festive season; “Christmas in a glass” according to master distiller Jared Brown.

The expression is part of a limited edition gift set that includes a 90ml bottle of the new offering along with a miniature of Sipsmith London Dry Gin.

On the nose it offers “warming cinnamon and nutmeg entwined with sweet clove and Madagascan vanilla”, with notes of “spiced raisin and rich dates followed by fresh juniper and Norwegian spruce” on the palate.

Laphroaig 2016 Winter Jumper

Price: £30

Where to buy: www.laphroaig.com

It might not be booze-filled, but this limited edition Laphroaig Christmas jumper will certainly get you into the ‘spirit’. The design is a homage to the brand’s topical #OpinionsWelcome campaign, which invited whisky enthusiasts to proffer their thoughts on Laphroaig’s distinctive flavour notes.

Embroidered with a seasonal Fair Isle pattern and the campaign slogan, the brand says this festive jumper is ideal for whisky enthusiasts “who have an opinion and are not afraid to wear it”.

Pickering’s Gin Christmas Baubles

Price: £30

Where to buy: www.pickeringsgin.com

Edinburgh-based Pickering’s Gin introduced a series of colourful Christmas baubles filled with gin for the festive season – the “first of their kind”. Available in packs of six, each bauble is filled with a 50ml measure of gin and comes complete with a ribbon.

Be quick, though – the next batch of the baubles will be released in early December. Customers are encouraged to join Pickering’s Ginfriends mailing list on their website to be notified 24 hours before general release.

If you miss out, there’s always next year – when the distillery will up production to 300,000 baubles to meet the “unprecedented” demand.

Drinks By The Dram Christmas Crackers

Price: from £39.95

Where to buy: www.drinksbythedram.com and leading retailers

Swerve the plastic moustaches and tiny rulers this year in favour of a selection of spirits and liqueurs presented in 30ml wax-sealed drams. Traditionalists, fret not – the paper crown and cringeworthy joke are still included.

Whisky lovers should opt for the Whisky Christmas Crackers, containing drams from the likes of Glenfarclas, Glengoyne and Kilchoman distilleries – and for those willing to splash a little more cash, there is also a premium upgrade containing more exclusive expressions such as the Lost Distilleries Blend.

Jericho Christmas Pudding

Price: £49.99

Where to buy: www.lost-distillery.com

Independent Scotch whisky producer, The Lost Distillery Company, has launched a limited edition Jericho Christmas Pudding blended malt whisky for the festive season.

The seasonal bottling is a variation of the Jericho malt, which is part of the producer’s Archivist collection of blended malt Scotch whiskies – styled on the silent Jericho Distillery in Nether Jericho, Aberdeenshire, which closed in 1913 due to its isolated location.

The whisky offers a “richly aromatic” nose with hints of natural honey, dried fruits, orange zest and marzipan. On the palate, the expression is said to be “full-bodied and satisfyingly oily”, offering hints of heated rubber,  ripened dried berries and “savoury depth”, which opens up into raspberries and gentle spice with a “burst of sweetness and tart notes” towards the end. The finish is “long, warming and dry”, with “more sweetness than Jericho Archivist”. Delicious.

The Connaught Cask

Price: £315

Where to buy: The Connaught Bar, The Connaught, Mayfair, London

Voted ‘The World’s Best Cocktail Bar and Best International Hotel Bar’ by Tales of the Cocktail earlier this year, The Connaught Bar has joined forces with The Dalmore Highland single malt whisky to create a bespoke gift set.

The limited edition set features an exclusive twist on The Dalmore classic house style, called The Connaught Cask, with a finish of 18% Cabernet Sauvignon barriques and 15% Port pipes. The remaining 67% is matured in Gonzalez Byass Matusalem oloroso sherry butts, before the three are married together.

The gift is completed with a tailored cocktail recipe created by The Connaught’s director of mixology Agostino Perrone, a shaker, and bespoke John Jenkins glassware to serve.