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Top 10
The 12 spirits-based advent calendars of Christmas
The countdown to Christmas isn’t on until you have a selection of little doors to open with something spirited hiding behind them.
Think you’re too old for an advent calendar? These booze-packed adult-only countdowns definitely say otherwise.
With a few weeks to go before 1 December, we’ve rounded up our 12 favourite spirits-based advent calendars (one for every day of Christmas) to help you ready yourself for the big day.
Moth Cocktails
Price: £80 (US$104)
Number of doors: 24
Swap daily chocs for luxury cocktails this December with this cocktail advent calendar from Moth. Filled with 24 days of perfect serves made with award-winning independent spirits, this calendar really raises the bar. Or at least, makes you feel like you’re in one.
Whether you’re sipping by the fairylights, or taking one with you to the dancefloor at the festive party, these ready-to-drink cans will guarantee you have a holly-jolly Christmas.
Feeling lucky this festive season? There’s a golden Moth hidden inside 10 advent calendars. Find one, and you’ll get a very big present that will last you all year long. (Spoiler alert: it’s a year’s worth of Moths).
Drinks By The Dram
Price: £54.95 – £129.95 (US$71-$169)
Number of doors: 12-25
Drinks by the Dram is known for its exceptional advent calendars, and for 2024 it has gone all out. Behind every window of these cleverly crafted calendars, a 30ml wax-sealed dram awaits, promising a daily discovery from some of the world’s finest spirits producers and distilleries.
Globetrotting whisky lovers may opt for the World of Whisky calendar, which will take you on a journey across 12 whisky-producing regions over the course of 25 days, with highlights including drams from Paul John Classic Select Cask, Jameson 18 Year Old, and The Cardrona – The Falcon, while anyone with a love of the smokier styles of Scotch will likely be thrilled to open doors of the Peaty Whisky calendar.
Or if your old man is a walking stereotype (we’re talking falls asleep by the fire by lunchtime on Christmas day having already knocked back a few), the Dadvent Calendar is a winner, with 12 30ml bottles from the likes of Loch Lomond, Hatozaki, and Tullamore Dew waiting to be discovered.
New for this year, Drinks by the Dram has reduced its calendar’s cardboard wastage by 50%, and introduced compostable dram trays inside, so you’ll be on the nice list as far a the environment goes this year.
The WhistlePig Hogiday Calendar
Price: US$125
Number of doors: 12
Available to pre-order in the US from 18 November via Cocktail Courier, this advent calendar from Vermont’s WhistlePig Distillery is here to help you count down the days till fruitcake.
Open the door each day to reveal one of six different whiskeys (there are two of each, so you can share or double-down on your favourite); from WhistlePig PiggyBack Rye to WhistlePig CampStock Wheat Whiskey, your taste buds are sure to be singing a merry little tune all December long.
The Bar Advent Calendar
Price: £125 (US$162)
Number of doors: 25
Diageo is inviting you to ring in the festive season with its limited edition advent calendar from its premium online spirits shop, The Bar.
With a spirits portfolio boasting the likes of Casamigos, Chase, Cîroc, Don Julio, Talisker, Tanqueray and The Singleton, you know this calendar is going to be delivering the goods. In fact, this calendar boasts 25 exceptional surprises including an ultra-rare miniature Don Julio 1942, a deliciously decadent Baileys Salted Caramel Liqueur mini, a top-notch Johnnie Walker Black Label dram and an elegant serve of Tanqueray Gin. There’s a 50ml bottle for every taste and type of festive celebration.
That Boutique-y Gin Company
Price: £64.95 (US$84)
Number of doors: 24
Known for its experimental flavours and commitment to craftsmanship, That Boutique-y Gin Company’s Advent Calendar is a gin lover’s dream with a flavourful delight hidden behind each door.
Expect to discover flavours such as neroli, chocolate orange, spit-roasted pineapple and rhubarb, as well as some festive classics including a Christmas tree gin and a toasted marshmallow hot chocolate gin liqueur. The perfect way to jazz up your G&Ts this festive season.
NIO Advent Calendar
Price: £135 (US$175)
Number of doors: 12
This is the perfect one to share, as NIO’s Advent Calendar features 24 cocktails, two of each type, to enjoy during the 12 days leading up to Christmas – one for you, one for them.
Open each little door and discover the cocktails of the day; you might find two classics you already love, or drinks you’ve never tried before.
Craft Gin Club
Price: £49.99 (US$65)
Number of doors: 12
New for Christmas 2024, and due to popular demand, this is Craft Gin Club’s first rum advent calendar.
Behind each of the 12 doors of this calendar, the discovery of a new and premium spiced rum awaits. This handpicked selection contains a mix of exclusive rums, as well as rums that have already proven to be a hit after they featured in the company’s the Rum of the Month boxes.
All the rums are from craft distillers – not a supermarket or mass-market rum in sight, with each having been rigorously taste-tested by Craft Gin Club’s experienced selection team to ensure top quality. Expect rums from the likes of Cape Cornwall Spiced Rum, Mapmakers Rum, Dunnet Bay Distillers, and Distillerie 3 Lacs.
BrewDog Distilling’s 12 Cocktails of Christmas
Price: £40 (US$52)
Number of doors: 12 (if you make your own)
While not strictly an advent calendar, this pack from BrewDog Distilling features 12 ready-to-drink Wonderland cocktails, each ranging from 10% to 32% ABV – perfect if you’re organised enough to be one of those families that makes their own advent calendars.
With a Whisky Sour, Long Island Iced Tea, Cosmopolitan, Watermelon Margarita, Strawberry Daquiri, Classic Mojito, Classic Margarita, Espresso Martini, Passionfruit Martini, Cantarito Paloma, Old Fashioned and a brand new flavour, the Chocolate Orange Espresso Martini, there’s not a lot more you could ask for when it comes to getting in the Christmas spirit.
Wise Bartender
Price: £40 (US$52)
Number of doors: 24
With demand for tasty and satisfying alcohol-free drinks continuing to flourish, award-winning online retailer Wise Bartender has launched a ‘sweet and tasty’ advent calendar that offers a diverse selection of 24 different alcohol-free drinks, including wine, cider, spirit and cocktail alternatives to enjoy.
On top of that, all the drinks in the calendar are vegan-friendly to ensure that everyone can indulge in a daily alcohol-free treat. Never has cocktails for breakfast been more appropriate in December.
The Woodford Reserve 8 Days of Spirit Advent Calendar
Price: US$145.95
Number of doors: 8
As part of their ongoing partnership, Woodford Reserve and US-based high-end home furnishings and kitchenware retailer Williams Sonoma have created the perfect advent calendar guaranteed to get all Bourbon lovers in the festive spirit.
Hidden behind each window are individual portions of artisanal mixers and barrel-aged bitters from the mixology experts at Woodford Reserve. Everything you need to host the perfect cocktail party this festive season.
The Whisky Tour of the World
Price: £195 (US$253)
Number of doors: 0 doors, but five books
Ready to go on a curated journey into 24 the world’s most exciting premium whiskies? The Whisky Tour of the World is a handmade and engraved wooden bookcase, which houses five linen-bound books containing 24 50ml ultra-premium whisky expressions, two whisky glasses, plus an illustrated book on the 24 distilleries, the whiskies and tasting notes.
Each volume is a mini circumnavigation with whiskies selected from across the world to give geographical variety in every book, with whiskies sourced from Scotland, Japan, Taiwan, India, Ireland, Peru, Germany, Denmark, Australia, Canada, England, Sweden, Austria, New Zealand, Mexico, Finland, USA, France and Italy.
As well as geographic breadth, each book has a range of whisky styles covering single malts, blended whiskies, different wood finishes, Bourbons, ryes, peated and some single cask exclusive releases.
Shed One’s ‘Official’ 12 Days of Christmas
Price: £54.95 (US$71)
Number of doors: 12
Shed One Distillery, a small batch microdistillery on the edge of the Lake District, has put together an alternative to the traditional advent calendar, which is designed to be enjoyed over the official ’12 days of Christmas’ – 25 December to 6 January.
The 12 Days of Christmas Spirit Gift Box is a limited edition product (so limited, in fact, that only 50 have been created) and features a selection of eight of Shed One’s award-winning gins, three botanical vodkas (including the limited edition Springwaite spirit) and this winter’s best-selling, brand new, locally sourced Festive Bramble gin elixir.
All spirits are in perfect taster size 50ml bottles, so you can try out a different one each day, with tasting notes, suggested cocktail recipes, coasters, and a 10% discount off any further purchases at the distillery. Way better than a load of birds and a bunch of drummers taking up space in your living room.
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