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The best whiskies for Christmas deserve more thought than “They drink Scotch, don’t they?”
This selection covers five countries, with fruity Irish whiskey, smoky American single malt and sherried Highland whisky among the bottles worth wrapping.
Some are old favourites I’ve championed for years; others are new releases that deserve your attention.
There’s also one we bottled ourselves, so expect a brief and entirely shameless plug.
The best whiskies for Christmas
Bushmills 16 Year Old Whisky
An Irish single malt I’ve loved and championed for years. We don’t talk enough about Bushmills in my book but its style of fruity, nutty, refined whiskey is deserving of love, plaudits, and presenting in a pretty bow under a Christmas tree. Aged in three different cask types: bourbon, Port and sherry, Bushmills 16 Year Old Whiskey is sublime.
Wire Works Caduro X Whisky
Wire Works Caduro X celebrates White Peak Distillery’s 10th anniversary with a combination of first-fill bourbon barrels and its signature STR casks. These are casks that have been shaved, toasted and re-charred. It brings together the distillery’s ‘regular-cut’ and ‘alt-cut’ single malts for tropical fruit character and a little extra peat. Then there are the ‘special waters’: low-strength spirit matured in oak casks, used to bring the whisky down to bottling strength while adding flavour and texture. Plenty for the whisky geek in your life to get stuck into. Cheers to a decade of White Peak!
Paul John Christmas Edition 2026 Whisky
I think the very best Paul John whisky makes its way into the Christmas Editions. They’re a seasonal highlight, and the ninth release keeps up those high standards. This unpeated Indian single malt has Moscatel cask influence and is bottled at 48% ABV without chill filtration or added colour. These never stay in stock long, so don’t mess about.
Seaweed & Aeons & Digging & Fire & Sherry Casks 17 Year Old Whisky
Seaweed & Aeons & Digging & Fire 17 Year Old is where peat meets sherry, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan style, and the results are just as magnificent. This smoky Highland single malt includes a portion matured in oloroso sherry casks, bringing toffee and stone fruit to its powerfully peaty core. A festive fireplace of a whisky.
Westland Peated Whiskey
Another one for the peat lover in your life, this is a delicious American single malt. Westland has long championed the style, and this whiskey from the Seattle distillery combines heavily peated and unpeated spirit, all aged in American oak and bottled at 46% ABV. American single malt and it’s peated. Oh, you’ll love this.
Dalmore 15 Year Old Whisky
The Dalmore 15 Year Old is an old favourite for many, but it’s always somebody’s first dram somewhere. With its winter spice, orange zest and chocolate notes, this sherry-influenced Highland single malt makes a persuasive introduction. The handsome bottle helps.
Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie – Scottish Barley Whisky
Bruichladdich’s flagship unpeated single malt would certainly make my list of 100 whiskies you need to try. Its fruity, floral, maritime character works all year round, its bottle stands out on every shelf, and it’s a fine choice for whisky cocktails too. Win, win, win.
Secret Highland 12 Year Old and Glasses Gift Set (Master of Malt) Whisky
WARNING, THIS IS SELF-PROMOTION. WARNING, THIS IS SELF-PROMOTION.
OK, yes, this is our very own Master of Malt Christmas bottling. But if we didn’t think it belonged on a list of the best whiskies for Christmas 2026, we wouldn’t have bottled the damn thing. Flawless logic. You’re buying that, right? All jokes aside, this is a very good deal. You get a 12-year-old Highland single malt matured in a combination of Pedro Ximénez, oloroso and Moscatel hogsheads and octaves, plus a smart pair of drinking glasses, for a reasonable price. And it’s delicious. That’s why we bottled the damn thing.
Still haven’t found the perfect gift? Head to our Christmas page, where you’ll find whiskies, tasting sets, booze-filled Advent calendars, cocktails and more!
