whisky guides

Unusual gifts for Scotch lovers at Xmas

We know that you know that every whisky lover wants a bottle of whisky for Christmas. But if you’d like to go outside the box, these ideas offer a range of creative, thoughtful options that go beyond the typical and will delight any Scotch lover this Christmas.

Contributed by

Adam O'Connell

Pour and Sup whisky subscription dram box

Subscription to a Whisky Club: Pour & Sip

A whisky subscription box that delivers curated samples of whiskies each month can be a gift that keeps giving throughout the year. With Pour & Sip, you get five new whiskies every month, curated by an expert team. The subscription also gives you exclusive bottle discounts, free delivery on everything, detailed tasting notes, space on each card to write your own notes and ratings, and monthly live tastings. The latter lets subscribers interact with a network of whisky lovers and distillery special guests, or the chance to watch back later and learn more about their drams. If you want to give them the gift of adventure and community, then this is the one.

Personal Whisky Barrels

A small, personalised oak barrel (one litre in capacity) allows your whisky lover to age their own spirits at home. They can buy bottles of new make and watch them transform, season them with sherry or Port to create new finishes, or even age their favourite cocktails for extra depth.

Whisky Crackers

You’ll never do Christmas crackers the ordinary way again. A 20cl dram of Johnnie Walker's Gold Label Reserve is tucked inside this cracker so you can enjoy post-Christmas-dinner drinks your way.

Glencairn Water Jug

You know all about glassware. From fancy whisky decanters to Glencairn tasting glasses. No whisky lover would be sad to see a Glencairn Cut Crystal Glass or fine Riedel Tumbler in their stocking, but why not get them something tasteful and practical, but one they might not think to buy? The Glencairn Water Jug is tailor-made to allow you to add drops of water to your whisky to help open those aromas and flavours.

Jack Daniel's goodies

Where most distilleries create gift packs with glasses, Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey does things differently. Its Guitar Case Gift Pack and Gentleman Jack Gift Set with Wash Bag give you the chance to shower them with whiskey and a cool extra.

Manuscript Maps Whisky Jigsaw Puzzle

This is a really sweet alternative gift for the whisky lover, a whisky jigsaw puzzle. This 1,000-piece edition from Manuscript Maps features a map of Scotland with Scotch whisky distilleries some open right now some long closed. Great for spending an evening with a dram alongside it.

Whisky-themed clothes: Boutique-y Lovely Horse T-Shirt or Master of Malt (In Good Spirits) merch

Deck the whisky lover in your life out with snazzy whisky-themed clothes like this hilarious Boutique-y Lovely Horse T-Shirt from That Boutique-y Whisky Company (inspired by one the best segments of Father Ted ever aired) or this charming Master of Malt (In Good Spirits) Hoodie. Perhaps a Master of Malt Beanie might be their thing. We’ve got lots of other colour options and merchandise to check out. Whisky is already their personality, let’s face it. Let them lean into it.

Scotch Whisky Collect & Scratch Map

Or perhaps they’d prefer a Scotch Whisky Collect & Scratch Map. This A3-sized map of Scotland is dotted with Scotch whisky distilleries so you can keep track of all the distilleries whose whisky you have tasted or visited. See at a glance where you're headed next, or which dram you should pick up next. Obviously, new distilleries have opened since this was created, but there’s so many on here that it will take you a while to tick off everything on here anyway. Right?

Angel Share Artworks Whisky Tasting Chart

This funky whisky-tasting chart from Angel Share Artworks is a beautiful, informative piece tailor-made to improve the space where your Scotch lover sits down to sip a dram. The A1-sized (594mm x 841mm, if you were wondering) chart includes 175 tasting notes crossing 8 categories and a whopping 31 sub-categories, as well as a colour assessment chart, with 21 shades to compare to.

Le Nez du Whisky

Le Nez Du Whisky has created an aroma-pedia of the 54 most commonly detected scents in whiskies. From peat to sherry, oak to coconut, honey to rubber, this gift lets you train your nose to pick out the fragrant depths of your favourite whiskies. Comes complete with a guidebook featuring wisdom from THE Charles MacLean.

Urban Bar Seal Bottle Opener

We could talk about how this bottle opener was made with premium Japanese steel or how there's a recess underneath the body for removing standard-size screw caps. But we all know you're already sold. It's shaped like a seal. Look at it.

The Art in Whisky

Books are a great whisky gift. There are classic whisky resources like 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die and Malt Whisky Yearbook to Mr Lyan’s Cocktails at Home. Then there’s the Art in Whisky, a showstopper of a gift. This luxurious leather-bound exploration through the world of whisky was created by award-winning photographer Jon Purcell and features a foreword by legendary master distiller Richard Paterson.