The festive supermarket adverts are here and streaming of Love Actually is increasing exponentially – the time to cue up Wham! and get the decorations down from the attic is almost upon us. Christmas is the perfect time to think about the whisky lover in your life, and while there are plenty of amazing bottles released throughout the year to whet the appetite of any whisky fan, Christmas showcases some of the best whisky-related products available.
Whether you’re finding the perfect present for someone in your life who loves this special elixir or putting together a list of gift ideas for yourself, there is no better time of year to find a brilliant bottle, great glassware, a hipflask, or a superb Scotch subscription. Beyond the bottle, there is plenty to get excited about when it comes to whisky-related presents. So here we have compiled a list of our top 15 whisky-related Christmas gifts.
Please note that all items in this whisky gift guide include prices and stockists for those based in the UK – but should hopefully provide inspiration for whisky lovers around the world this Christmas.
Top Christmas gifts for the whisky lover in your life
Diamond small decanter, Richard Brendon
Richard Brendon may be a more familiar name to wine lovers who know the universal glasses he designed in partnership with Jancis Robinson but his company makes a wide range of glassware, including decanters like this one. Part of the Diamond collection, this is mouth-blown and hand-cut by craftspeople in Slovenia and would make a classy, elegant addition to a drinks trolley or sideboard. Matching glasses are available but it looks great on its own and is, of course, only enhanced by the addition of amber-hued whisky.
£186 (at time of writing), richardbrendon.com
Pour & Sip subscription
Every month, subscribers get five samples of whisky by post and invites to live tastings hosted by Master of Malt’s experts. They can taste the drams alone or online with the rest of the club, plus they’ll get discounts on full-sized bottles and access to shop the archive for past boxes. The subscription is a great choice for the adventurous whisky lover or someone discovering what they like… and for the gift-buyer who doesn’t feel confident about choosing a single bottle.
£89.95 for a three-month gift subscription, pourandsip.com
Islay Connoisseur Set, LSA
LSA’s mouth-blown Islay Connoisseur Set makes a particularly special present for any whisky lover. The litre-sized Islay decanter, nosing glasses and covers are made by master glass-blowers and the wooden coasters, decanter base and high-walled tray are shaped from American walnut, sourced from managed European forests. Perfect for the whisky purist.
£450, lsa-international.com
Glencairn glass
If you want to enjoy a good whisky properly, the right glassware is key. The choice for many drinkers is the Glencairn, a small, fluted vessel whose shape has become synonymous with whisky itself. Indeed, more than four million of these are sold each year and you can even buy pin badges in the shape of the glass, so iconic has the shape become in the whisky world. Take the drinking experience up a further notch with a hand-blown and hand-cut version that makes a great present. Engraving is available as an option too.
From £7.50, glencairn.co.uk
Ice ball moulds set, Uberstar
The big debate among whisky drinkers is whether to add water, ice, or nothing at all to the glass. Head over to Japan, and the ice ball is the addition of choice for many drinkers. A clever invention, adding a large ball of ice to your glass chills your whisky without melting too fast, meaning minimal, slow dilution. While in Japan’s top bars, ice balls are hand carved, you can save your fingers when preparing drinks this Christmas thanks to these clever moulds for the freezer. Uberstar’s pack of four are made of safe, long-lasting silicone and work as well in a cocktail as they do with a neat bourbon. Ice may be sacrilege for some whisky lovers but even they will need it if they want to enjoy a decent Old-Fashioned.
£16, johnlewis.com
Umi tumbler, Kori Whiskey
Heavy-bottomed and rippled like seawater, the design of the Umi tumbler is named after the calm water sometimes seen at high tide and is a stylish alternative to the more traditional cut-glass whisky tumblers. Perfect for fans of Japanese whiskies, Kori’s handcrafted glassware gives Nikka and its counterparts a distinctive presentation.
£36 (on sale at time of writing), koriwhiskey.com
Savour is an accessible introduction to understanding and appreciating whisky, written by the author of Club Oenologique’s Scotch Whisky Report, Kristiane Westray. It’s a particularly fine gift for those just beginning their journey into whisky, offering insights, explanations and stories without getting bogged down in technical information or esoteric terminology. Savour is a reflection of the modern world of whisky and the inclusive direction in which it’s generally heading. For more books to give spirits and cocktail lovers this Christmas, take a look at our full selection.
£11, amazon.co.uk
Shiso Bitters, The Japanese Bitters
These shiso bitters are an impressive way to upgrade a Highball or Whisky Sour. A little minty, a little grassy, the perilla flavour brings out these notes in food pairings and can also take a humble Gin & Tonic to new levels. If you’re present-hunting for a serious Japanophile, the same company also makes Hinoki, Yuzu and Sakura Bitters, plus a Mizunara Oak liqueur.
£29.25, thewhiskyexchange.com
Pewter hip flask, English Pewter Company
A hip flask for life, this pewter version is made and hand-finished in Sheffield and comes hallmarked. It has its own tan leather pouch and trusty screw cap for winter warmers in the great outdoors. Engraving is available for a small surcharge to give a personal touch.
£73, farrar-tanner.co.uk
Gift membership, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) was formed in 1983 with a mission to explore flavour in whisky and share its discoveries with members. Members get exclusive access to cask-strength whiskies selected by the society’s tasting panel, taken from more than 140 distilleries in Scotland and beyond. As well as the whiskies themselves, membership includes various other benefits such as discounts and members’ room access at venues across the UK. The cost of membership includes a bottle of whisky for the recipient – you can choose from a selection of SMWS bottlings or go for lucky dip.
£100, smws.com
Milk Chocolate Single Malt Whisky Bar, Fortnum & Mason
A beautifully designed stocking filler or festive thank-you, Fortnum & Mason’s milk chocolate is filled with a ganache infused with the brand’s own-label English single malt whisky. A saunter around the food hall at F&M’s flagship store on Piccadilly reveals plenty of other whisky-related wonders, including a single malt whisky Dundee cake and an orange and whisky marmalade, but naturally these treats are also available to order online if you can’t get to the shop in London.
£7.95, fortnumandmason.com
The Johnnie Walker Princes Street Tour
Surely the ultimate for any whisky drinker is a distillery visit and there are plenty of places around the world that accommodate fans of their drams, be it Woodford Reserve in Kentucky or Kavalan in Taiwan. But a ‘must-visit’ whisky experience in Scotland is is the Johnnie Walker Experience in Edinburgh. Standing proud on the busy throughfare of Princes Street, the experience is an immersive journey into the world of Scotch whisky, with drams and cocktails aplenty to be enjoyed throughout an impressive tour of the site.
From £30 per person, johnniewalker.com
Whisky & Cedarwood Home Candle, Jo Malone
Jo Malone and Huntsman Savile Row have collaborated to produce a set of four colognes and one of them, the Whisky & Cedarwood scent, has also been released as a scented candle. It’s a great way to set the scene for a nightcap, with the fragrance beginning with a pimento top note before giving way to a blend of sweet woody notes that nod to the nose of a good whisky. The 200g candle burns for 45 hours.
£70, jomalone.co.uk
A Good Old-Fashioned Christmas Whisky 2009, The Whisky Exchange
There are key notes in certain whisky releases that reflect the festive flavours found at this time of year. Notes of Christmas Cake are often found in sherried whiskies, along with candied orange peel, dark chocolate, spices and nuts. Some distillers and bottlers have worked to capture these in Christmas or winter-specific release. One example is The Whisky Exchange’s 2025 Christmas bottling, A Good Old-Fashioned Christmas Whisky 2009, which is a 16-year old single malt matured in first-fill oloroso sherry casks. It’s ‘packed with dark fruit and spice, as well as layers of sweet cherries, chocolate and nuts’, so makes the perfect Christmas dram and is a limited edition bottle, so the exclusivity adds to its appeal as a gift. If you’re looking for a sure-fire hit for your Scotch-enjoying relative, Whisky Exchange is a reliable place to look.
£79.95, thewhiskyexchange.com
Club Oenologique magazine
Might we suggest a subscription to our flagship print publication? Each issue covers the very best in fine wine and spirits, food and travel, which includes plenty of insights into world-class regions, collectable bottlings and winemaking personalities. Pick up a single copy for a glossy stocking filler – Issue 19 was fresh out a few weeks ago – or gift a subscription that includes both issues of the magazine each year at a preferential rate.
From £14 for a single issue, click here.
