If you’re buying for someone that’s just getting into whisky, these are some of the best gifts.
Whether you’re looking for a gift for a friend or family member who is starting to show an interest in whisky, or just looking to treat yourself, then these are my picks of the best whisky gifts for beginners.
From tours to educational gifts, and the best whiskies to try in cocktails, there’s something for all for this Christmas.
Independent publishing imprint Mennie Drinks recently released of The Night Afore, a hand-numbered, limited-edition Christmas chapbook featuring three atmospheric short stories inspired by whisky - each set on Christmas Eve.
Printed in a short run of just 100 copies and bound using traditional singer-sewn stitching, The Night Afore is the first Glenfiction short story anthology and continues Mennie Drinks’ commitment to slow publishing: small-batch printed objects, produced with care, designed to be held, read and gifted – in a world of disposable digital content.
The Night Afore is printed in the UK on uncoated stock with a singer-sewn binding.
It will be available for pre-order from 28 November (shipping early December), priced at £15, exclusively via the Mennie Drinks website.
In 2019, after years of travel and adventure, husband and wife Simon and Sarah Hewitt moved to one of Scotland’s most remote peninsulas to settle down and begin working for the pioneering organic distillery, Nc’nean.
Now the time has come for them both to release their own spirits as part of Nc’nean’s Quiet Rebels series, which celebrates a different member of the team each year.
This is the first year that Nc’nean will be launching two releases in tandem, and the first time something other than a whisky will be released under the Quiet Rebels series.
While Simon's whisky is a stout cask finished dram, Sarah's is a whisky cream liqueur.
Crafted with Nc’nean’s signature organic single malt and organic oats instead of dairy, Quiet Rebels Sarah brings tasting notes of crème brûlée, spiced honeycomb, and chocolate mousse, all with the complexity and character of Nc’nean’s single malt Scotch.
Full, glossy, and luxuriously smooth, it’s a creamy liqueur designed for sipping straight from the fridge over plenty of ice, and it's an ideal whisky gift for those who aren't keen on sipping straight whisky.
Priced at £27.50, you can buy a bottle here.
The Clydeside Distillery has recently launched its Whisky Creator Tour and it’s ideal for those looking to find out more about whisky making in Glasgow.
This intimate whisky-making experience, which delves into the heart of Glasgow’s whisky heritage, is limited to only six guests per session and is hosted in the distillery’s atmospheric Blender’s Room.
Guests will sample four carefully selected casks, including bourbon, sherry, de/re-char, and an unreleased cask from Clydeside’s inaugural batch of peated whisky.
In this two-hour session, guests will bottle their own custom 200ml sample, complete with a personalised label, to take home as a memorable keepsake in a branded gift bag.
This hands-on experience allows participants to taste, blend, and capture a personal piece of Clydeside craftsmanship as well as understanding more about casks and whisky making.
The Whisky Creator Tour is now open for bookings, priced at £90 per person. For more information or to reserve your place, visit the Clydeside distillery website.
To really get to know whisky, why not treat someone to a course from the Edinburgh Whisky Academy (EWA)? The family-run EWA is well placed to dispel Scotch myths and provide in-depth knowledge, as it is the only centre of learning for whisky education approved by the Scottish Qualifications Authority.
It has been externally verifying EWA’s certified courses since 2016, providing quality assurance and ensuring the teaching materials are of the highest possible standard.
Courses include the entry-level Certificate in Scotch Whisky, which is available online, and the more advanced Diploma in Single Malt Whisky, which takes a deep-dive into subjects including history, raw materials, production processes, maturation, and sensory aspects.
Find out more and book a course at the Edinburgh Whisky Academy website.
From the Dram Team, this tasting box is an ideal gift for a whisky lover that’s looking to try something new without spending on a full bottle.
Choose from mixed, peated or unpeated and you’ll be sent five 25ml premium Scotch whiskies.
The kit also includes a lifetime membership to the subscriber only bottle shop and exclusive personalised whisky recommendations and offers.
Once you’ve tasted the whiskies, you can score them on the Dram Team’s website so next time you order, the selection will be more curated.
After you've scored the selection from your box, you can buy a full size bottle from the Dram Team’s exclusive bottle shop or they can recommend another tasting set for you.
The Glencairn Glass is the world’s best-selling whisky glass, with millions of glasses sold around the world each year, making it an ideal gift for the new whisky fan.
Its famously unique and stylish shape is crafted to get the most out of your dram with its tapering mouth to capture those all-important aromas.
A single classic Glencairn Glass (£6.95) or a luxury mouth blown, hand cut Glencairn Glass (£28.95) make perfect stocking filler gifts.
You can personalise them with festive icons including a reindeer, santa hat, holly or snowflake followed by a name or special message via the online 3D visualiser.
Find out about this history of Johnnie Walker while enjoying an afternoon out at this all singing, all dancing tour from Johnnie Walker Princes Street.
The tour starts with a short iPad quiz on taste likes and dislikes to ascertain visitors’ flavour profile. A wristband is then assigned and this is used to create drinks, cocktails and food pairings.
The tour then weaves its way around the building, over eight floors, and all notions or memories of the former department store are left at the door.
Expect bright spacious corridors, interactive screens, slatted wood panels and modern furniture with plenty of marble and brushed gold accents.
In the former bank vault visitors will find an interactive blending station, complete with casks of maturing whisky.
The Journey of Flavour tour is priced at £30 per person and you can book here.
A great gift for the whisky lover or adventurous drinks aficionado – providing 12 months’ membership to the world’s biggest and most unconventional whisky club The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
The beautiful and fully recyclable welcome box gives recipients a full 70cl bottle of the Society’s limited edition single cask single malt Scotch whisky which can be tailored to their taste preferences.
Membership of the SMWS provides a feast of benefits including exclusive access to buy the Society’s whiskies, with around 20 new bottles released each month, access to Members’ Rooms at venues in the UK, special events and more.
Priced at £100, you can find out more and purchase a membership here.
Glenmorangie have reimagined its Glenmorangie Original to make it smoother and creamier.
Glenmorangie 12 Year Old has classic notes of orange, vanilla, peach and honey making it a soft, sweet dram or an ideal base for a cocktail.
On the nose, the expression has citrus and ripening peaches that are balanced by vanilla softness. To taste, notes of vanilla are present instantly, giving way to a burst of flowery fruitiness.
It’s priced at £29 and you can buy a bottle here.
Glenfiddich 12 is one of the most popular whiskies around, and is an ideal dram for those who are navigating their whisky journey.
This light, fruity whisky is perfect on its own but also works well in a highball. It’s a great example of classic Speyside style.
You can pick up a bottle for £20 here.
This whisky from Glen Moray is not only a great whisky to try if you’re new to the spirit, it’s also a bargain to boot.
Light smooth and fruity, the Classic is the perfect introduction to the world of single malt Scotch whisky.
This sherry cask finished whisky is an ideal dram for Christmas, as the sherry imparts rich notes of raisins, chocolate, spice and caramel.
You can buy a bottle for £27 here.
This is a sweet, light dram that's reminiscent of summer (which by now is a distant memory!)
The whisky is blended from up to 40 different single malt and grain whiskies and has been matured for a minimum of eight years before being finished in Caribbean rum casks.
Ideal for those looking to try something new, or just getting into whisky, it has been described as an "easy-drinking and impressively flavourful whisky."
