25 Best Whiskey Gifts, According to a Spirits Expert

These are considered the gold standard when it comes to tasting spirits neat — every year, when I judge the LA Spirits Awards, my fellow judges and I stare down dozens of these glasses. Their tight shape makes them great at concentrating a neat spirit’s aromatics and are a great way for any budding spirits enthusiast to start building their toolkit.

The right glassware can make or break a whiskey experience. Just imagine drinking an exquisite single malt out of one of those paper cups you get at the dentist — unthinkable. These handblown glasses come to us by way of Polish artisans and feature a heavy, satisfying base and a distinctive smoky hue.

I am all about kitschy glassware, and these festive old-fashioned glasses are perfect for an on-the-rocks spirit pour or, as the name implies, a wintry old-fashioned cocktail.

If you want to go for a more stylish year-round old fashioned, these funky glasses from legendary Japanese glass producer Kimura are a surefire hit. Ordering from Kimura can be a little daunting since they ship direct from Japan, but it’s worth the hassle.

I explained in my decanter guide why you might want to own a few of these, and this affordable yet stylish choice is a great way to start a collection. Aside from serving whiskey, decanters are a great way to serve a batch of Old Fashioneds or Boulevardiers next time you’re entertaining.

Drinks writer Robert Simonson collaborated with Cocktail Kingdom to put together this handy set containing everything one would need to create their own Old Fashioneds, minus the whiskey.

Fawn Weaver, founder of the award-winning Uncle Nearest whiskey, spent years researching the story of Nearest Green, a Black master distiller whose story was often left untold — until now.

While the word “clear” should definitely be in quotes here, a tool like this is a great, inexpensive way to get reasonably solid ice spheres at home. The design of this piece provides insulation on the sides that enable a phenomenon known as directional freezing, which creates better-quality ice than simply leaving water to freeze from all sides inwards.

You have to be a special kind of friend or loved one to comfortably gift something as significant as a bar cart, but for that special person in your life, this is a great cart to start with. As a nervous person, the railings on every surface give me comfort, and the overall versatility of the unit (not to mention the racks for stemware) are a great way to get your budding home bartender a bit more organized for the new year.

The whiskey geek in your life is likely to know all about barrel aging, the process that gives aged sprits their characteristic brown hues and rich aromatics, and what better way to help them get hands on experience than to give them a way to try it out themselves? They will be able to age clear spirits such as gin, adding additional wood notes to already-aged stuff, or even age cocktails like a Negroni or Old Fashioned.

When I was starting out in the bar world, this book blew open my understanding of the truly global nature of the whiskey industry. This book contains detailed profiles of whiskey producers from the United States to Japan to even places that are less well-known for whiskey production like South Africa and Sweden.

This award-winning book is not only an excellent deep dive into the world of Canadian whisky, which all too often plays second fiddle to its North American cousin, but it’s also just an excellent example of top-notch spirits writing. Even if you have no interest in Canadian whisky, this book is a highly entertaining and richly researched read.

Denver-based Stranahan’s has been at the forefront of American Single Malts, whiskies made in more of a Scotch style. The distillery releases a handful of extremely sought-after limited editions, but their core expression is a can’t-miss gift.

Although Suntory and Nikka are two of the biggest names in Japanese whisky, Akashi is among the most highly regarded. This whisky’s sherry cask finish gives the spirit a slight savoriness that compliments subtle peat notes.

Uncle Nearest took the whiskey world by storm in 2017 when Fawn Weaver founded this distillery after a journey to discover the true roots of Tennessee whiskey. She uncovered Nathan “Nearest” Green, an enslaved person who is believed to have perfected the Lincoln County Process of filtering whiskey through sugar maple charcoal, the defining characteristic of Tennessee whiskey.

This northern Italian whisky is a fascinating homage to Scotch while being a totally unique liquid on its own. Aged in former Sherry and Bourbon casks, this whisky brings some elegant peat notes as well. Give this to the whiskey nerd who thinks they’ve seen it all.

Of all the whiskies in the world, Japanese is my favorite. This super unique bottling is made from liquid aged in the southern island of Kagoshima and has a distinctive, vibrant peat and ethereal texture.

Sometimes the best gift for a whiskey nut is … whiskey. Compass Box is a blender based in the UK that has a global cult following. Ultramarine is their answer to Johnny Walker Blue and is sure to delight even the most jaded drinker.

Bourbon Candle Company “upcycles” used bourbon bottles to craft their scented candles. Available in a wide variety of fragrances, including, of course, bourbon.

This handmade embroidered flask is a must-have for any whiskey drinker with a dark sense of humor — or affinity for pirates. It's a bit on the pricey side for a flask, but the flask’s build quality and distinctiveness are more than worth the ticket price.

This endearing tree ornament is designed and produced by Love & Victory, a NYC-based design studio. Each ornament is handblown and is perfect for the whiskey nut in your life who truly has everything.

Another gift for the person who has everything: What could be more dapper than a pair of these mint julep cufflinks?

There is something hilariously cryptic about wearing a vintage-inspired sweatshirt that simply says “Old Fashioned” in chenille lettering. Those in the know will most likely pick up on the reference, but others might just wonder what exactly is so old-fashioned about the wearer.

As a spirits professional, I sometimes need to transport samples of various spirits either from distilleries or to tastings and events. The amateur enthusiast also might have plenty of reasons to transport some special sips for a special occasion. This handy kit is TSA-compliant, which means you can keep it within your control for your entire journey and comes with a glass marker so you can keep track of all your potions.

Growing up, socks were the cringey holiday gift that no kid wanted. Now I would be overjoyed to open up a fresh batch of socks that included these handsome fellows. I’m not sure if this was intentional, but the art style here is giving me a lot of nostalgia for late-'90s computer game graphics …