For better or for worse, Christmas is traditionally a time for gastronomic and beverage-based indulgences, and you don’t get much more indulgent than owning an advent calendar stuffed with booze.
While we’d question the absolute need for an alcoholic countdown to what is traditionally the biggest boozy day of the year, drinkable advent calendars are a definite step up from the flimsy cardboard affairs we remember as children, where the only reward awaiting us behind each window was a picture of a snowman, or a badly rendered robin in a hedge.
Here are eight of the finest alcoholic advent calendars available. We peek through the windows to see what awaits. Warning: contains spoilers.
1. Drinks By the Dram Gin Advent Calendar: £124.95 for 24 x 30ml drams, Masters of Malt
Juniper fans, sing hallelujah! There’s a whole world of tasty gins lurking behind these cardboard doors – 24 different ones to be precise, ranging from light, citrusy London Dry gins, through to celery gins, sloe gins and intense, rich Genevers. Our ‘best in box’ is Conker Gin, a smooth sipping, floral delight. You’ll find it under door number 12 – consider it a Monday evening reward.
2. Sendagift Wine Advent Calendar: £69.99 for 24 x 200ml bottles, Virgin Wines
Your courier delivery guy will hate you for making them wrestle this giant booze box from van to door. A 200ml bottle of wine sits behind each window – suitable for a large festive glass of vino (or two smaller glasses, if you’re prepared to share). The box contains reds and whites from the likes of Le Petit Chat, Barramundi and Trivento and there's a couple of Fiorino d’Oro proseccos to add a bit of sparkle. You’ll also find a Fonseca port lurking in there too – the joyful, boozy equivalent of finding a parsnip hiding amongst your roast potatoes during Christmas dinner.
3. Craft Beer Advent Calendar: £74.99 for 24 bottles and cans of beer including glass, Craft Beer Advent Calendar
Log onto social media in December and you can expect to endure craft beer fans crowing about the contents of this monster box on a daily basis. Several of the world’s most innovative breweries are represented with our own sneak preview revealing bottles and cans from Anchor, Beavertown and Flying Dog – and they’ve even provided a natty tulip glass to enjoy them from.
4. Chase Distillery Advent Calendar: £130 for 24 x 50ml bottles, John Lewis
This festive box of tricks contains an eclectic mix of 50ml spirits, all raided from the Chase drinks cabinet. You’ll find 14 different boozes in here, ranging from its mellow marmalade vodka to the fruity burn of its excellent sloe and mulberry gin. It’s a great selection to call upon for anyone wishing to partake in any festive cocktail shenanigans – the Chase Blackcurrant liqueur in particular makes a cracking Kir Royal. Give yourself a night off when this one makes an appearance, and put it aside for a Christmas morning treat.
5. Ginvent Calendar: £124.95 for 24 x 30 ml drams, Gin Kiosk
There’s 24 splendid spirits stuffed into this glittering package, sourced from a mixture of established distilleries and newer, lesser known start-ups. The gins on offer are eclectic, including unusual international boozes such as Irish milk gins, Swedish sloe gins and a festive offering from Ngenious, made with cold-smoked chestnuts (amongst other botanicals). Each box has the gins placed in the same order, so if you fancy sharing your gin-infused advent adventures with fellow imbibers, head over to Twitter where they are planning daily tutored tastings.
6. Drinks by the Dram Whiskey Advent: £149.95 for 24 x 30ml drams, Masters of Malt
Drinks by the Dram dominates the market with its booze-vent calendars and caters for all tastes; vodkas, tequilas, rums, it’s got them all covered – but everyone knows Christmas isn’t Christmas without supping a fireside whisky, Val Doonican-style. This box is your portal to a merry little Christmas, featuring some amazing single grain-ers, a selection of cask finished beauties and a rare old treat – a dram of the 50 year old ‘Half-Century Blend’ which weighs in at an eye-watering £600 a bottle. Spoiler alert: The Half-Century Blend can be found under door number 24. At least, it was on our box. Was...
7. Honest Brew Beer Advent Calendar: £64.90 for 24 bottles and cans of beer, Honest Brew
Deck your hall with this big box of beery delights. Honest Brew is gaining a growing reputation for delivering superb fresh new beers from both the UK and abroad, and this box is a fantastic representation of what it offers. Expect to slurp your way through a range of styles from the likes of Magic Rock, Buxton and New Zealand brewers Tuatara, with a few crafty snacks thrown in for good measure.
8. Asbach Uralt Chocolate Liqueur Advent Calendar: £25.99, Flowers Buy Delivery
Chocoholics can double their guilty pleasures with a daily dose of booze in this classic calendar. Bite into each piece of smooth, milky confection and your tongue will be showered with brandy – a small reward for making it through each cold December day.
Verdict
Sendagift's wine box is a colossal, bacchanalian treat for anyone with a passing interest in fermented grape, but for the sheer quality of booze delivered through those papery portholes, Drinks by the Dram takes the tinselly crown. Come Christmas Day, you’ll be a master of malt and be more than ready to embrace a well-earned Dry January.
Nick and Richard are the Two Thirsty Gardeners. Their book, Brew it Yourself, is out now
IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing
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