Guides and tasting notes

Christmas Liquor Gift Ideas: Spirits for Every Personality

The best liquor gift is the one that matches how someone already drinks. This guide sorts Christmas spirits gifts by personality, from the rum lover and the gin enthusiast to the whisky collector and the person who has everything.

Rum for Christmas: Gift Bottles for Every Rum Drinker

Single bottles of rum to give this Christmas, from Dos Maderas 5+5, which comes in a gift pack with glassware, to old Guyana and Panama rum. Each pick says who it suits, with 2005 and 2008 vintages for milestone birthdays.

Tequila Gifts for Christmas: Clase Azul and the Hand-Painted Alternatives

Which tequila to give this Christmas, bottle by bottle: Clase Azul Reposado for the famous decanter, Gran Cofradía Reposado for a hand-painted bottle without the Clase Azul outlay, and picks for sippers, mixers and mezcal explorers.

Bourbon Gifts for Christmas: Willett Family Bottles, Kentucky Classics and More

Single bourbon and rye bottles to give this Christmas, led by the Willett family labels from Bardstown, Kentucky. Each pick says who it suits, from the collector to the bourbon and cola drinker.

Gin Gifts for Christmas: Bottles for Every Gin Lover, From Pavlova Gin to Navy Strength

A bottle by bottle guide to gin gifts for Christmas, matching each gin to the person who will drink it. From a softer, sweeter pavlova gin to navy strength for the martini maker.

Sake Gifts and Japanese Bottles: For the Japan Lover, and the Skier Back From Hakuba

Single bottles for the person who loves Japan: Nagano sake explained in plain words, plus Japanese whisky and gin. Each pick says who it suits, from the wine drinker to the skier back from Hakuba.

Whisky for Christmas: Which Bottle to Give, From Islay Smoke to Sherry Casks

Single bottles to give a whisky drinker this Christmas, chosen by the kind of whisky they already enjoy: smoky, sherried, Japanese or Australian. A separate section covers 2008 bottles as an 18th birthday gift, not a Christmas one.

Birth Year Spirits: The Australian Guide to Buying a Bottle From the Year You Were Born

A bottle distilled in the year someone was born is one of the few gifts that cannot be bought off a shelf. Here is what is actually available in Australia, why Armagnac beats whisky for this, and how to check a vintage bottle is genuine.