The 6 Best Whiskey Advent Calendars of 2023

Whiskey advent calendars against red background with tree patters. — Liquor.com / Sarah Maiden

Once November comes around, the festive spirit starts to simmer. And as soon as December hits, we’re fully in Hot Toddy mode. The official holiday countdown has begun, and advent calendars are a fun way to build excitement for the season. But an advent calendar with a whiskey prize inside? Those will keep the spirit going all month long.

There are a variety of advent calendars featuring nearly any type of whiskey you prefer, from bourbon to scotch to Japanese whisky and beyond, with a surprise sampling representing each day in December. It’s a fun way to celebrate all month and taste whiskeys you might not otherwise get a chance to try.

We’ve found an assortment of the top whiskey advent calendars that will make for an extraordinary holiday gift for a loved one, or for yourself.

Here are the 6 best whiskey advent calendars you can get this year.

Best Overall: Flaviar’s 2023 Advent Calendar, “The Lost Art of Distillation”

courtesy of Flaviar

One of the most sought-after whiskey advent calendars comes from the online alcohol subscription club, Flaviar.

The 2023 advent calendar’s theme this year is The Lost Art of Distillation: The Amber Kingdom, an adventurous tasting journey exploring 24 specially curated whiskeys. The bottles are meant to be a surprise, so the exact spirits are not revealed but will include whiskeys from eight different countries, with four newer releases, a mix of American whiskeys, and a special preview of a 2024 single malt scotch.

Besides the sample bottles measuring about 1.7 ounces each, the striking adventure-themed box à la Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom includes two branded Glencairn glasses, a tasting journal with information about each of the whiskeys, and a one-year Flaviar black membership.

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Best for Whiskey Cocktails: Woodford Reserve x Williams-Sonoma 8-Day Cocktail Advent Calendar

Williams Sonoma

The Woodford Reserve 8 Days of Spirit Advent Calendar is an annual collaboration with the iconic homeware brand, Williams-Sonoma. This festive calendar doesn’t contain whiskey but is filled with miniature cocktail mixers and barrel-aged bitters—Woodford Reserve’s full line of mixer options—to craft your favorite whiskey cocktails of the season.

Included in each of the featured windows in the package are individual portions of cocktail favorites such as the brand’s classic Old Fashioned mix, Chocolate Bitters and Spiced Cherry Bitters, and a Whiskey Sour Cocktail Mixer.

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Best Whiskey Variety: Drinks by the Dram The World Whisky Advent Calendar

Drinks by the Dram

This calendar, from Drinks by the Dram, is designed for the most adventurous of whiskey explorers. Featuring 24 whiskeys from around the globe, and from the best whiskey-producing regions in the world, this jet-setting sampler is bound to have you discovering something new this season.

Each 30-milliliter bottle has custom wax-sealed packaging and features award-winning whiskeys such as Hibiki Japanese Harmony, Milk & Honey Classic Single Malt from Israel, Amrut Single Malt Whisky from India, Ireland’s Teeling Single Pot Still, and Mexico’s Abasolo.

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Best Scotch: The Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar

Courtesy of The Spirit Co.

This elegant-looking advent calendar is the ideal gift for the Scotch whisky fan in your life looking to explore whiskies from across Scotland. Some of the country’s finest whiskies from top-tier distilleries are awaiting the countdown to Christmas.

Inside you’ll find 24 different 30-millimeter mini bottles including rare expressions, peat-forward bottlings, renowned blends, and complex single malts. Some of the whiskies you’ll find are Balvenie 14-Year-Old Caribbean Cask, Glenfarclas 12-Year-Old, Speyburn 18-Year-Old, and Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2013.

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Best American Whiskey: The Bourbon & American Whiskey Advent Calendar

Courtesy of The Whisky Shop

For the American whiskey devotee, this calendar is an ideal way to mark the days of December and discover some new bottlings. Inside this advent calendar, you’ll find 24 mini bottles that include a range of expressions from smaller boutique producers to world-renowned brands, and from light and creamy bourbons to rich and complex rye expressions. Explore whiskeys across the United States and get into the festive spirit at the same time.

Some of the bottles you’ll find in this advent calendar devoted to American whiskey are: Westland American Oak, Michter's US*1 Sour Mash Whiskey, Basil Hayden's Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Legent Kentucky Straight Bourbon, and St. George Breaking & Entering American Whiskey.

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Best Japanese Whisky: The Japanese Whisky Advent Calendar Kintsugi Design

courtesy of Drink by the Dram

This stunning advent calendar is wrapped with a dazzling Kintsugi pattern. Kintsugi (meaning “to join with gold”) is the traditional Japanese practice of repairing broken ceramics with precious metals.

With the explosion in popularity of Japanese whiskey, this Drinks by the Dram calendar is one of the company’s most popular. Some of the most coveted whiskies in the world come from Japan, and this calendar is a great way to try bottles that may be difficult to source otherwise. Behind each door, there is a diverse assortment of expressions, spanning rare whiskies aged in unusual casks to distiller’s reserves.

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