The best whisky advent calendars for Christmas 2021: Dram-filled treats to enjoy all month long

Best: Overall

Rating: 9/10

As a tall and imposing box with a windswept countryside scene in the shape of a whisky bottle “painted” on the front, this advent calendar was among some of the more beautiful we tried. The windows are pleasingly “out of order”, making it more fun to find each day’s door, and the thick card keeps its shape satisfyingly as you prise it open to pick out the daily dram.

Unlike some of the boxes on this list, this calendar has no spoiler “menu” of the selection inside, meaning each is a veritable treat. The only hint at what’s to come is a sentence on the back, reading: “From old favourites, through innovative bottlings and...exciting, lesser-known expressions, there is something delicious behind each door”. We were indeed happily surprised by the array of offerings, from the brilliantly-titled singleton of dufftown 12-year-old single malt (£32.25, Masterofmalt.com), to the American eagle tennessee bourbon (£33.95, Amazon.co.uk), to the Irish double oak writer’s tears (£44,95, Masterofmalt.com) (a name that this freelance journalist noted with wry irony).

Without giving too much away, the final Number 24 window offered a sweet-yet-sharp taste of blended scotch, rounding this international tour up with a flourish that would complement any Christmas Eve. We would have appreciated more information about each of the drams (perhaps a sentence on the back of the windows?), but that’s a small quibble on what is essentially a super-solid Christmas selection.

Best: For real whisky-lovers

Rating: 8/10

As a whisky advent calendar, this literally does what it says on the box, and we have no complaints. A respectable selection of 25 drams for 25 days (we appreciate the extra bottle for Christmas Day itself), packaged in a solid, functional square, it’s simply named: the really good one. The design isn’t as sexy as some on this list; the number windows are in numerical order (our inner child was a little disappointed at the predictability); and the blue, snowy scene doesn’t hint much at the frankly satisfying whisky variety inside.

Yet, containing everything from Arran Amarone cask finish (£44.63, Masterofmalt.com), Glenturrent peated (£44.04, Masterofmalt.com), Old Forrester statesman Kentucky (£57.85, Drinksandco.co.uk), and our favourite the Laphroaig quarter cask (£44.56, Laphroaig.com), plus the excellently-named Scallywag speyside (£36.45, Thewhiskeyexchange.com), this box made us excited to discover each new day’s choice. There’s also a link to find out more about each whisky, and the brand is even set to host a live YouTube series in which they will open and review each of the drams starting 1 December, so you can drink along and perhaps even find a new favourite, just in time for Christmas. True connoisseurs also have the choice to upgrade to the premium option (£249.99). Cheers to that.

Best: For big kids

Rating: 7/10

For whisky lovers loath to give up their childhood chocolate nostalgia in the run-up to Christmas, this might be the perfect solution. Turns out, you really can have your dram and drink it, as this combines the burnished taste of classic bourbons and whiskies, wrapped up in a comforting blanket of grown-up dark chocolate. Although not strictly an advent calendar, each box of 16 is big enough for you to countdown to Christmas if you allow yourself one bite every couple of days or so (tricky).

And if not, the super-affordable price point means that if you make it a daily habit, opening another box before the 25th won’t break the budget (it’s only available in threes from the Elizabeth Shaw website in any case – perfect). And, if you simply must have numbers on your windows as December rolls on, Elizabeth Shaw also does an advent calendar in the same famous names range, which includes an array of spirits including whisky, offering enough variety to please even the pickiest of drinkers as Christmas Day draws ever nearer.

Best: For generous gifting

Rating: 9/10

With easily the most eye-catching design out of all the calendars we tried, this huge box makes a real statement, and feels like a gift even before you’ve put up your tree. The stylish packaging promises drams of the “very finest bourbon and American whiskey from boutique spirit producers” that will “tantalise your tastebuds”, and we can confirm that the selection was pleasingly varied.

Bottles included the pungent 10-year-old Kentucky straight bulleit frontier (£25.49, Thebottleclub.com), the fresh and floral Sonoma Country cherrywood rye (£49.20, Masterofmalt.com) and the sweet-yet-smokey Burnt Ends blended (£29.95, Amazon.co.uk), which put us straight in the mood for a low-and-slow Southern barbecue.

For American whiskey lovers, this calendar offers a real taste of the States, while its dramatic black-and-white embossed box is stylish enough to look right at home on your mantelpiece.

Best: For variety

Rating: 7/10

Dark and heavy with an imposing black, gold and red design, this advent calendar includes unusual whiskies in the brand’s signature “hard to find” spirits collection. Despite the whisky theme, you’ll also find bottles of Discarded Banana Peel rum (£25, Waitrose.com) and Ciroc red berry flavoured vodka (£28.06, Amazon.co.uk), among the From the Barrel Blended whisky (£43.95, Masterofmalt.com), Monkey Shoulder malt scotch (£30.90, Masterofmalt.com) and Laphroaig lore (£66.79, Laphroaig.com).

That means it could work well for a household in which one person loves whisky and is happy to share with another who is less partial to it. There’s also an element of surprise in the mixed selection; will today’s window reveal a 15-year-old single malt, a crisp serve of gin, or a cheeky shot of tequila? A small note of caution to those with a keen eye for Christmas decor: these cardboard windows are oddly difficult to wrench open, meaning that it all looked a bit of a mess once we’d finished with it, in comparison to other calendars we tested. But, for those looking for variety and fun in their alcoholic advent, including some fab whiskies, this box marks the spot.

Best: For your Christmas decor

Rating: 8/10

Before we go any further, we must confess that this advent calendar technically doesn’t actually include the whisky (bear with us). However, it does offer the sweetest, most Christmassy display option we ever did see, with 24 perfectly cut and numbered openings especially designed to hold standard miniatures, arranged in a classic tree design cut from delicate sheets of oak.

Thankfully, the team at Stag Design, have recognised the flaw in the ointment (or should we say glass), and will send you 24 ready-to-fill miniature bottles perfected fitted to the tree, for an extra £24. Even without the whisky, the calendar smells incredible, with notes of autumnal, woodsmoke and fire emerging as soon as we opened the packaging (a marker of the wood carving process, perhaps?) but when full to the brim with minis, it really looks the part. It needed minimal assembly on arrival – we fit it together in a few short minutes. Not only that, but you can personalise the message on top of the tree, making it the perfect pre-Christmas gift for anyone who loves a good festive tipple.

Best: For grown-ups

Rating: 9/10

An advent calendar, but not as we know it. Instead of a cardboard box stuffed with miniatures, this instead offers a more refined alternative; a glass carafe that counts down, measure by measure, to the main event. Pleasingly heavy to hold, with a solid stopper, and generous enough for a decent nightcap every evening (750ml divided by 24 equals more than 30ml per drink), the decanter will also look the part in any sophisticated Christmas decorative display.

The design is perhaps a little square and standard, and sadly the whisky does not come as part of the package, but we appreciated the ability to personalise the product, and we like to think of it being engraved by hand in Dibor’s west Yorkshire studio. There is also the option to buy matching, personalised “Highland pheasant” tumblers from the same brand (£23.95 for two), which evokes a serious sense of Scotch if nothing else.