Whisky Related Stocking Stuffers, 2012 style

I hate to be busting out the Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving gets here, but what the hell, stores begin putting up Christmas stuff in, like, April now, so I don’t feel too bad. Plus, I’d like to help you get a jump on your holiday shopping…mostly because I didn’t get that many presents last year and I’m willing to concede that I perhaps put up a list of whisky-related stocking stuffers a bit too late in the season for some of you. I also, according to some, may have been naughty and less nice than usual, so that, too, might have contributed to my lackluster haul. In any case, here again is a small list of whisky related stocking stuffers for the discerning whisky-loving nutjob this holiday season. I should point out that, unless you have abnormally huge feet, several of these stuffers will never fit in any sort of conventional stocking. Shop til you drop, people…

I can’t resist, I’m saving the best for first. The best idea for a whisky-related stocking stuffer comes from the impeccably coiffed geniuses at Master of Malt. For those that don’t know, Master of Malt is a UK online retailer (one of the few that doesn’t hold a grudge and ships to the US) that over the years has made a name for itself, not just with service, selection, and price, but with impressive branding, innovative products, and savvy marketing. This holiday season they’re offering a Whisky Advent Calendar, a box with 24 windows behind which are 24 30ml selections from their Drinks by the Dram series. See? A brilliant idea right? This is the advent calendar I dreamed of as a child.
If you have nothing to advent but like Master of Malt so much you simply cannot resist their siren song…how about one of their ingenious blending kits? Or perhaps a personalized bottle of your own choosing and…personalizing? Or perhaps just good old fashioned gift certificates?
If you are one of the many, many…many people that like to sip scotch and do a little cross-stitching, you could hardly go wrong with this pattern from Andwabisabi.
If you know anything about cross-stitching, you know you can’t do it standing up…at least not comfortably for very long. If you know anything about serious whisky fans, you know that they’re pretty much suckers for anything made from an old whisky barrel. This impressive chair from Planet Rooth Design takes care of both needs being custom-made from old bourbon barrels. Of course, you’ll also need a side table for your drink, luckily they’ve got that as well. Granted, both these items are far too big for any kind of stocking, and they’re also a little big for most people’s holiday budgets, but still…pretty cool.
If you spend that kind of money on a one of a kind table, you’re certainly going to need some whisk(e)y label coasters from Baxters Workshop.
Of course, coasters are pretty much useless unless you have glasses to put them under. Pretty much everyone agrees that the Glencairn Glass is an excellent choice for serious whisky drinking. You can take it all one step further and get custom engraved Glencairn Glasses from Cobhthaigh Celtique because pretty much everyone also knows that whisky tastes better if your name’s on the glass.
One of the best resources for whisky aficionados is the Malt Whisky Yearbook. Published in October, the Yearbook is an excellent guide to all malt whisky distilleries you can think of and provides insight into the malt whisky industry via production & sales data, interviews, and articles written by the top whisky writers in the biz.
If the Malt Whisky Yearbook is a little out of your league or if you just want to get your son or daughter or grandson or granddaughter or niece or nephew or neighbor’s kid started early, this clever boardbook for toddlers will get ’em into the mood.
If that whisky barrel chair is a little too expensive and/or takes up too much space under the tree, but you still want to find some kind of upcycled/reclaimed/re-used barrel item, how about a custom made pen? Joefrog’s Folly turns pens from old Jim Beam, Jack Daniel’s, Seagram’s, Wild Turkey and Maker’s Mark barrels.
Of course, cool whisky barrel pens are useless unless you have cool refrigerator magnets with which to hold up the notes you’ve written with your cool whisky barrel pen.
No holiday season would be complete without the abject gluttony and wonton over-indulgence we all partake in to celebrate whatever it is we’re celebrating. Drop by Etsy.com and search for whisky or bourbon sweets and you won’t go hungry until at least March of 2023.