Stuck for something to buy for the person that has absolutely everything or have you got a whisky, vodka or a cider fan in the house? We were kindly sent these to review. Take a look at our top alcohol gifts to give for Christmas this year:
Haig Club Single Grain Whisky – £44.99
Haig Club is one of the most popular whiskies out on the market. With its stunning blue square bottle this stands out on the shelf. Haig Club was distilled in one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries in Cameronbridge, and was combined with grain whisky from three different cast types. We were kindly sent a bottle of Haig Club to try and we thought that when we first seen it we were very impressed with both the packaging and the bottle, it was completely unique.
On opening the bottle we were instantly hit with a sweet smell but could also taste some spices. Pouring into a whisky glass with some ice it was a gold colour and we couldn’t wait to taste it, we could taste butterscotch with a slight citrus taste and had a woody spiciness. We then added this into a cocktail of Haig Club Whisky, crushed ice and a splash of lime. We could taste the whisky instantly but it was not overpowering and was very refreshing to drink.
You can find out more about Haig Club Here
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Chambord Black Raspberry – £7.50 For 20cl
Chambord is the perfect addition to any cocktail. To look at, it is a deep purple colour and comes in a round bottle and it has a gold lid. To smell it is quite a strong smell and we could instantly smell the raspberry, so we decided to add it to some Champagne and added in a raspberry to finish off.
The Chambord gave the champagne a really different taste as it made the drink slightly sharper and we only needed a very small amount and it made the drink a purple colour.
You find out more about Chambord here
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31 Dover Pick ‘N’ Mix Gift Box – Prices Starting From £3.95
We thought this Chase gift set by 31Dover was the perfect gift especially for those who want to try a little bit of vodka and gin as this set comes with both. In the kit we received a Chase vodka, Chase Gin and Chase Vodka Marmalade which are 5cl bottles, enough for around 2 glasses from each bottle. We added in some tonic to the gin, fresh orange juice to the vodka and tried the marmalade vodka with some soda water and we have to say we would buy all three of these as full size bottles as they tasted so nice.
31Dover offer this as part of a Pic ‘N’ Mix where you can choose from lots of different alcohol such as Vodka, Gim Whisky and many more with lots of different brands available. 31Dover will send you 3 of your choice each are which are 5cl and come in a beautiful gift box.
You can buy this gift set and find out more information at 31Dover.com
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Green & Pleasant Cider, Ale And Lager Gift Set – £9.00
We thought that Green & Pleasant’s Christmas Gift Set is the perfect alcohol gift set as there is something in there for everyone. Included in the gift set is a natural lager which has been naturally carbonated plus it is additive-free. To taste this lager is smooth and has a nice velvet finish. Next up in the gift set is the Ale which again is additive-free, this is a golden-ale and is 3.8% alcohol volume.
To drink it pours as a golden amber colour and to taste it is light and leaves a crisp, fresh taste in your mouth. Last up is the Cider which is also additive-free. Cider can sometimes can be overly sweet but this Cider is the complete opposite as it has a nice crisp taste but with some added sweetness to give the perfect balance.
You can buy this and find out more about this gift set at Green & Pleasant
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Glen Moray Speyside Sherry Whisky – £29.99
Next up is the Glen Moray Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky Sherry Cask Finish, John in our office is a huge fan of Glen Moray and was more than happy to try this whisky out. John said that when he opened the whisky he was instantly hit with the Sherry smell which gave a real Christmas feel. Pouring the whisky into the glass John said it was a gold colour.
To taste he said he could taste the Sherry but it wasn’t overly sweet as it had some spice to it which counteracted the sweetness giving it a good balance to drink. Overall John loved this whisky and the smooth finish it had, John tried this both with just ice and with a splash of water, he preferred it with just a little ice but that was just his preference – both were nice!
You can buy this whisky and find out more information about this whisky at Glen Moray
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You may recognise the name of this whisky as this is the official whisky of the band – The Pogues! The Pogues Irish Whiskey is a 50% unique blend of 10-year old single malt whisky that has been aged in sherry oak casks and seven year old single Irish whisky which has been aged in a bourbon oak cask and 50% four year Irish grain whisky which has been aged in bourbon oak casks.
Pouring the whisky into a glass it was an amber colour and we could instantly smell malt and bourbon. To taste, we could taste the rich bourbon but there was also a citrus taste to it which balanced our the bourbon perfectly. Overall we loved The Pogues Irish Whiskey, it was smooth and left a really nice taste in our mouth.
You can buy The Pogues Irish Whiskey and find out more information about the whisky here
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Al Murray Pint Glass & Beer Gift Set – £12.50
Al Murray brought out his very own beer gift set. Best known as ‘The Pub Landlord’ Al Murray’s new gift set features your very own pint glass and a bottle of beer which is called ‘The Beautiful British Beer’ which is a pale copper bitter.
To taste we could get the taste of a slightly spicy malt but this was balanced up nicely with a slightly bitter taste. This beer was made by Kentish brewers and only the finest ingredients, which were hand-picked by Al Murray, were used in this beer.
You can find out more about this beer and where to buy it here
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Tia Maria – £16.00
Tia Maria is one of those drinks that should be on every Christmas table. Whether your having it in a coffee, cocktail, on its own or to pour onto Tiramisu, this spirit is one of those drinks that could be used for anything. To taste it is quite sweet which Elaine from our team liked as it has vanilla and sugar in it, however it is balanced up nicely with the Jamaican coffee which gives it a slightly bitter taste.
We put this in a black coffee and we could taste the Tia Maria instantly, it was nice and sweet and gave a real warmth, perfect for those cold winters nights. Putting this into a cocktail – we made a Tia Maria Martini and added Tia Maria, Vodka, Espresso Coffee and added a bit if liquid sugar. It was delicious, we could taste the Tia Maria and the sweetness of this spirit went perfectly with the vodka.
You can buy Tia Maria and find out more information about this here
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The Dubliner Irish Whisky – £22.50 For 70cl
The Dubliner Irish Whiskey captures the character of Dublin with its rich culture, character and vibrant personality, the Dubliner Irish Whiskey has all of these qualities which we love about Dublin.
This whiskey has been blended with single malts and grain whiskies giving it a smooth finish. To taste, John from our team, who loves whiskey could taste citrus but could also taste a bourbon and honey flavour as this whiskey has been aged in bourbon casks. To taste John said it had a rich and creamy caramel taste and was smooth to drink, he tried it on it’s own and also in an Irish coffee, he preferred it on it’s own but did state that was just a personal choice and could definitely be buying a bottle himself!
You can buy The Dubliner Irish Whiskey and find out more information about this whiskey here
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The Famous Grouse – £16.00
When Elaine from our team saw that there was a bottle of The Famous Grouse sent to us, she couldn’t wait to share her thoughts on it as she is a huge fan of the whisky and drinks this regularly. Elaine said to smell she could really get sherry and the hint of a bourbon, pouring it firstly on it’s own, she said there was a real sweetness to it but that it did has a slight citrus bite to it, balancing out the sweetness.
Elaine also tried it with some coca-cola and added in a splash of lime, she said that this was her preferred way to drink this as adding the coca-cola made this a long, tall drink and adding in the lime balanced out the sweetness of the sherry taste.
You can buy The Famous Grouse and find out more information about this whisky here
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Grant’s Whisky – £16.00
Grant’s Whisky is a blended whisky which is quite light in colour, it is a light oak/amber colour and has been blended giving this quite a sweet taste and smell. Katy from the team tried the whisky and she said she could taste caramel, vanilla and toffee and to taste it was quite sweet, however after adding in some ice, and a splash of lime it really brought this whisky into it’s own.
Adding that small amount of lime balanced up the sweetness of the caramel taste perfectly and she also tried it in a cocktail by adding Grant’s whisky to Disaronno with some ice to make a ‘Godfather’ cocktail and she said that it was a really tasty cocktail!
You can buy Grant’s Whisky and find out more information about Grant’s Whisky here
Purity Brewing Pure Gold 5 Lite Mini Cask – £16.35
This mini cask from Purity Brewing is the perfect drink for Christmas. It is a massive 5 litres so no need to worry about running out and would be great if your hosting a party or hosting a big Christmas dinner. To make this beer we simply followed the instructions on the back of the cast which was to settle and vent the beer for 24 hours at our place of dispense and the following day we pulled the tab on the dispense tap and pulled the tab until it clicked into place.
We were then ready to dispense the beer which when poured into a glass came out in a gold colour. To taste it was smooth, had a slight bitter taste and we could taste malt and hops. The beer itself was crisp and was not overly carbonated so made for a really nice finish.
You can buy this cask and find out more information at Purity Brewing here
What alcohol gift set would you give someone for Christmas? Comment below and let us know or share on social media using the buttons below.
