It’s crunch time—there’s like 46 minutes until Christmas and you still have to find something for your aunt Margie, cousin Bill and Tim, your boss that’s been giving you a hard time about your TPS reports. Well, if Margie, Bill and Tim are fans of beer, whiskey or a good cocktail, we’ve got your covered. We’ve curated a list of some of our favorite boozy gifts, from $8 to $400. Because drinkers like Christmas too.
Lagunitas Willittized Coffee Stout
It’s hard to describe just how decadent this beer is. I’m not saying it’s sweet—there’s too much rye going on in this beer for it to be sweet. But it’s thick and creamy like a milkshake and absolutely chock full of Willett Rye notes. The whiskey is there on the front of the sip, it’s there in the heart of the sip, and it’s still there, lingering on the tail end of the sip. Lagunitas brews this beer with super roasted malts and coffee from Chicago’s Metropolis Coffee. But honestly, the rye notes are so strong, I don’t get any of the coffee. Willittized is incredibly limited, really high gravity (12.9%) and one of my favorite barrel-aged beers this season.
$13
High West Midwinter Night’s Dram
Listen, any of High West’s limited releases make really great gifts for whiskey fans. Their Yippee-Ki-Yay is aged in used wine barrels for a sweetness you don’t typically find in rye, their Bourye is a bastardization of bourbon and rye (and I mean that in a good way), but I have a special place in my liver for Midwinter Night’s Dram, which is a blend of straight ryes aged in French port barrels. It’s full of molasses and cinnamon and cherry and spice. It tastes like a really great Christmas and it’s the whiskey that made me fall in love with port-barrel aged whiskey.
$105 at Total Wine
High Camp Firelight Flask
There is simply no more badass way to carry a batch of booze than this Firelight Flask. They system is comprised of a 750ml double wall insulated “flask” and two magnetic tumblers that detach from either end when you’re ready to drink. Mix up a batch of negronis, pour them in the Firelight and take them with you on a dayhike/grocery store/office meeting/toddler play date…the possibilities are endless. And it’s so damn pretty, we’re talking about Instagram gold here.
$100
Rumpl Beer Blanket
I know, it’s just a koozie, but it’s the cutest damn koozie out there. It’s basically a puffy jacket for your beer. This one fits 12 and 16-oz. cans, but they also make a larger Beer Blanket that fits 40 oz. bottles. Because a 40 in a blanket is classy.
$8
RovR RollR 45
I already wrote about how the RovR RollR has changed my life. It’s a badass cooler that keeps ice for days, has wheels and a handle so you can pull it around without getting a hernia and even has a bike attachment so you can tote it around like a boss. Oh, and there’s a storage bin that attaches to the top of the cooler. So, you can carry stuff other than beer. Now RovR has released a smaller version of this life-changing cooler. The RovR RollR 45 has all of the traits I love from the larger 60, but it’s smaller so it takes up less space in my garage and on the bike path. If you like to ride bikes and drink beer, this gift is a no-brainer.
$370
Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whiskey
Old Forester has a knack for putting out limited release bourbons that get a lot of hype, but ultimately, live up to that hype. We’ve written about their annual Birthday Bourbon a few times, but this bourbon, 1910 Old Fine Whiskey, is giftable on a variety of different levels. First, it’s rare and the final expression in Old Forester’s limited Whiskey Row Series, which was launched in 2014 and has seen three other highly celebrated releases. Second, it’s great. I’m talking caramel and chocolate and spice and butter. But mostly, 1910 Old Fine Whiskey is a great gift this year because it hits that super trendy “double barreled” niche, where the whiskey gets a second barreling in a heavily charred cask. It’s all the rage right now, and in 1910 Old Fine, it works.
Price ranges up to $100
Kole Flask
On some level, all flasks are the same. They’re practical tools meant to carry a little bit of booze for you in case of emergency. But the Kole, from Nisnas Industries, carries your emergency booze in style. The stainless steel tube flask is wrapped in a hand-made wood exterior for added insulation and cache. The best part: the cap is also a tiny shot glass. Classy, I tell you, classy.
$95
The James Brand Halifax
The James Brand really beautiful everyday carry essentials like pocket knives and pens, but they also make this dashing bottle opener. Yes, you have 7,000 bottle openers scattered around your house, but you don’t have anything as beautiful as this. It’s tiny, light as hell thanks to the mostly titanium build, and fits on your keychain. Also, it has a flathead screwdriver.
$50
Growlerwerks uKeg
Growlers feel like a dime a dozen these days—seems like every company makes a growler of some sort and if push comes to shove, you can just put that to-go beer in the cheap glass jugs that your favorite brewery stocks. But here me out, you need the uKeg. First of all, it’s pressurized, using a CO2 system that keeps your beer fresh and carbonated for two weeks. That alone makes the uKeg worth the price. But then you have the Steampunk aesthetic which is a conversation starter like no other. Seriously, the dudes who work the taps at my local brewery literally argue over who gets to fill this growler. And that handy tap makes pouring your beer a snap.
$200
Travel Pack Cocktail Kit
I’m fairly obsessed with these Carry On Cocktail Kits tins that have everything you need to make a classic cockatil (except the booze—you need to order that from the flight attendant). This new pouch is like a dopp kit for your to-go cocktail needs. It can hold three tins, so you can pack an Old Fashioned, Moscow Mule and a Champagne Cocktail in a single pouch. In other words, this little bag has the goods to take your next flight from “meh” to “hell yeah.”
$90