Dark, bitter and close to impenetrable. Fernet Branca has been poured in Milan since 1845, making people wrinkle their noses and ask for another. Here it comes in 24 small bottles, one for every day of December, with six Menta bottles tucked in as a breather.

Expert's Description

Fernet Branca Advent Calendar 2026 is an Italian Liqueur with 24 miniature bottles of 2 cl: 18 Fernet Branca at 39% and 6 Fernet Menta at 28%, both built on a Fernet that has spent at least a year in oak casks.

The contents come from Fratelli Branca Distillerie in Milan, and the calendar is a limited Christmas release for people who would rather find something bitter than something sweet behind the doors. The box holds 48 cl in total, so every door gives a small sip, not a full glass.

Fernet Branca was created by Bernardino Branca in 1845 and is made from 27 herbs, roots and spices gathered from four continents. Saffron, myrrh, rhubarb, chamomile, cardamom, aloe and gentian are among them. It started out as a herbal remedy for upset stomachs, which is why it is still drunk after dinner. In Argentina it is mixed with cola instead, and plenty of people swear by it.

Fernet Menta arrived in the 1960s. The story goes that people were already stirring mint syrup into their Fernet, so Branca made a version with peppermint oil and a little sugar. It is softer and easier to get into, but the bitterness is still there.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Fernet Branca opens with myrrh, saffron and bitter herbs, with a cool note of mint over the top. Fernet Menta turns it around: fresh peppermint first, spiced herbs underneath and a hint of liquorice.

Palate

Fernet Branca is powerful and full, with bitterness, spice and herbs in layer after layer. Fernet Menta is a little sweeter and softer, but the peppermint and menthol stay sharp, and the bitterness keeps it from turning into a dessert liqueur.

Finish

Fernet Branca lingers, warm and bitter, with a cool menthol tone at the end. Fernet Menta finishes long and cooling, with herbal spice and a little bitterness in the background.

Specifications

Name: Fernet Branca Advent Calendar 2026 Italian Liqueur 24 x 2 cl
Distillery: Fratelli Branca Distillerie
Region/Country: Milan, Italy
Type: Italian Liqueur
ABV: 28-39%
Size: 2 CL per bottle
Number of bottles: 24, split into 18 Fernet Branca and 6 Fernet Menta
Edition: Advent Calendar 2026
Serving suggestion: Fernet Branca neat and cold in a small glass after dinner. Fernet Menta over ice or with a splash of soda if you want it lighter.

Flavour Profile

Bitter · Herbal · Spicy · Mint · Cooling

Did You Know?

Branca says that only one person knows the full recipe for Fernet Branca. 27 herbs and spices, measured out to a family secret that is written nowhere on the bottle.

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Some of these bottles crossed the Atlantic powered by nothing but wind. Others taste of vanilla, cocoa and Christmas itself. Behind 24 little doors, Spirits of Christmas Calendar holds 24 miniature bottles, and no two days pour the same.

Expert's Description

Spirits of Christmas Calendar is a Rum and Spirit Drink Advent Calendar from the Danish bottler A Clean Spirit, holding 24 miniature bottles of 2cl, bottled at 40%.

Inside you'll find 24 different rum and spirit expressions from around the world, 48cl in total. Fourteen of the bottles are genuine rum with less than 20 grams of residual sugar per litre. The rest are Spirit Drinks. Only 756 calendars have been made.

Ron Sostenible takes up the biggest share. It's A Clean Spirit's own brand, made from sugarcane juice in the Dominican Republic. The calendar covers the 8, 12 and 16 year old, plus Triple Cask, Rioja Cask and two Experimental Cask releases with Tokaji and Oloroso. The 12 year old spent 11 years in bourbon casks and a final year in cognac casks, which rounds off the edges. The Rioja Cask is finished in casks that once held Rioja wine.

Terra Verde comes from the same house. A Christmas Spirit is built on Dominican rum from ex-bourbon casks and flavoured with vanilla, caramel and coconut. Terra Verde shows up several times in the calendar, including XO, XOS, Chocolate and Midsummer.

The remaining bottles come from other houses: Planteray XO from the brand formerly known as Plantation, Rum Nation Guatemala XO, the spiced CaneRock, Planteray Stiggins, Slia Mare and Piquero.

Tasting Notes

Nose

There's no common thread to follow. Ron Sostenible 8 year old Triple Cask leans towards figs, dates and raisins with a little orange peel, A Christmas Spirit towards vanilla, caramel and coconut, and Terra Verde Chocolate smells of cocoa. CaneRock is spiced from the first second.

Palate

Sweetness runs through the whole box, just in very different shapes. The older Ron Sostenible bottles are drier, with more oak and baking spice. The flavoured expressions are soft and round. The wine-finished casks bring darker fruit.

Finish

Short and sweet after the lighter bottles, longer and woodier after the older ones. Cocoa and vanilla linger longest in the flavoured ones.

Specifications

Name: Spirits of Christmas Calendar from A Clean Spirit - Rum Advent Calendar filled with 24 x 2cl
Bottler: A Clean Spirit
Region/Country: From all over the world
Type: Rum and Spirit Drink Advent Calendar
ABV: 40%
Size: 48 CL (24 x 2 cl)
Number of bottles: 756 calendars with 24 miniature bottles each
EAN no.: 5744000820941
Serving suggestion: Neat at room temperature, one glass per door. Start with the lighter ones, so you can taste the difference when you reach the older bottles.

Flavour Profile

Versatile · Sweet · Cask-Driven · Spiced · Cocoa

Did You Know?

The schooner Tres Hombres sails Ron Sostenible from the Dominican Republic to Denmark and docks in Copenhagen. The ship runs on wind alone.

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Picture a sea chest washed up from the Danish West Indies. Weathered wood, dull metal studs and a red gift ribbon tied a little too neatly. Behind the 24 doors there's no gold, only 2 cl of rum at a time, and a small piece of history with each.

Expert's Description

Old St. Croix 24 Treasures 2026 Edition is a Rum-based Spirit Drink Advent Calendar with 24 different blends of 2 cl each, matured on port, sherry and bourbon casks among others, and with strengths from 40 to 60%.

The calendar is built like a treasure chest, and every door hides a miniature bottle picked by the master distiller at Old St. Croix. The blends draw on Central America and the West Indies. These are not 24 different brands but 24 sides of the same house. From the XO Reserve range you get XO Reserve Christmas Edition, XO Legacy Reserve, XO Haakon Royal Reserve, XO Thin Blue Line Reserve, XO Reserve 1888 Copenhagen Medal, XO Port Cask Reserve, XO Superior Cask Reserve, XO Ambre d'Or Reserve, XO Explorer Reserve, XO 175 Years Anniversary Reserve and XO Founders Reserve at 44.8%. Royal Danish Navy appears in five editions: The Frigate Jylland, Naval Cadet, Frogman, Strength and Black Barrel, with Danish Navy The Original alongside.

The rest is Family Reserve, Signature and four Non Plus Ultra blends: Ambre d'Or Excellence, La Galante, Very Rare and Black Edition. Orange Grove Elixir is the odd one out, as it's an orange liqueur rather than a rum. The casks tell a story too. Port Cask Reserve is matured in casks that once held port wine, Superior Cask on port and sherry casks, and Non Plus Ultra Black Edition on heavily charred bourbon casks.

The brand goes back to the pharmacist Albert Heinrich Riise, who arrived in the West Indies in 1838. The rum long carried the name A.H. Riise, but today the whole range is called Old St. Croix again. In earlier years the calendar was called 24 Experiences, so 24 Treasures is this year's edition rather than a new series. It is produced by Old St. Croix Spirits ApS in Dragør, Denmark.

Tasting Notes

Nose

With 24 different blends there is no single nose. Port Cask Reserve offers delicate red fruit, and Superior Cask is described as the most nuanced and mature in the XO Reserve series. The rest you discover door by door.

Palate

Thin Blue Line leans dry, with tannins, leather and tobacco. Port Cask is silkier, while Black Barrel brings mocha to the tongue.

Finish

The calendar runs from the silky close of Port Cask to Black Barrel, where the mocha fades out slowly.

Specifications

Name: Old St. Croix 24 Treasures 2026 Edition - Rum Advent Calendar filled with 24 x 2cl
Producer: Old St. Croix
Region/Country: Central America and the West Indies
Type: Rum-based Spirit Drink Advent Calendar
ABV: 40-60%
Size: 2 CL per bottle, 48 CL in total
Number of bottles in the calendar: 24
Edition: 2026 Edition
EAN no.: 5744005061141
Serving suggestion: Neat at room temperature, one sample at a time. Start with the mildest and save the strongest for last, and add a drop of water to those near 60%.

Flavour Profile

Versatile · Cask-Driven · Fruity · Dry · Mocha

Did You Know?

The box has its own competition. Scan the QR code on the back for a chance to win a Non Plus Ultra Very Rare, and no purchase is needed to take part. That same Very Rare is also in the calendar as a small 2 cl sample behind one of the doors.

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He is the smallest of the thirteen brothers. In mid-December he comes down from the mountains, creeps in while everyone sleeps, and heads straight for the frying pans. It is the crispy scrapings stuck to the bottom he is after. On the label he hovers in front of a red moon with a pan in each hand.

Expert Description

Sall Whisky Stúfur Julewhisky 3/16 is a Single Malt Danish Whisky from East Jutland, matured on 1st fill port casks, finished in small Oloroso casks and bottled at 50%.

This is number three in Sall Whisky's annual Christmas whisky series, and after Stekkjastaur and Giljagaur it is Stúfur's turn. The series is built around the Icelandic Yule Lads, the Jólasveinar, and their parents Grýla and Leppalúði. The idea came from the distillery's Icelandic Master Distiller, who brought the legend with him from his childhood. Each release has its own Yule Lad on the label, and the Stúfur illustration is by Jon Gotlev.

The whisky is made from pale malt of Prospect barley, harvested in 2022 on the field Højmark N near Mosevang, and it is not smoked. It is both Single Malt and Single Farm, and the bottle carries the EU organic logo and the Authentic Danish Whisky mark.

The cask story comes in two steps. Three years on 1st fill port casks, then a finish in small Oloroso casks. Only 700 bottles of 50 cl were filled.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Ripe dark fruit, raisins and dried figs, with a touch of red berries from the port casks. Behind them come toasted nuts and caramel, and some spiced oak from the Oloroso.

Taste

Sweetness and spice meet in good balance. There is dark chocolate, candied fruit and orange peel, with warm spices on top. At 50% it has weight and a full mouthfeel, but the cask notes are never drowned out.

Finish

Long and warm. Dried fruit, oak and nuts linger, and a gentle spiced sweetness closes it.

Specifications

Name: Sall Whisky Stúfur Julewhisky 3/16 Østjylland Single Malt Whisky 50 cl
Distillery: Sall Whisky
Region/Country: East Jutland, Denmark
Type: Single Malt Danish Whisky
ABV: 50%
Size: 50 CL
Cask type: 1st fill port casks, finished in small Oloroso casks
Number of bottles: 700
Edition: Julewhisky 3/16

Flavour Profile

Port-matured · Sherry-finished · Dried Fruit · Spicy · Nutty · Sweet

Did You Know?

The legend of Grýla and the Icelandic Yule Lads can be traced all the way back to the 13th century, and it is far from a cosy Christmas story. The Yule Lads were notorious for stealing naughty children and terrorising the population. Stúfur is the smallest of them, and he settles for the frying pans.

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24 doors in dark green card, and behind each one a small bottle from somewhere you have probably never been. Hobart. Colchagua. Hanoi. Quebec. Orkney. Craft Gin Club has gathered small distilleries from five continents and hidden seven of them, so nobody knows what is waiting until the door swings open.

Expert's Description

Craft Gin Club Gin Advent Calendar is a Gin Advent Calendar holding 24 miniature bottles of 5 cl, bottled at between 26 and 46% and drawn from small and mid-sized distilleries in Britain and far beyond.

Seventeen of the gins are named on the box. The other seven are mystery gins, revealed only when the door is opened, and they sit at 40 to 43%. Among the named ones are Cotswolds Cloudy Christmas Gin from Warwickshire at 46%, Kirkjuvagr Yuletide Gin from Orkney, Whitby Distillery's Demeter Edition from North Yorkshire and Salcombe Gin's Start Point The Azores Edition from Devon. Further from British soil you find Forty Spotted Tasmanian Dry Gin from Hobart, Gin Provincia Andes Dry Gin from Colchagua in Chile, Sông Cái's Việt Nam Dry Gin from Hanoi and 3 Lacs Lemon & Sunflower Gin from Quebec.

The styles run wide. Some are classic and fresh, like Sky Wave's White Horse London Dry Gin from Oxfordshire and Great Glen's Light & Zesty Highland Gin from Loch Ness. Some are plainly Christmassy: Forged Spirits Winter Gin from West Yorkshire, St Davids Christmas Edition Gin from Pembrokeshire, Manchester Gin's Under the Tree Gin and Pennington's Lakeland Moon Snowfell Gin from Cumbria. Then there are the ones rooted in a place: The Fynoderee Distillery's Manx Dry Elder Shee Gin from the Isle of Man and Lantic's Morva Gin from Cornwall. Thicket & Thistle Sloe Gin from Hampshire is the weakest in the box at 26%, and the only one leaning towards sweet and velvety rather than dry.

Behind the box is Craft Gin Club, a British gin club based in Corby that sends its members a new craft gin every month. The calendar is that idea in fast-forward: 24 small bottles picked by the club from the distillers it calls its Family of Distillers. In total there are 120 cl of gin in the box.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Citrus dominates. Clementine and warm spice from Cotswolds, pink grapefruit and lemon thyme in the elderflower gin from the Isle of Man, juicy orange at Great Glen. Flowers arrive as elderflower and rose in Morva Gin, and the winter spices are clear in Kirkjuvagr, where frankincense and myrrh meet bright notes of ginger.

Palate

The range is wide. The Tasmanian gin is peppery and green with pepperberry and makrut lime leaves, while Great Glen sets watercress against the orange as a peppery counterweight. Sông Cái leans into spice and fruit from Vietnamese botanicals, Whitby towards flowers, spice and something coastal, and St Davids towards chestnut and fig. Thicket & Thistle is the opposite of dry: rich, fruity and sweet with a soft, velvety body.

Finish

Mostly smooth and rounded. Sky Wave's London Dry Gin is described with a long, balanced finish, while 3 Lacs ends softly after layers of citrus and spice.

Specifications

Name: Craft Gin Club Gin Advent Calendar - Gin Advent Calendar filled with 24 x 5cl
Producer: Craft Gin Club
Region/Country: Gin from around the world
Type: Gin Advent Calendar
ABV: 26-46%
Size: 5 CL per bottle
Number of bottles in the calendar: 24
EAN no.: 5056417801407
Serving suggestion: Gin and tonic over ice with a slice of citrus or lime, one bottle a day. The light Sloe Gin at 26% can also be sipped on its own.

Flavour Profile

Fresh · Citrus · Spicy · Floral · Festive

Did You Know?

Cotswolds Cloudy Christmas Gin turns milky the moment ice or tonic hits the glass. The cause is the high load of botanical oils, which come out of solution when the gin is diluted.

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There's a certain kind of whisky you want when it's dark by four o'clock and there's a bowl of clementines on the table. Stauning took their spicy rye from the west coast of Denmark and gave it a rest in casks that once held French orange liqueur. It ends up smelling a bit like December.

Expert's Description

Stauning R.Y.E. Grand Danois Winterdrop is a Danish Rye Whisky finished in casks from a French orange liqueur producer and bottled at 40.6%.

Winterdrop is Stauning's new winter release. The idea is to put out a new bottling every year for the cold months, and Grand Danois is the very first one. It's a Limited Release, so it won't be a permanent fixture on the shelf.

It starts from the distillery's signature R.Y.E., made from local Danish rye and barley that's floor-malted on site and run through small pot stills heated by direct fire. The standard R.Y.E. matures in new, heavily charred American oak and has that classic rye mix of pepper and rye bread. For Grand Danois, the whisky was finished in casks from a French orange liqueur producer, and you can tell. Orange peel and citrus sit on top of the rye spice, and at 40.6% it's a good deal softer than the regular 48% R.Y.E. It has enough character for someone who's tried a lot of whisky, and it's still easy going for someone who's only starting to work out what they like.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Orange peel and vanilla up front. Bright citrus follows, with some toasted oak further back.

Palate

Soft on the tongue. Ripe cherry and vanilla sit in the middle, while the rye pushes warm spice out around the edges.

Finish

Toasted oak and bittersweet orange peel linger, with a little warmth from the spice right at the end.

Specifications

Name: Stauning R.Y.E. Grand Danois Winterdrop
Distillery: Stauning
Region/Country: Denmark, Western Jutland
Type: Danish Rye Whisky
ABV: 40.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Finished in Orange Liqueur Casks from France
Non-chill Filtered: Yes
Distillation Method: Pot Stills heated by direct fire
Edition: Winterdrop, Limited Release
EAN: 5744002861904

Flavour Profile

Citrus · Spiced · Sweet · Soft

Investment Potential

Medium. This is the very first Winterdrop and a Limited Edition. The first release in a new annual series is often the one collectors of Danish whisky want on the shelf once more editions come along.

Did You Know?

Grand Danois simply means "the great Dane" in French. It's also the French name for the dog breed known in English as the Great Dane. That fits a Danish rye whisky that's spent time in French casks.

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Every door is its own small journey. One day you land in the Caribbean with warm molasses and brown sugar, the next in Scotland or on Madeira, where rum picks up an entirely different accent. 24 Days of Rum Green Edition gathers that spread in one box, opened one country at a time through December.

Expert's Description

24 Days of Rum Green Edition - Rum Advent Calendar filled with 24 x 2cl is a rum advent calendar with 24 different rums and rum-based spirits from the Danish spirits house 1423, in miniature bottles at 2cl each and bottled at 43.7%.

The idea is the same as elsewhere in the family: one window a day, one new country, a new style. The journey passes the Caribbean classic Plantation Barbados 5 YO from Barbados, moves on to 1731 Fine & Rare Guatemala Grand Reserva from Guatemala, and takes in two entirely different expressions from Cane Island – one from Trinidad, one from Australia. Naga Siam draws its rum from Thailand, Rhum J.M and Damoiseau represent the French agricole style from Martinique and Guadeloupe respectively, Worthy Park and Chairman's Reserve stand for Jamaica and Saint Lucia respectively, and Novo Fogo brings Brazilian cachaça into the mix. Whistler, usually known for Irish whiskey from Boann Distillery, appears here in a rum expression, while Batavia Arrack from By the Dutch draws on the Javanese arrack tradition. The strength spans just as widely as the geography: from several of the milder bottles at 40% to Pusser's Rum Gunpowder Proof at 54.5% and the calendar's peak, Patridom XO Cask from the Dominican Republic, bottled at a full 65%. Two glasses and a tasting-notes guide are included, making it easy to follow the differences from day to day – and every miniature carries its own QR code with the background story of that particular rum house.

Behind the calendar is 1423, founded in 2008 in Odense by Bintu, Joshua and Glenn under the original name BJG. Shortly before their first rum release, Parminder S. Bhatia joined, and the company became 1423 ApS. In 2012, Thomas Vogensen, a trained accountant, came on board and helped turn the dream into a proper business. 24 Days of Rum launched in 2015, and today 1423 is one of the most respected names in independent rum bottling in Europe. For corporate gifts, the shop takes orders from 6 units upwards at ordre@whisky.dk.

Tasting Notes

Nose

There's no single scent to expect in this calendar – strength ranges from 40% to 65%, and you can tell before a drop is poured. Some bottles bring warm molasses, brown sugar and toasted coconut, others fresh sugarcane, citrus and green notes from the French agricole styles, and a couple of the strongest send up a dry, almost peppery spice note alongside freshly cut oak.

Palate

On the palate the spread continues. Some of the 24 are light and soft with a touch of vanilla and tropical fruit, others dry and oak-driven with caramel, tobacco and dark fruit, and the strongest – led by Patridom XO Cask and Pusser's Gunpowder Proof – bite straight back with pepper and spice.

Finish

Short and fresh on some, long and woody on others. The closer you get to the calendar's strongest bottles, the longer the warmth lingers after the last sip.

Specifications

Name: 24 Days of Rum Green Edition - Rum Advent Calendar filled with 24 x 2cl
Bottler: 1423
Region/Country: Denmark
Type: Rum Advent Calendar
ABV: 43.7%
Size: 48 CL (24 x 2cl)
Edition: Green Edition
EAN No.: 5712718006780
Serving suggestion: Best enjoyed neat at room temperature, one bottle at a time, using the two included glasses.

Flavour Profile

Versatile · Global · Sweet · Spiced · Fruity

Did You Know?

Every new edition of 24 Days of Rum gets its own colour. This edition is dark green with a shiny silver hotfoil on the front of the box – earlier editions have included black and burgundy (Red Edition).

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Some rums tell wildly different stories, even when they come from the same corner of the world. 24 Days of Rum S.B.S. Edition is 24 single casks from 24 different corners of rum's map – each one bottled at the exact moment the cask had the most to say, and never to be found in that precise form again.

Expert's Description

24 Days of Rum S.B.S. Edition - Rum Advent Calendar filled with 24 x 2cl is a rum advent calendar with 24 different rums in miniature bottles at 2cl each, each from a single cask, with strengths from 46% to 62.8% and an average around 50.7%, and with two glasses in the box.

S.B.S. Edition sets itself apart from the rest of the family. Where Blue, Mocha and Black Edition line up 24 different rum brands side by side, every single window here comes from one individual cask from S.B.S. – 1423's own Single Barrel Selection series. No blending, no added sugar, no filtration – just each cask's own character, from tapping to bottle. The journey runs through Mauritius, Nicaragua, Guyana, Tahiti, four separate Jamaica casks, a Caribbean Blend, India, an Indonesia Blend, Fiji, Denmark, Panama, the Philippines, French Antilles, Scotland, Ecuador, Ghana, Réunion, Colombia, yet another Jamaica cask, Guatemala, Trinidad and Venezuela. The ages range from 4 to 28 years, and the casks themselves from 130 to as much as 250 litres – the smaller the cask, the faster and more forceful the influence of the wood.

Behind the concept is 1423 World Class Spirits from Odense, founded in 2008 by Bintu, Joshua and Glenn under the original name BJG. Shortly before their first rum release, Parminder S. Bhatia joined, and the company became 1423 ApS. In 2012, Thomas Vogensen, a trained accountant, came on board and helped turn the dream into a proper business, and 1423's has since become one of the most respected names in independent rum bottling in Europe – with S.B.S. as their own line of single-cask bottlings. For corporate gifts, the shop takes orders from 6 units upwards at ordre@whisky.dk.

Tasting Notes

Nose

There's no shared scent to expect here – that's the whole point of a set built from single casks. Some lean towards fresh coconut, vanilla pod and green banana, others bring heavy molasses, toasted coconut and caramel, and a few of the strongest casks send up a dry, almost peppery spice note alongside freshly cut oak.

Palate

On the palate the 24 range from light and creamy with toffee and a touch of cocoa to dry and bitter with roasted nuts, tobacco and dark fruit. The highest strengths bite back immediately – pepper, spice and a clear cask structure – while the milder casks bring softer fruit and a rounder sweetness, all without any added sugar.

Finish

Short and spiced on some, long and woody on others, but with the same underlying intensity regardless of which country or cask you land on. Several of the strongest casks keep the warmth going long after the last drop is gone.

Specifications

Name: 24 Days of Rum S.B.S. Edition - Rum Advent Calendar filled with 24 x 2cl
Producer: 1423 World Class Spirits
Region/Country: Rum from all over the world
Type: Rum Advent Calendar
ABV: 46-62.8% (cask strength, varies from cask to cask – average 50.7%)
Size: 2 CL per bottle
Number of bottles in the calendar: 24
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Edition: S.B.S. Edition
Serving suggestion: Best enjoyed neat at room temperature, one cask at a time – start with the mildest casks, and save the strongest, near-cask-strength expressions for last. A few drops of water can be added to the strongest to good effect.

Flavour Profile

Bold · Cask-Driven · Global · Raw · Versatile

Did You Know?

Some of the casks in this calendar hold just 130 litres – less than a quarter of a standard bourbon barrel. The smaller the cask, the greater the surface area the rum has against the wood relative to its own volume, so the smallest casks in S.B.S. Edition have picked up a far faster and more pronounced wood influence than the larger ones.

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Rum speaks in many accents. One day it's warm molasses and Caribbean sun, the next it's spice from across Asia or the cellar-cool character of a European take on the category. 24 Days of Rum Blue Edition gathers 24 of those voices in one box, opened one country at a time through December.

Expert's Description

24 Days of Rum Blue Edition is a rum tasting calendar from the Danish spirits house 1423, made up of 24 miniature bottles at 2cl each from 24 different countries and bottled at 42.5%. The idea is simple: open a new bottle each day in December and travel to a new country – from classic Caribbean and Latin American sugarcane and molasses rums to takes on the category from Asia and Europe, plus a few rum-based spirits along the way that borrow rum's sweetness without quite being rum. Every miniature carries its own label and a QR code that opens the background story of that particular rum house, so the box works as much as a travel guide as a tasting kit. Two glasses and a tasting-notes guide are included, making it easier to put words to the differences from one day to the next.

1423 started as a group of friends who actually bonded over whisky, until rum caught their attention at a Danish spirits fair around the turn of the millennium. What began as curiosity has grown into a Danish spirits house with its own cask warehouse, built around selecting and maturing rum from all over the world – and side projects like this calendar are where that breadth gets poured into one box.

Tasting Notes

Nose

There's no single scent to expect here – that's the whole point. Some bottles bring warm molasses and brown sugar, others fresh sugarcane and citrus, and a handful lean toward spice and smoke, closer to rum-based spirits than classic rum.

Palate

The same spread carries through to the glass. Some of the 24 are light and soft with a touch of vanilla, others dry and oak-driven with caramel and dried fruit, and a few bring a spiced, almost peppery edge.

Finish

Short and fresh at one end of the box, long and woody at the other – the finish is the clearest reminder of just how differently rum can turn out, even when it all starts from the same sugarcane.

Specifications

Name: 24 Days of Rum Blue Edition
Bottler: 1423
Region/Country: Denmark
Type: Rum Advent Calendar
ABV: 42.5%
Size: 48 CL (24 x 2cl)
Edition: Blue Edition
EAN No.: 5712718007824
Serving suggestion: Best tasted neat at room temperature, one bottle at a time, using the two included glasses – save the bolder rums for later in the calendar.

Flavour Profile

Versatile · Exotic · Global · Fruity · Spiced

Did You Know?

The name 1423 actually comes from a mistake. When the team bottled their first rum – a Barbados-Trinidad blend – in November 2008, a note on the bottle got mistaken for a name. The mix-up stuck, and the whole spirits house has been called 1423 ever since.

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Red berries, cinnamon and sherry sweetness, exactly how the last dram of the Christmas table should taste. Arvesølvet Christmas is Norwegian holiday tradition answering the busy season.

The Expert's Description

Arvesølvet Christmas is a Norwegian Christmas akvavit from Det Norske Brenneri, 40% alcohol.

Arvesølvet is the distillery's flagship series, launched in 2011 and matured on some of the finest sherry casks from Spain. In this Christmas edition, the akvavit rests further on sweet and fortified wine casks, giving it a deep golden colour and a full, spiced character built for Norwegian holiday food.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Aroma of red berries and mild caraway, alongside sweet liquorice, sherry, almond, cinnamon and nuts.

Palate

Caraway, anise and cinnamon meet red berries, almond and a hint of tart pastry, rounded off by sweet liquorice in a full-bodied whole.

Finish

Long, spiced and warm, with the sherry's sweetness as the closing note.

Specifications

Name: Arvesølvet Christmas
Distillery: Det Norske Brenneri
Country: Norway
Type: Christmas Akvavit, cask-matured
ABV: 40%
Size: 100 CL
Serving suggestion: Serve at room temperature or lightly chilled with roast pork or duck at the Christmas table.

Flavour Profile

Red Berries · Cinnamon · Sherry · Liquorice

Did You Know?

The name Arvesølvet means "the family silver" and refers to the akvavit as something valuable passed down through generations, just as physical family silver is at the table.

Malenes ready-mixed, alcohol-free glögg with the red label is an obvious choice if you want a flavourful and sustainable warm drink for the Christmas season.

Expert's Description

Malenes Gløgg Red Label Berry Glögg is an organic and vegan, alcohol-free glögg from Denmark, made by Malene Smidt Hertz. The glögg is made with 52% apple must from Danish apples, 7% plum juice and 7% cherry juice, with a carefully balanced blend of ginger juice and vanilla plus classic Christmas spices. The combination gives a full and round flavour that brings Christmas cosiness without the use of alcohol.

Tasting Notes

Nose

The nose offers ripe apples, dark berries and warm Christmas spices.

Palate

Full and round on the palate with sweetness from plum and cherry, plus a hint of ginger and vanilla.

Finish

The finish is soft and spiced without bitterness.

Serving & Food Pairing

Serve warm with raisins and almonds. Pairs well with Christmas sweets, pepparkakor or as a cosy drink throughout the festive season.

Specifications

Name: Red Label Berry Glögg
Producer/Winery: Malenes Gløgg
Region/Country: Denmark
ABV: 0%
Size: 75 CL
Organic/Biodynamic: Organic
Vegan: Yes
Serving temperature: Warm, 60-70°C
Decanting recommended: No
Glass type: Glögg glass

Flavour Profile

Full-bodied · Fruity · Spiced · Round

Did You Know?

Malenes Gløgg was created by Malene Smidt Hertz and is one of the few Danish glögg producers to make a fully vegan and organic range entirely without alcohol - based solely on Danish apples and berries.

See our full range of Malenes Gløgg

Where Jule Stout goes dark and heavy, Midtfyns Bryghus takes a lighter road with Go Jul - a Belgian-inspired Christmas greeting with citrus and spice.

Expert description of Midtfyns Bryghus Go Jul

Midtfyns Bryghus Go Jul is a Belgian-inspired, pale golden Christmas beer at 6.1% from the Danish brewery Midtfyns Bryghus. The beer is brewed with orange peel, coriander and cloves and suits both the Danish Christmas lunch and cosy winter evenings. Go Jul has an elegant, spiced seasonal profile with distinct Belgian character.

The beer has a clear golden colour and a white, airy head. The aroma is fresh and complex with notes of citrus, spice and Belgian yeast. The flavour offers a harmonious blend of malt body, light fruit acidity and warm spices like coriander and cloves, giving a classic Christmas profile without becoming heavy.

The moderate 6.1% ABV makes the beer easy-drinking, while still having enough body to match the intensity of Christmas food. It suits Danish holiday lunch dishes like herring, meatballs and cheese particularly well, but can also be enjoyed on its own as a cosy winter beer.

Tasting Notes

Aroma

Citrus, spice and Belgian yeast.

Taste

Malt body, light fruit acidity and warm spices like coriander and cloves.

Finish

Light and spiced without becoming heavy.

Specifications

Name: Go Jul
Brewery: Midtfyns Bryghus
Country/Region: Årslev, Denmark
Beer Style: Belgian-Inspired Christmas Beer
ABV: 6.1%
Size: 50 CL
Ingredients: Orange peel, coriander, cloves
Allergens: Contains barley malt
Serving Suggestion: Enjoy at 6-8°C, ideally with a Christmas lunch of herring, meatballs and cheese

Flavour Profile

Spiced · Citrusy · Light · Belgian

Did You Know?

Go Jul uses classic Belgian spices like coriander and orange peel - the same ingredients typically found in a witbier - adapted to a festive, Danish context.

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Orange peel on the counter, caramel bubbling in the pan and the cherry sauce warming on the stove. Caribbean Bay Navidad is the bottle that comes out when the coffee is poured on Christmas Eve. Dark, sweet and carrying a little Caribbean sunshine into the middle of a Scandinavian December.

Expert's description

Caribbean Bay Navidad is a rum-based Christmas Spirit Drink from the Caribbean, bottled at 35% in a 50 cl bottle. It's the festive release in the Caribbean Bay series, joining siblings like Carmelita, Tropicana, Estrella and Mariposa.

The rum comes from the Caribbean and is shipped to Denmark, where it's blended and finished in the sweet, creamy style the whole series is built on. The name Caribbean Bay nods to the bay from which rum and other colonial goods were once sent out across the world.

For Christmas, the blend gets fresh orange peel, rich caramel fudge and creamy vanilla. Because it sits at 35% and is flavoured, EU rules don't allow it to be called rum, since rum needs at least 37.5%. That's why it's labelled a Spirit Drink. The bottle holds 50 cl, which the producer says is just right for a sweet tooth. Or two.

Tasting notes

Taste

Orange peel leads, fresh and fragrant. Then a thick layer of caramel fudge settles over everything, and creamy vanilla rounds it off. It's sweet, no question, but there's a dark, juicy depth underneath that keeps it from tasting like candy in a glass.

Specifications

Name: Caribbean Bay Navidad
Region/Country: Caribbean
Type: Christmas Rum Spirit Drink
Age: No age statement
ABV: 35%
Size: 50 CL
Edition: Christmas release in the Caribbean Bay series
Serving suggestion: Neat in a small glass, over ice if you like, with rice pudding or alongside coffee and Christmas sweets

Flavour profile

Sweet · Creamy · Orange · Caramel · Vanilla

Did you know?

Navidad is Spanish for Christmas. The name was picked on purpose, so anyone glancing at the shelf can tell this is the series' Christmas bottle.

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A mocha-brown box, 24 doors and a world that reaches well beyond the Caribbean. Uganda, South Africa, India and Fiji grow sugar cane too, and they are what makes December interesting here. Two glasses sit in the box, because this calendar is built for two.

The expert's description

24 Days of Rum Mocha Edition - Rum Advent Calendar filled with 24 x 2 cl is a rum advent calendar holding 24 different rums in 2 cl miniature bottles at strengths from 38% to 54%, averaging around 41%, with two Spey Dram glasses in the box.

The Mocha Edition sets itself apart first and foremost through its line-up. Where rum means the Caribbean to most people, this edition pulls towards Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Uganda, South Africa, India, Indonesia, Fiji and Mexico stand alongside classics from Martinique, El Salvador, Trinidad and Belize, and it is exactly that mix which makes the calendar hard to second-guess.

The styles are as scattered as the countries. There is rum distilled from fresh cane juice in India, a Mexican rum with twenty years behind it, spiced rum from Scotland and a couple of rum-based spirit drinks, one of them built on orange. Because strength swings from 38% to 54%, both weight and punch shift noticeably from one day to the next.

With two Spey Dram glasses and a tasting notes folder in the box, the calendar is made to be shared and to be written down as you go. The running order stays hidden, but the full list of all 24 bottles sits under the Description tab. For corporate gifting the shop takes orders from six calendars upwards at ordre@whisky.dk.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried fruit and coconut first, with vanilla and pale caramel behind. The African and Asian bottles pull in another direction with green cane juice, ripe banana and a trace of spice, and a couple of doors smell clearly of orange peel.

Palate

The breadth shows up most on the tongue. The aged rums are round and cask-sweet with raisin, dried apricot and toasted oak, while the Indian cane juice rum is tight and juicy with sweetness straight from the cane. The spiced bottling lays cinnamon and nutmeg over the top, and the strongest at around 54% deliver real pressure.

Finish

From short and fresh to long and dry. The oldest hang on with dark syrup, tobacco and dry wood, while the youngest let go faster on cane and citrus peel.

Specifications

Name: 24 Days of Rum Mocha Edition - Rum Advent Calendar filled with 24 x 2 cl
Producer: 1423 World Class Spirits
Region/Country: Rum from around the world
Type: Rum Advent Calendar
ABV: 38-54%
Size: 2 CL per bottle
Number of bottles in the calendar: 24
Edition: Mocha Edition
Serving suggestion: Neat at room temperature, ideally two glasses side by side so two days can be tasted against each other

Flavour profile

Dried Fruit · Vanilla · Coconut · Spiced · Cane-fresh

Did you know?

The Mocha in the name refers to the colour of the box, not to coffee. There is neither coffee nor mocha in any of the 24 bottles. The concept itself comes from the Danish company 1423 World Class Spirits, so the rums of the world arrive in a box put together in Denmark.

See our full range of Advent Calendar

Twenty-five doors, twenty-five distilleries, and no two of them alike. One holds dry juniper from a Welsh coastline, the next something spiced from the highlands of Vietnam. December turns into a route you drink your way along, one day at a time.

The expert's description

Gin Advent Calendar - Gin Calendar filled with 25 different gins of 5 cl is an advent calendar holding 25 different gins in 5 cl miniature bottles at strengths between 40% and 45%.

The format is the whole point. 5 cl is a generous measure rather than a taster, so every door stretches to a proper Gin and Tonic with a garnish chosen for the bottle of the day. There is room to taste the gin neat first and then watch what the tonic does to it.

The spread is wide. Distilleries from Wales, Cornwall, Yorkshire, the Isle of Man, Orkney, Ireland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Monaco, Tasmania and Vietnam all turn up. Some bottles are bone dry and juniper-led, others are outright Christmas releases built on baking spice, fig, apple, orange and cocoa. Several are special editions that do not sit on the shelf all year.

The running order stays a secret, but the full list of all 25 gins sits under the Description tab for anyone who cannot wait until 1 December. For corporate gifting the shop takes orders from six calendars upwards at ordre@whisky.dk.

Tasting notes

Nose

Juniper runs through the lot, but rarely the same way two days running. Some doors smell sharply of citrus peel and fresh herbs, others of baked apple, dried fig and warm spice. One arrives with orange and cocoa.

Palate

The range is broad. The dry gins are tight and peppery with juniper right at the front, while the winter releases are rounder and fuller, with fruit sweetness and a baking-spice floor. Strength moves between 40% and 45%, and the difference is easy to feel from one day to the next.

Finish

From short and dry to long and spiced. The classics sign off cleanly on juniper and citrus, while the Christmas gins hang on with baking spice and orange peel.

Specifications

Name: Gin Advent Calendar - Gin Calendar filled with 25 different gins of 5 cl
Region/Country: Gin from around the world
Type: Gin Advent Calendar
ABV: 40-45%
Size: 5 CL per bottle
Number of bottles in the calendar: 25
Serving suggestion: Neat in a tulip glass, or with Tonic Water and a garnish matched to the gin of the day

Flavour profile

Juniper-dry · Citrus · Spiced · Fruity · Christmas Spice

Did you know?

The calendar carries 25 doors rather than the 24 that are standard in Denmark. The last one therefore waits for Christmas Day, when most other advent calendars have long since been emptied.

See our full range of Advent Calendar

Malenes ready-mixed, alcohol-free apple glögg is an obvious choice if you want a flavourful and sustainable warm drink for the Christmas season.

Expert's Description

Malenes Gløgg Apple Glögg is an organic and vegan, alcohol-free glögg from Denmark, made by Malene Smidt Hertz. The glögg is made with 84% apple must from Danish apples, 7% orange juice and 6% apricot purée, with a carefully balanced blend of Christmas spices such as cardamom and cinnamon. For an extra dimension of flavour, ginger juice, syrup and vanilla are added, giving the glögg a full and round taste.

Tasting Notes

Nose

The nose offers ripe apples, orange and cardamom.

Palate

Sweet and fruity on the palate with apricot and a hint of vanilla.

Finish

The finish is soft and spiced.

Serving & Food Pairing

Serve warm with raisins and almonds. Pairs well with æbleskiver, Christmas sweets or as an alcohol-free drink for the whole family.

Specifications

Name: Apple Glögg
Producer/Winery: Malenes Gløgg
Region/Country: Denmark
ABV: 0%
Size: 75 CL
Organic/Biodynamic: Organic
Vegan: Yes
Serving temperature: Warm, 60-70°C
Decanting recommended: No
Glass type: Glögg glass

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Sweet · Spiced · Round

Did You Know?

The apple glögg has the highest share of fruit must in the Malenes range with 84% apple must, making it the most fruit-driven of the brand's alcohol-free glöggs.

See our full range of Malenes Gløgg

Behind the light label of Malenes Gløgg lies a delicate white wine glögg, flavoured with apple and Christmas spices.

Expert's Description

Malenes Gløgg White Wine Glögg is a Danish Glögg with an alcohol content of 10%, made by Malene Smidt Hertz on a white wine base. This glögg represents a perfect balance between sweetness and acidity, making it an essential part of winter's cosy moments. The apple notes give the glögg a refreshing character that contributes to a harmonious, wine-like expression. The combination of apple with spices such as orange peel, cardamom and ginger creates a fruity balance that makes the warm wine even more inviting.

Tasting Notes

Nose

The nose offers apple, orange peel and cardamom.

Palate

Fresh and fruity on the palate with apple sweetness and a hint of ginger.

Finish

The finish is light and spiced without heaviness.

Serving & Food Pairing

Serve warm with raisins and almonds. Pairs well with white Christmas sweets, marzipan or light desserts.

Specifications

Name: White Wine Glögg
Producer/Winery: Malenes Gløgg
Region/Country: Denmark
ABV: 10%
Size: 75 CL
Organic/Biodynamic: Organic
Vegan: Yes
Serving temperature: Warm, 60-70°C
Decanting recommended: No
Glass type: Glögg glass

Flavour Profile

Fresh · Fruity · Spiced · Light

Did You Know?

White wine glögg is far rarer than the classic red wine version in Denmark, but has roots in the same tradition of spiced, warmed wine, which dates all the way back to medieval Europe.

See our full range of Malenes Gløgg

Malenes Gløgg ready-mixed is a delicious red wine glögg with blueberry, combining organic ingredients with a wonderful taste experience.

Expert's Description

Malenes Gløgg ready-mixed is a Danish Glögg with an alcohol content of 10%, made by Malene Smidt Hertz. The glögg consists of 73% red wine, mulled with classic Christmas spices plus juice from blueberry and cranberry. The well-chosen combination gives the glögg a backbone and balance that creates a harmonious, wine-like expression. The blueberry adds a deep, dark sweetness, while the spices give the characteristic Christmas warmth.

Tasting Notes

Nose

The nose offers dark berries, cinnamon and cloves.

Palate

The palate is structured and wine-like with sweetness from blueberry and cranberry, balanced by the red wine's acidity.

Finish

The finish is spiced and full with a hint of dark berries.

Serving & Food Pairing

Serve warm with raisins and almonds. Pairs well with Christmas sweets, pepparkakor and æbleskiver.

Specifications

Name: Ready-mixed Red Wine Glögg
Producer/Winery: Malenes Gløgg
Region/Country: Denmark
ABV: 10%
Size: 75 CL
Organic/Biodynamic: Organic
Vegan: Yes
Serving temperature: Warm, 60-70°C
Decanting recommended: No
Glass type: Glögg glass

Flavour Profile

Wine-like · Full-bodied · Berry · Spiced

Did You Know?

Malenes Gløgg adds blueberry and cranberry juice instead of just raisins and sugar, giving a deeper and more complex berry character than many traditional red wine glöggs.

See our full range of Malenes Gløgg

A black box makes sense in the darkest month of the year. Behind the doors sits heavy molasses rum from Guyana next to fresh cane juice from Guadeloupe, and somewhere in the run there is one bottled at navy strength. You can change your mind about rum several times over 24 days.

The expert's description

24 Days of Rum Black Edition - Rum Advent Calendar filled with 24 x 2 cl is a rum advent calendar holding 24 different rums in 2 cl miniature bottles at strengths from 38% to 54.5%, with two glasses in the box.

The concept comes from 1423 World Class Spirits, a Danish company that has turned the rum calendar into a fixed part of December for rum drinkers in a good many countries. The selection follows one rule: as many origins as possible within 24 doors. The two glasses are included so the rum can be tasted properly from 1 December rather than poured into whatever tumbler is nearest.

Geography is the real content here. There is heavy molasses-based rum from Jamaica and Guyana, aged Spanish style bottlings from Panama, Peru, Guatemala and El Salvador, and rhum agricole pressed from fresh cane juice in Martinique, Guadeloupe and Réunion. Further afield come bottles from Mauritius, Indonesia, Brazil, Australia and Cambodia, where Kampot pepper has been steeped into the rum. One is distilled on Orkney, an island known for something rather different from sugar cane.

A couple of the doors hold rum-based spirit drinks rather than straight rum, and that is deliberate: the calendar is meant to show the edges of the category as well as its centre. The running order stays hidden, but the full list of all 24 bottles sits under the FAQ tab. 

Tasting notes

Nose

Molasses and dark brown sugar form the base note throughout, but the French bottles break the pattern with green cane, olive and something earthy. Along the way banana, coconut and dried apricot turn up, and on one day there is a clear smell of freshly cracked pepper.

Palate

From tight and dry to round and cask-sweet. The aged Central American rums are soft with vanilla, caramel and toasted oak, while the Jamaican and Guyanese ones are sharper-edged with liquorice, dark fruit and an oily weight. The agricole bottles cut through with acidity and cane juice, and the 54.5% of the navy bottling registers from the first sip.

Finish

Length varies as much as the styles do. The lightest let go quickly on cane and citrus, while the heavy ones hang on with tobacco, dark chocolate and spiced wood.

Specifications

Name: 24 Days of Rum Black Edition - Rum Advent Calendar filled with 24 x 2 cl
Producer: 1423 World Class Spirits
Region/Country: Rum from around the world
Type: Rum Advent Calendar
ABV: 38-54.5%
Size: 2 CL per bottle
Number of bottles in the calendar: 24
Edition: Black Edition
Serving suggestion: Neat at room temperature in a small glass, with a single drop of water if needed

Flavour profile

Molasses · Dried Fruit · Spiced · Cane-fresh · Cask-aged

Did you know?

Each of the 24 miniature bottles carries its own label, drawn to mirror the producer's original bottle. Nothing is tasted blind, and from 1 December the rum of the day can be looked up and rated by rum drinkers worldwide at 24daysofrum.com.

See our full range of Advent Calendar

Winter in North Zealand is raw and quiet, but on the Falkendal farm in Kagerup, a light burns in the old horse stable where Thornæs Distillery finds its own kind of calm in the dark. This is where Falkendal Snaps Vinter is born — a dram that smells of orange peel over an open fire and a hint of frost on the windowpane.

The Expert's Description

Falkendal Snaps Vinter is a Danish Snaps from Thornæs Distillery, bottled at 41%. The snaps belongs to the distillery's Falkendal range, named after the farm in Kagerup near Helsinge, where founder Torben Thornæs Andersen swapped a career in communications for the dream of crafting Danish spirits in 2018. A trip through the Highlands and Speyside gave him the grounding he needed, and by 2019 production was under way in the converted horse stable on the farm.

The winter edition is built for the darkest months of the year. It is loaded with juicy orange, crisp apple and a touch of fennel, and the result is a round, full-bodied snaps with a pleasant sweetness and a warming finish that lingers. It is made to sit alongside the herring and roast duck of a Danish Christmas lunch, but it works just as well as a warm gesture on a cold winter afternoon.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Fresh orange peel and stewed apple meet a gentle touch of fennel, laying a spiced veil over the fruit.

Palate

Round and full from the first sip, with a sweetness that drifts into warm orange tones and a hint of sweet spice underneath.

Finish

Long and warming, with the fennel fading out gently like a winter evening slowly settling into night.

Specifications

Name: Falkendal Snaps Vinter
Distillery: Thornæs Distillery
Country: Denmark
Type: Danish Snaps
ABV: 41%
Size: 50 CL
Serving suggestion: Serve chilled in a small snaps glass, ideal alongside a Christmas lunch or roast duck.

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Spiced · Warming · Round

Did You Know?

The Falkendal range is named after the very farm in Kagerup where Thornæs Distillery is based, inside a converted horse stable. It was here that Torben Thornæs Andersen started production in 2019, after a trip through the Highlands and Speyside had lit the spark for his own Danish whisky and snaps.

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A white bottle, a red Viking ship on the label, and inside something older than Christmas itself. Mead has some 5,000 years of history behind it, and this one follows a recipe from around the year 1700, with apple juice, ginger and cinnamon to chase off the cold.

Expert description

Dansk Mjød Jule Mjød is a Nordic Honey Wine made with honey, apple juice, ginger and cinnamon and bottled at 14.8%.

This is mead, neither beer nor grape wine. Honey is the main ingredient, while the apple juice, ginger and cinnamon give it a spiced, wintry edge. The producer, Dansk Mjød A/S in Billund, says the recipe dates back to around 1700 and that the ingredients are 100% natural, with no additives of any kind.

Jule Mjød is meant as a dessert wine for the days when rice pudding and traditional Christmas desserts come out. The producer also points to cheese as a good partner.

Tasting notes

Nose

Honey first, then a soft apple sweetness with cinnamon on top. The ginger sits in the background and adds a warm, slightly sharp edge.

Palate

Sweet and round with honey up front. The apple juice keeps it fresh enough that the sweetness never turns heavy, and halfway through cinnamon and ginger take over with a soft, spiced warmth.

Finish

The spices linger, mostly cinnamon, while the honey fades out behind them.

Specifications

Name: Dansk Mjød Jule Mjød
Producer: Dansk Mjød A/S
Region/Country: Billund, Denmark
Type: Mead
ABV: 14.8%
Size: 75 CL
EAN no.: 5703162008239
Serving suggestion: Lightly chilled as an aperitif, at room temperature as a dessert wine or warm as mulled wine

Flavour profile

Honey sweet · Spiced · Apple fresh · Cinnamon · Ginger

Did you know?

According to Lex, the Danish national encyclopedia, mead slipped out of everyday drinking in the 1700s. The recipe behind Jule Mjød dates from around the year 1700, from the time when the old drink was on its way off Danish tables.

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Every December, Paul John sends a Christmas edition to the shelves, and the 2023 vintage is dedicated to what a port cask finish can do to an Indian single malt.

Expert's description

Paul John Christmas Edition 2023 Indian Single Malt Whisky is an Indian Single Malt Whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks and then finished in a Single Vintage Colheita Tawny port cask, bottled at 46%.

The port cask finish gives the Christmas malt a deeper, more spiced character than the classic Paul John style, making it a natural choice for dark, cosy December evenings.

Tasting Notes

Nose

The nose offers dried fruit, spice and a sweetness of caramel from the port cask.

Palate

The palate is warm with raisin, nuts and a light wine-like sweetness.

Finish

The finish is long with a closing spiced dryness.

Specifications

Distillery: Paul John
Region/Country: Goa, India
Type: Indian Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 46 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Ex-bourbon casks finished in a Single Vintage Colheita Tawny port cask
Non-Chill Filtered: Yes
Natural Colour: Yes
Edition: Christmas Edition 2023
EAN No.: 8904014810407

Flavour Profile

Sherry-matured · Spicy · Fruity · Round

Did you know?

Paul John releases a new Christmas Edition every year with a unique cask combination, making each vintage its own, non-repeatable release.

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Christmas comes to the Dominican Republic too - in bottle form at least, where Terra Verde packs spice, caramel and orange peel into a spirit meant as a carbon-neutral Christmas gift.

Expert Description

Terra Verde A Christmas Spirit is a Dominican sugarcane spirit (Spirit Drink) aged in bourbon casks and bottled at 40%.

This limited edition combines the warm spices of Christmas with Terra Verde's sustainable production. The flavour is rich and complex, with notes of spice, vanilla, caramel and orange peel, the result of careful ageing in bourbon casks. The bottles are made from recycled glass, and transport is carbon-neutral, making it a thoughtful Christmas gift for the environmentally conscious recipient.

The balanced sweetness and silky texture make it ideal for sipping neat in the cold season or as a base in festive Christmas cocktails.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Warm spice, vanilla and a hint of orange peel.

Palate

Rich and complex, with caramel and Christmas spice.

Finish

Silky and balanced.

Specifications

Name: Terra Verde A Christmas Spirit
Bottler: A Clean Spirit
Region/Country: Dominican Republic
Type: Sugarcane Spirit (Spirit Drink)
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon casks
EAN no.: 5744000820200
Serving suggestion: Neat or as a base in Christmas cocktails

Flavour Profile

Spiced · Vanilla · Caramel · Festive

Did You Know?

The bottle is shipped carbon-neutral from the Dominican Republic and bottled in recycled glass, making it one of the most environmentally conscious Christmas gifts in the rum category.

See our full range of A Clean Spirit

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Something happens to a blend when it puts on winter clothes. Christmas Reserve arrives in festive dress, yet the heart of it is the same calm, honeyed Speyside tone the house has traded on since 1827. A dram for the dark hours, once the tree is decorated and the house has gone quiet.

The expert's description

Ballantine's Christmas Reserve Limited Edition is a Blended Scotch Whisky matured in oak casks and bottled at 40 %.

Christmas Reserve is the house's festive release, a limited December bottling built on the same blending school George Ballantine founded when he opened his grocery shop in Edinburgh in 1827. The backbone is Speyside malt from Miltonduff and Glenburgie, two distilleries Ballantine's has drawn on for decades, and the source of the blend's soft, faintly floral centre.

The Christmas dressing is more than decoration. This one is made for the December shelf and disappears again once the new year has turned, which is exactly the sort of bottle that ends up standing unopened in the cabinet. Malt and grain whisky are married here, and the grain gives the round, almost creamy texture that lets it drink well without water.

Tasting notes

Nose

Flower honey and ripe apple first, then vanilla and a dry cereal sweetness. Behind it sits a hint of almond and pale oak.

Palate

Soft and round with caramel, pear and light cinnamon. Malt steps forward halfway through and lends a little weight before the grain settles as a creamy film.

Finish

Short to medium, dry and malty with a last note of honey and oak.

Specifications

Name: Ballantine's Christmas Reserve Limited Edition
Distillery: Ballantine's
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Oak casks
Edition: Christmas Reserve Limited Edition
EAN no.: 5000299603161

Flavour profile

Soft · Honeyed · Fruity · Creamy · Lightly spiced

Did you know?

George Ballantine was 19 when he opened his first shop in Edinburgh. He sold groceries for years before whisky became the main business at all, and the firm received a Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria in 1895.

See our full range of Ballantine's Whisky
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The 2022 edition of Paul John's Christmas malt brings together four different cask stories in one bottle, a layer more complex than the following year's release.

Expert's description

Paul John Christmas Edition 2022 Indian Single Malt Whisky is an Indian Single Malt Whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks, used brandy casks and casks that previously held both oloroso sherry and peated whisky, bottled at 46%.

The four different cask types give the Christmas malt chestnut-brown hues and a depth of spice, baked apple and dark chocolate, making it a natural companion for dark December evenings.

Tasting Notes

Nose

The nose offers spice, baked apple and dark chocolate.

Palate

The palate is warm and round with a hint of peated malt from the previous whisky casks.

Finish

The finish is long with a closing spiced sweetness.

Specifications

Distillery: Paul John
Region/Country: Goa, India
Type: Indian Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 46 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Ex-bourbon casks, used brandy casks and casks that previously held oloroso sherry and peated whisky
Edition: Christmas Edition 2022
EAN No.: 8904014809180

Flavour Profile

Sherry-matured · Spicy · Fruity · Rich

Did you know?

Christmas Edition 2022 is composed of four different cask types, making it one of the most complex vintages in Paul John's Christmas line.

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The Whistler PX Mas Limited Release is triple distilled and matured in American casks with an extended finish on P.X. Sherry casks – festive in every glass.

Expert Review

The Whistler PX Mas Limited Release Boann Distillery Single Malt Irish Whiskey is a Single Malt Irish Whiskey, bottled at 46%.

This beautiful whiskey is triple distilled and matured in American casks, followed by an extended finish on P.X. Sherry casks. It delivers lovely notes of sherry, dried fruit, raisins, cherry, caramelised orange and brown sugar. On the palate come notes of oak and plenty of dried fruit and walnuts, along with citrus and leather. A perfect dram alongside a cup of coffee and a bowl of festive treats and nuts.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Sherry, dried fruit, raisins, cherry, caramelised orange and brown sugar.

Palate

Oak, dried fruit, walnuts, citrus and leather.

Finish

Warm and full-bodied with a hint of spice.

Specifications

Name: The Whistler PX Mas Limited Release (Bodega Cask)
Distillery: The Whistler (Boann Distillery)
Region/Country: Ireland
Type: Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Cask: Bourbon & PX Hogshead Casks
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Other: Triple Distilled, Limited Release, Non-chill-filtered, Natural Colour

Flavour Profile

Sherry · Dried fruit · Spiced · Caramel · Full-bodied

Did You Know?

The Whistler PX Mas is a Limited Release, produced in limited quantities each year – a true festive classic from Boann Distillery.
See our full range of Boann and The Whistler whiskey