Which Whisky Advent Calendar Should You Choose for Christmas 2026?

Buying a whisky advent calendar for someone else can be tricky. You may know they enjoy whisky, but does that mean Scotch, bourbon, smoky malts or a bit of everything?

Start with what they already like to drink, then decide whether a 12-day or 25-day selection suits your gift. The Whisky With Us 2026 collection includes Scotch, American and World options, with tasting videos to help the recipient get more from each dram.

For someone who loves Scotch whisky

If their drinks cupboard is mostly Scotch, our 12-Day Scotch Whisky Calendar and 25-Day Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar are the natural starting points.

Choose the 12-day version for a shorter tasting experience. The 25-day calendar gives them more whiskies to explore through December, finishing with a miniature in a glass bauble for Christmas Day.

If you know their favourite bottle, use it as a clue rather than assuming all Scotch tastes alike. Someone who enjoys gentle, fruity whisky may have different preferences from a devoted peat lover. Check the selection on the product page before choosing.

For an American whiskey drinker

Our 12-Day American Whiskey Calendar is the option to look at if they usually reach for American whiskey.

It keeps the tasting focused on a style they already enjoy while giving them different expressions to try. That can make it an easier gift to choose than a mixed selection when you know the recipient has a clear preference.

For someone who likes to explore

The World calendars suit someone who enjoys comparing different whisky styles.

Our 12-Day World Whiskey Calendar brings together Scotch, Irish and American whiskies. It offers variety across those three traditions in a shorter format.

The 25-Day World Whiskey Advent Calendar offers a broader international selection, including Japanese whisky, and a Christmas Day miniature in a glass bauble.

If Japanese whisky is a particular interest, choose carefully: it features in the 25-day World calendar, but not the 12-day World selection.

Twelve days or twenty-five?

The 25-day calendars suit someone who enjoys the full December countdown, with a dram to discover behind each door through to Christmas Day.

The 12-day calendars are a shorter alternative. They can also be given on Christmas Day and opened over the Twelve Days of Christmas, making them useful when you want a gift to unwrap on the day itself.

There is no need to finish a dram every day. The recipient can open the doors at their own pace and save tastings for when they want to enjoy them.

What if they are new to whisky?

A tasting selection lets a newcomer try different whiskies without choosing a full bottle of each.

Every dram comes with access to a QR-linked tasting video. They can follow along as they taste, or simply enjoy the whisky and return to the video afterwards.

A Scotch calendar makes sense if that is what they want to learn about. A World selection gives them the chance to compare styles from different countries. The most useful choice depends on their curiosity, rather than how much whisky knowledge they already have.

What should you check before ordering?

Look at the current product page for the whisky selection, number and size of the drams, price and availability. Make sure you are comparing the same year’s editions: a review of an older calendar may describe a completely different line-up.

If you are sending your gift overseas, check delivery availability and tax arrangements for the recipient’s address. Despatch of the Whisky With Us 2026 advent collection begins at the beginning of October.

Choose their calendar

For a Scotch drinker, start with the 12-day or 25-day Scotch selection. For an American whiskey enthusiast, look at the 12-day American calendar. For someone who enjoys variety, compare the two World editions.

Browse the Whisky With Us advent calendar collection to see the current selections and choose a Christmas gift around what they enjoy drinking.