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As December arrives like a procession of lorries decked out in Christmas lights with Mariah at the helm, finally defrosted and ready to sing us through to Christmas day, we thought we could start putting together a list of gifts that the whiskey lover in your life might appreciate.

It's all about the ice (for some)

How you drink your whiskey/bourbon is entirely down to you. Whether neat, on the rocks, or used with a cocktail, you may occasionally find yourself needing some ice. When making a cocktail, ice can be used to chill a glass ready to receive a pour or placed and left in a glass to pour over. Smaller cubes are best for this. While shaking your cocktail mixer, the liquid is only in contact with the ice for a short while, and smaller cubes will have a larger surface area available to chill the liquid.

A highball cocktail glass should be stacked with ice, but try using more giant cubes or even one solid long cube. The larger cubes still have a good surface area to chill the drink but won't melt as quickly as smaller ones.

Lastly, one large cube or sphere will do the job if you want your whiskey or bourbon over ice. The block's size will enable slower melt, thus chilling your dram with less dilution. Plus, it always looks very sophisticated.

The link below explains ice use in more detail. Various stores, whether specialist or general, sell a wide range of ice makers.

The Best Types of Ice for Cocktails

For whiskey-drinking bookworm

The world of whiskey, whisky, and bourbon has such a wonderful and complex history that there will be a book for any mood and taste (as long as it's about the amber nectar!).

From practical books on making cocktails to travel-style books that take you through various whisky-producing areas detailing the liquid itself and the people, landscape, and communities making it, there is something for everyone.

The following links will take you to US and UK-recognized bookshops, but of course, supporting smaller independent bookshops will bring about a much bigger feeling of seasonal goodwill!!

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Whiskey, Liquor & Spirits, Books | Barnes & Noble®

Books on Spirits & cocktails | Waterstones

What we drink our whiskey from

If you take it neat, glassware can affect how a dram smells and tastes. If you want to "examine" your dram, then you might choose a Glencairn, Copita, or other 'tulip' style. These glasses are created with a nod to science, enabling the vapors to move in a more specific way and not allow external scents to make too much of an impact.

A heavy-bottomed tumbler always works well if you want a more relaxed drink. These are great additions to your glass collection, big enough to take a large cube or sphere of ice or even a lowball cocktail.

The following link goes into more detail about glass types.

A Guide to Whisky Glasses - Know Your Tulip From Your Tumbler

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Buying memories and experience as a gift

A great way to treat someone is to buy them an experience, and a whiskey festival or a trip to a distillery is a fun way to create those memories. Not only will you (or they) have the opportunity to try drams that may not be within your regular budget, but you will also have access to festival or distillery exclusives.

Our whiskey festival blog will guide you on what they are like and what to expect.

Barrel Global

What NOT to buy...

Stones. Please don't buy them whiskey stones. Never. Nope. No, no, no.

Whiskey stones end up in the back of a drawer with all the cables and wires that might be useful one day.

Okay, so that is a bit of a strong response. While whiskey stones can be a novel way to cool a dram, they don't work as well as ice, and as explained earlier, using the 'right' ice can certainly achieve that sustained temperature reduction.

Made from various rock sources, the stones can add a perceived level of sophistication, but many whiskey drinkers avoid them.

Lastly, and by no means least, buying whiskey or bourbon itself is always a welcome gift.

You can read our blogs and familiarise yourself with the distilleries we work with, and see if anything catches your attention. Or you can buy your own barrel through us. Whether by yourself or with friends or colleagues, having your own barrel is a gift that keeps giving….. well, until it runs out.

Barrel Global is on a mission to make whiskey barrel ownership accessible to collectors worldwide. As the first-ever global marketplace for whiskey barrels, you can connect with distilleries and collectors worldwide to build your own portfolio. For a whiskey experience unlike any other, request access today

(please note, we do not receive anything for links you may click on from our articles, they are for further reading only.)

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