The Must-Have Gifts For Bourbon Drinkers (2025 Holiday Edition)

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As we inch closer to the holidays, it's time to start thinking about the best gifts for every kind of person in your life. Maybe your best friend is on a sourdough kick and needs a new Dutch oven. Or perhaps your mom is looking for a place to collect all of the recipes she's concocted over the years, so you find her a beautiful recipe card holder. But what about that friend that takes pleasure in bourbon-based beverages?

Sorting through the entire internet's-worth of gifts for your bourbon-loving friend can be time-consuming, especially if you don't know a ton about the beverage. Because bourbon aficionados have a reputation for being picky about the kinds of liquor they drink and how they drink it, nailing the perfect present is a tricky feat. Should you get whiskey stones or ice cubes? What about syrups, bar tools, or a decanter? To help out on your gift-giving journey, we've gathered a list of the must-have gifts for this holiday season.

Does the bourbon-lover in your life need a good set of rocks glasses? They may not be the best choice for drinking spirits neat or really digging into the flavors, but these glasses are great for drinking liquor with ice or in cocktails. That means the object of your gift-giving can enjoy their bourbon in a number of ways, like indulging in an Old Fashioned Don Draper-style.

Purchase Riedel Rocks Glasses on Amazon for $49.

For your friend who loves to decorate, entertain, and try new cocktails, a bourbon-specific cocktail book is the perfect gift. Many are both functional and beautiful — they're filled with hundreds of unique recipes, enclosed by covers worthy of front-row placement on a bar cart. There are so many to choose from, so we've included three Amazon user favorites.

Purchase "The Big Book of Bourbon Cocktails" for $21.32, "The Bourbon Bartender" for $17.92, or "The Art of Mixology" for $13.03 on Amazon.

On the other end of the glass spectrum, if your loved one enjoys getting to the nitty-gritty of their bourbon's flavor profile, buy them a nice set of Glencairn glasses. Their distinct design makes them the ideal vessels for whisky and bourbon tasting because the liquid's aroma is able to swirl up to the drinker's nose.

Purchase a set of four Glencairn Whisky Glasses on Amazon for $28.98.

Subscriptions are the gift that keeps on giving, and for the loved one who enjoys the experiences of sampling a variety of bourbons, the Flaviar Champions of Bourbon subscription could be a choice. It includes monthly deliveries of one award-winning bottle of bourbon, and Flaviar offers three different plans and price points (three months, six months, and 12 months), depending on your budget.

Purchase the Champions of Bourbon Subscription for $186 (three months), $372 (six months), or $745 (12 months) from Flaviar.

For the bourbon fanatic with a bar cart or dedicated bar area in their house, bourbon-related decor is a great choice. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a collection of bourbon-centric locations in the state, and this scratch-off map is an interactive and decorative gift for the friend who's aiming to sample a drink from each location along the trail.

Purchase the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Scratch-Off Map for $22.46 on Etsy.

At different temperatures, indulging in bourbon is a distinct experience. For those who like it cold, bourbon can be sipped on the rocks alongside an ice cube, but as you drink, the melting cube will begin to dilute the stronger notes of the liquor. If you have a friend who prefers their drinks chilled but not dulled, stainless steel chilling balls are a solid solution. All the person has to do is pop them in the freezer, wait, and drop them in their next glass of bourbon.

Purchase Stainless Steel Whiskey Spheres for $34.95 from Williams Sonoma.

On the flip side, some prefer their bourbon with ice — the water can dilute some of the strong flavors but may also enhance some of the subtler notes. For a person who prefers this, give the gift of ice cube molds. The Whiskey Ball brand in particular is popular and offers molds in a number of shapes. Some can even be monogrammed.

Purchase the ClearCube Ice Maker for $59.95, ClearSphere System Ice Ball Maker for $49.95, or Monogrammed Whiskey Balls for $19.95.

Although a bourbon-lover friend may already have the necessary cocktail crafting supplies, there are ways to offer them a new experience. This nightcap kit is chock-full of goodies for making unique and delightfully sweet bourbon cocktails. The bundle contains Oaxacan chocolate syrup, toasted coconut syrup, aromatic orange oil, barrel-aged coffee bitters, and chocolate mole bitters, along with recipe cards to craft the two appropriate drinks. There's enough to make four of each variety.

Purchase the Desert Nightcap Bourbon Bundle for $35 on Uncommon Goods.

While some are casual bourbon drinkers, others are intent on (or already well on their way to) becoming experts. If your friend is looking to hone their skills and train their nose, get them this nosing kit, which features 18 different aromas you might find in a bottle of bourbon, alongside a guide to getting started for beginners.

Purchase the Bourbon Nosing Kit for $74 on Amazon.

Made from upcycled bourbon barrel lids, these serving trays could help put the "spirit" in "holiday spirit" during get-togethers. They can be engraved with a name and a year specific to the gift recipient. Additionally, the trays are sealed to be food-safe, making them suitable for entertaining.

Purchase the Custom Bourbon Barrel Serving Tray for $150 on Uncommon Goods.

While whiskey and bourbon technically don't need to be decanted in the same way that wines do, there's no real harm to pouring the liquor into a more aesthetically pleasing vessel. This Marquis by Waterford Markham Square Decanter and set of 2 Old Fashioned glasses combine function with form.

Purchase the Marquis By Waterford Markham Square Decanter & Double Old Fashion Pair Decanter Set for $140.35 on Amazon.

From the same brand that brought you a bourbon subscription service is a Whiskey Advent Calendar, perfect for gifting around the holidays. Flaviar's advent calendar comes equipped with 24 samples worth over $250, plus a membership to its online platform, an educational booklet and Glencairn glasses (perfect if you want to combine two gifts into one package). To get it in time for Christmas, orders must be placed by December 11.

Purchase the Whiskey Advent Calendar for $270 from Flaviar.

For both the Old Fashioned fanatics and those new to the craft, these Ultimate Old Fashioned Boxes are the perfect gifts. The basic box (the Ultimate) includes eight different kinds of liquor, demerara syrups, bitters, dried orange slices, and (most importantly) delicious maraschino cherries. The two other variations of the set (Holiday and Top Shelf) feature different kinds of bourbon, spices, and flavors of bitters, and have varying price points. For example, the Holiday box includes maple syrup and cranberry walnut butters, while the Top Shelf box houses more unique liquors.

Purchase the Ultimate Old Fashioned Box for $114.99; the Holiday Ultimate Old Fashioned Box for $129.99; or the Top Shelf box for $164.99, from The Mixologer.

Van Winkle is an historic bourbon-maker, and the distillery's roots trace back to the late nineteenth century. The distillery's bourbon is rare and expensive because of this legacy, so if you want to gift the energy of Van Winkle without tracking down the perfect bottle, go for the Van Winkle Bar Set perfect for crafting cocktails, which includes a sipping spoon, jigger, shaker, and a mini-tray, all in a shiny copper color.

Purchase The Van Winkle Bar Set for $350 from Pappy and Company.

For the friends and family that prefer flavor infusions over straight-up cocktails, give them a Whiskey Gift Set featuring two different kinds of infusions to try. Each set includes an Old Fashioned and a Smoked Harvest infusion containers. The classic Old Fashioned features cherry, orange, bitters and sugar, while the Smoked Harvest contains apple, golden raisins, mulling spices, and smoke-infused cane sugar. All your friend will need to do is add 12 ounces of their favorite bourbon to the container and let the flavors fuse in the fridge for three days—then shake, pour over ice, and enjoy.

Purchase the Whiskey Gift Set for $50 from Infuse & Booze.

Maker's Mark is an instantly recognizable bottle and brand—it made our list of the 13 best bourbons under $100—and makes a great gift for a friend who might be just at the beginning of their bourbon journey. The world's first premium bourbon is a staple option, and its red waxy seal will fit perfectly into bar carts or on shelves.

Purchase Maker's Mark Bourbon Whiskey for $49.99 at Target.

For a more attainable but still upscale bottle to give, try Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon. According to Four Roses, its Small Batch offering is a good "go-to premium bourbon," making it a great option for the friend who enjoys the finer things in life (and, it made our list of popular bourbon brands). 

Purchase Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon for $35.99 from Total Wine & More.

If you want to splurge on a loved one, Old Rip Van Winkle 10-Year Bourbon makes a wonderful gift. (Folks looking to track down a bottle at a store might find this expensive liquor at Costco). Bourbon fanatics will appreciate the history behind the brand, which is well over a century old.

Purchase a bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Old 107 Proof Bourbon for $650 from Fine Wine Liquors.

Bitters are an essential ingredient in the creation of an Old Fashioned and add a specific profile of spices and aromas, depending on the kind used. Typically, the drink calls for Angostura bitters, but if you have an adventurous bourbon-lover in your life, give them Foletto bitters. These are more artisanal than the classic. The recipe has been around since 1850 and features 26 different botanicals.

Purchase Foletto Bitters for $37.99 from Bottle Barn.

Rounding out the list is a sweet addition to cocktails: maraschino cherries. While you can get any old cherries from the store, these Woodford Reserve Bourbon Cherries make the perfect gift for your friend who wants to craft complexly flavored cocktails at home. They feature notes of vanilla and are soaked in bourbon, making them the ideal addition to Old Fashioneds or Manhattans.

Purchase Woodfood Reserve Bourbon Cherries for $22.99 on Amazon.