£36.50 in Tesco

This whisky came up from many of our Members with Michael recommending it as a ‘lovely addition at the lower end’ and Amber saying it is whisky that ‘has served me well in the past for around £25’.

You’ll usually find this one on offer in major supermarkets around Christmas and overall it is a great choice for all drammers, no matter where you are on your journey. Soft, approachable and very drinkable.

£26.50 in Tesco

Recommended by Paul and Adam. Tomatin Legacy is a whisky matured in both bourbon and virgin oak and, being bottled at 43%, should have a little more depth and spice to the Old Pulteney. However, general opinion is that this is still an easy-drinking, soft and uncomplicated whisky. I’m going to describe this as a great ‘grabbable’ whisky, place it front and centre on shelf as the one you’re happy for anyone to pour.

£46.50 plus delivery direct from the distillery

Many members mention this one. A good solid scotch at 46% and another age statement at that.
Honey, floral, approachable but with a bit more of a ‘robustness’ than previous recommendations. If you’ve ever had those night’s introducing someone to whisky, this is a great reference whisky is sampling different regions or styles for the evening.

‘Starter for 10 anyone?’

£38 in Sainsburys

Whisky and Christmas. There’s something about a recognisable traditional scotch that just takes us all back to those Christmas’ years ago. It’s that parent or uncle bringing over that ‘some special’, which generally just meant it wasn’t Bells. (Famous Grouse in the early 1990s anyone?). At this point last year this whisky was £36 plus delivery, so if you’re interested in getting a bottle get it whilst on deal as there are not many options that are cheaper than a year ago.

Glenmorganie 10, described by our members as a ‘can’t go wrong’ whisky and great for gifting. It’s been around forever for a good reason. Not sure on the new bottle design though.

£43.95 plus delivery from The Whisky Exchange

Peated whisky – now we’re talking! And what could be more iconic than a Laphroaig? As challenging to drink as it is to spell.

You’ve been there, someone’s looking at your whisky bottles and out comes that immortal phrase – ‘I don’t know, I’ve tried whisky and they all taste the time to me’. A glass of Laphroaig for you my friend! And they either love it, or hate it. Either way, argument settled!

If you like your peated whiskies, chances are you know the southern lleach well, but it’s worth reminding you that now is the time to stock up. If you are new to the style, this is the one to go for. Meaty, smoky, moreish and ‘moorish’ with it’s briny, earthy, mossy notes. Expect opinions and conversation.

£44.50 in Morrisons

A new entry this year recommended by Lewis, who suggested that “it’s really interesting, sweet and salty, quite light, but not what I’d call an easy drinker. Finish is also quite short, but there is so much going on and a drop of water really enhances it at 50% abv it’s hard to beat at that price.”

£39.95 plus delivery from House of Malt 

‘Amazing Value for money’ was Matthew’s quote and others Members commented it was a drink they could sip all day long.

This is one of the best value whiskies on our list; a complex, smoky, spicy dram that’s more tasty than testing. An ideal whisky gift for a peat head that needs to try something a little different.

£26 in Asda 

Tristan recommends another blend in Shackleton as “a cracking whisky for sub £25. There is a lovely sweetness to it that doesn’t feel rushed or artificial. I find it quite oaty with some butterscotch.”

£26.90 plus delivery from House of Malt

Proving that Blends aren’t Single Malt’s sensible brother, Cutty Sark Prohibition is the strongest recommendation on our list at 50% abv. Many of our Members commented on the great bang-for-your-buck with the price alone. Plus you get the play the ‘I wonder where the spirits come from’ game that I know you all play when you try a characterful blend.

£28.99 plus delivery from Tyndrum Whisky

Released this year, Maclean’s Nose is a nod to whisky legend Charles Maclean and is a standout bottle for Andy who has “bought multiple so far this year and bought for others too.” He goes on to qualify this with, “personally I have never bought 10 bottles of anything before and this is such a great session dram kicking well above its price tag!”

£37.50 plus delivery directly from Thompson Brothers

Thompson Brothers have been quietly building a fantastic reputation for both quality and value, and SRV5 fits that reputation well and is Anthony’s new go to whisky.

Created from a combination of single malts all aged over 8 years and vatted in a 1200 litre charred European oak barrel (which is depicted on the label). This Solera-style vat is never completely emptied of its contents to allow the remaining liquid to blend and integrate with the next batch of blended malt to be added.

£18.49 in Lidl 

Bargain whiskies from discount retail chains have had an interesting history. It only seems like yesterday that Aldi released a 40 year old single malt for £49.99. While we’re probably not going to see similar offers for while, there are still some pretty good offerings from these shops. And always worth a stroll down the ‘central aisle of dreams’ to pickup a blowtorch, paddleboard and milk frother, and other Christmas essentials.

Graham had high praises about the Ben Bracken range from Lidl, ‘especially the Islay’.

The range has an Islay, Highland and Speyside regional expressions and each being a single malt, have come from a single (but undeclared) distillery. A real bargain at the price point.

£53.90 plus delivery from The Whisky World

You want Irish-Christmas Whiskey-in-a-glass you want Redbreast 12.

Descriptions include sweet, dried dark fruit, sherry, marzipan, walnuts, vanilla, spices.. is it just Christmas cake in a glass? (Don’t set this one on fire though please!)

£45 plus delivery from Master of Malt 

Our Members who recommended Redbreast also repeatedly mentioned Green Spot.

As part of the ‘spot’ range for the Mitchell family’s shop in Dublin, this is a great whiskey for those getting into Irish whiskey without thinking it’s all about Jameson. The unmalted and malted barley combination really shows through with this whiskey with a much more creamy ’roundness’ that’s extremely soft and pleasant. Novices will find it very approachable, others will appreciate the quality and nuance.

£35 plus delivery from Threshers 

A new recommendation from Mel, “A cheeky little drinker. A rebranded version of one of Jameson’s best kept secrets, the previously confusingly named Crested Ten, which wasn’t ten years old and was hard to find outside of Ireland. Having dropped the “Ten”, Crested has now been relaunched internationally.

The first Crested release came in 1963, with Jameson beginning to bottle their own whiskey (rather than selling to bonders) and it’s known to have a healthy proportion of pot still whiskey as well as a high proportion of Sherry casks used for maturation (bourbon barrels are also used).”

Started as a Christmas present for my Dad, I decided to let others share this Christmas whisky present with their loved ones too. I do the hard work searching for great whiskies to share, ones you wouldn’t find in the supermarket, and deliver a full bottle every two months.
Find out more about this Christmas whisky gift at the How It Works page.