Please note that some of the items in this gift guide have been sent for the purposes of inclusion in these gift guides. The majority have also now been donated to two local schools for their fund raising Christmas raffles
Wines of Spain and Portugal Jigsaw
Starting with something that isnt actually booze but perfect for the wine lover in your life. This Wines of Spain and Portugal Jigsaw is not only good fun to sit and do (with a glass of wine, obviously) but will teach you where their favourite Rioja comes from. 1000 pieces and costs £18
Double Dutch Mixers
Good spirits need really good mixers, after all two thirds of the G&T is the T so your gin deserves a good glass-mate. Double Dutch make a range of soft drinks that go beyond tonic that all taste fabulous. On their website you can buy single bottles or pre packed selection boxes, that you can even get with a subscription. Truly the gift that keeps on giving to your loved one over the coming year! Price for the mixed exploration pack is from £20
Crimbo Limbo
This might have been the greatest product launch I have heard this year. That period between Christmas and New Year can all be a a bit of a blur, right? Nobody really knows what day it is or what is really happening. Are the shops open, is the bin collection happening? Is the leftover turkey still safe to eat? Why does there appear to be more of it now than on Boxing Day? The clever people that brought us Pickerings Gin have launched a Crimbo Limbo advent calendar to help us with just that.
As well as its signature London Dry gin, the limited-edition calendar includes exclusive festive flavours like Chocolate Orange and Spiced Pear & Cinnamon making this the ideal treat for any gin aficionado. A QR code on the packaging takes you to the Summerhall Distillery YouTube channel, which provides a unique interactive perfect serve suggestion carefully matched to each miniature. Gin drinkers can easily follow along from home with the online step-by-step tutorial which is updated daily.
Just 10,000 of the limited edition “Crimbo Limbo” gin calendars will go on sale on 18 October via the Summerhall Distillery website and selected independent retailers, with a recommended selling price of £30.
All you have to do is wonder if their famous Brussel Sprout flavoured gin is in the box.
Local Gin
Talking of gin, if you have a gin lover in your family why not buy them a gin with a bit of a story behind it? One they can tell their friends when they pour them a drink next year? We stumbled across the Ramsbury Estate by chance at the weekend after seeing a sign for a distillery and brewery shop. A quick google in the car park told us the estate was owned by a Swedish chap who was the son of the H&M founder who bought 30,000 acres of Wiltshire a number of years ago. The estate has diversified and now includes the distillery that makes this fabulous Ramsbury gin, and stocks locally made craft products. There are so many small distilleries around now that mean you can buy a product your recipient probably hasn’t had before, and can raise a class to you whenever they have a drink in 2024!