
Holidays call for celebration – and celebrations call for booze! While choosing a personalized gift is tough to navigate, a high-quality bottle of alcohol never disappoints. No two-buck chuck or plastic bottle vodka here, these bottles fetch a pretty penny, and gift receivers will be ecstatic to make a special toast this holiday season. From sake, rum, tequila, vodka, mezcal, whisky, and wine, here are 15 of the best bottles for gifting this holiday season.
SAKE HUNDRED’s Byakko Bespoke
Made from the “king of rice,” Dewasansan with Yamadanishiki, at the famed Tatenokawa Brewery in Yamagata, Japan, Byakko Bespoke ($380) is an ultra-refined sake with delicate aromas of white flowers, stone fruits, and a particularly rich flavor. Achieving Junmai Daiginjos, the highest sake grade designation, this sake has a very rare polish ratio of just 18 percent, requiring over 200 hours of meticulous polishing. SAKE HUNDRED’s flagship sake uses natural water taken from Mt. Chokai in Yamagata Prefecture and is best enjoyed chilled at 41-50°F. Winner of multiple national and international awards, the sake has an ABV of 15.7%. (credit: Sake Hundred)
Kirk & Sweeney XO
Bottled at barrel strength with an ABV of 65.5% and presented in a handmade crystal bottle, Kirk & Sweeney XO ($229) is an ultra-premium rum. Bottled in 2021, the rum is handcrafted in Santiago De Los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic and adheres to the very strict regulations to be called ‘Dominican rum’. The rum presents a nose of dried fruits and hints of caramel and a flavor of toasted oak and vanilla with a warm finish at the end. Its rich mahogany-styled gift box and bottle design are just as glamorous as the elixir itself, with intricate lettering hand-painted in luxurious gold and a custom stopper crafted of crystal, for each bottle for a precise fitting. (credit: 3 Badge Beverage Corp.)
Belle Glos 2011 Taylor Lane Pinot Noir
Celebrate the holidays this year with this limited-edition Taylor Lane Pinot Noir ($249.99) from Belle Glos owner Joseph Wagner. Harvested in October 2011, during an abnormally dry season, this special wine offers flavors of cherry, apple, and blackberry, which are balanced with pleasant acidity and nice minerality. Notes of bing cherry, blackberry, pepper, tobacco, forest floor, and aromatic notes entice the nose while it presents a silky, smooth and supple finish. (credit: Belle Glos)
2019 Nickel & Nickel John C. Sullenger Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville
The heart and soul of Nickel & Nickel, the 2019 John C. Sullenger Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville ($130) is made from concentrated Clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the winery’s home vineyard in the heart of Napa Valley. The winery’s 30 acres of clay loam soil give birth to this single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon that features aromas of blackberry and red plum and a touch of earthiness and spice. Aged in French oak barrels (50% new, 50% once-used) for 18 months, the wine is marked by notes of black licorice, black olive tapenade, and dark fruit flavors, with beautiful velvet tannins. (credit: Far Niente Wine Estates)
The Macallan Double Cask 15 Years Old
The Macallan Double Cask 15 Years Old ($150) whisky is aged in two types of oak, Sherry seasoned American oak and European oak. Once matured after 15 years, the two distinct oaks create the perfect harmony with flavors of vanilla, citrus, butterscotch, and subtle spice. With an ABV of 43%, the golden butterscotch-colored whisky presents a balanced nose with a sweet palate along with wood spice and citrus. The mixture of caramel, citrus, and ginger leaves a lingering and creamy finish. (credit: The Macallan)
Nosotros Madera Tequila Añejo
The newest member to the Nosotros Tequila family, Nosotros Madera Tequila Añejo ($130) is made of 100% mature Blue Weber agave and aged 21 months in White Oak barrels. A blend of highland and lowland agave, Madera is an ultra-premium line of unique expressions of sipping tequila. Guided by the hands of Maestra Tequillera Citlali Ovalle, one of the first and only female master distillers in Jalisco, it presents tasting notes of dry fruit and a light butterscotch nose with a balanced cinnamon and toffee finish. Presented in an engaged box and stand, perfect for adding to a true aficionado’s shelf, each bottle of Madera includes a unique batch number. (credit: Nosotros)
Black Stallion Estate’s 2018 Transcendent Cabernet Sauvignon
The crown jewel of Black Stallion Estate Winery’s Cabernet portfolio, the Black Stallion Estate’s 2018 Transcendent Cabernet Sauvignon ($150) is a culmination of over four years of development. Produced from mountaintop estate vineyards and crafted by esteemed Winemaker Ralf Holdenried, the 2018 Transcendent is a full-bodied wine with ‘Rutherford dust’ inclusive of cigar box, black plum, and cocoa powder aromas and flavors of black cherry, graphite, and juicy acidity. Handpicked grapes from their favorite vineyard blocks went through a 14-21 day fermentation period resulting in a 15.5% ABV, silky tannins, and a long finish. (credit: Black Stallion Estate Winery)
Arroqueño by OAX Original®
Known for both stunning high-design bottles and award-winning small-batch mezcals and premium luxury spirits, OAX Original® presents Arroqueño ($106.99) in a beautiful bottle that is unboxed from a silk-screened kraft box. Made of 100% agave with a maturity of between 14-18 years, this limited edition mezcal is made in Oaxaca, Mexico, and is part of a three-expression collection. Winner of a Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2022, the thick-bodied mezcal presents hints of sweet coffee with a semi-silver tonality and an almond aftertaste. (credit: Celeste Martearena)
Chopin Family Reserve
Chopin Family Reserve ($129.99) is the world’s first rested, super-premium vodka distilled from young potatoes. The unique taste of this vodka comes from the fact that these potatoes have not developed an outer skin and therefore don’t have the characteristically earthy taste that ‘late’ potatoes have. Being rested undisturbed in fifty-year-old Polish oak barrels for two years gives it a particularly mellow and pleasant taste with nose hints of spice and understated notes of licorice and clove. Presented in a beautiful custom glass bottle, the vodka is ideal for sipping neat, on the rocks, or in a dry martini with a twist. (credit: Chopin Vodka)
Kopke 20-Year-Old White Port
Kopke is the oldest port wine house, crafting wine experiences since 1638, and presents their Kopke 20-Year-Old White Port ($109.99) made of traditional Douro grape varieties. Winemaker Carlos Alves offers this 20-year-old Port, the age of the wine is the average age of all the wines in the blend, which goes through stainless steel vats for fermentation with added grape brandy, creating the fortified wine, before maturing in oak casks. Bright amber-yellow in color, the nose presents aromas of dried fruit with hints of spice and most importantly a rich and prolonged finish. Best served between 46°-50°F, this port served chilled is an elegant aperitif. (credit: Kopke Port Wines)
The Glenrothes’ 18 Year Old
Recently named in the top 100 spirits at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge, The Glenrothes 18-Year Old ($160) has an ABV of 43% and comes with exclusive transit packaging. This whisky has an aroma of orange oil, vanilla pods, pear, and almonds, with a taste of ginger, rose water, pears, and vanilla with a sweet, spicy, and slightly peppery finish. What also sets this whisky apart is that The Glenrothes is a distillery and is quite a secret, with no road signs or visitor’s center so the only way to experience The Glenrothes is through the whisky itself. (credit: Edrington)
2019 Cardinale
The 2019 Cardinale ($350) is a mixture of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot grapes, combining eight appellations (all in Napa Valley) and 32 individual wine lots. With its great primary fruit characters, but also tons of rose petals, cedar, and espresso bean this wine presents a perfect frame for the intense, dark fruit of the mountains. Winemaker Christopher Carpenter aged this vintage for 21 months in 100% French oak, 81% new barrels leaving an Abv of 14.5%. (credit: Cardinale)
2019 Quintessa
Harvesting between the middle of September and the end of October, the 2019 Quintessa ($230) was aged for 22 months in 60% New French Oak. A combination of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, 2% Carmenere, and 1% Petit Verdo, this Napa Valley wine is harvested from 15 vineyard blocks. Due to the heavy rains in the winter months and into early spring, the slight delay in the emergence of bloom on the vine allowed an ideal fruit set to provide healthy yields. Highly allocated year after year and often sold out, this high-end medium-to full-bodied Cab with super-fine tannins has aromatics of cassis, flowers, chalky minerality, and integrated oak. (credit: Huneeus Wines)
2019 Sebastiani Cherryblock Cabernet Sauvignon
Since its creation, Cherryblock has been the flagship wine at Sebastiani. The majority of the fruit (63%) comes from the original Old Vines block of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in 1961. The remaining 37% is sourced from the estate’s younger Cabernet and Merlot vines. The 2019 Cherryblock ($150) is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot, aged for 16 months in 50% new French and Hungarian Oak. The 2019 vintage offers aromatic, dark fruit notes of crème de cassis, black cherry, baked plum, and all-spice—a well-structured and full-bodied wine with youthful yet firm tannins. (credit: Foley Family Wines)
2019 Vida Valiente The Movement™ Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2019 Vida Valiente The Movement™ Cabernet Sauvignon ($250) is sourced from acclaimed vineyards in Oakville and St. Helena. Farmed by Vida Valiente winemaker Sam Kaplan and viticulturist Jim Barbour, the 2019 vintage is meticulously crafted and elegantly focused, with notes of Parma Violets and dark potpourri which quickly unfold with lush Santa Rosa plum preserves, tangy blackberries, and dense black cherries, followed with a generous flavor profile that exudes rich, spiced Vidama cocoa. The tannins are structured but harmonious, and the defining grave undertones lay the groundwork for a stunning wine that has many years ahead of it. Unique to the bottle is that $100 per bottle funds the winery’s Vida Valiente Foundation which supports 25 low-income Stanford students per year for four full years. (credit: Vida Valiente)