LIMITED EDITION HOLIDAY SPIRITS Treat Your Family and Friends This Year

You know the holiday season is here when the grocery store runs out of turkeys, the radio replays “All I Want For Christmas,” and…best of all…our favorite distillers release their limited-edition holiday bottles.

Needless to say, we’re getting into the holiday spirit by literally grabbing some of the best limited-edition holiday 2017 bottles, leaving it to someone else to gift socks or bring the green beans. Bo-oring. These holiday releases always bring looks and tastes that compliment this season of family, friends, and plenty of toasts around the table.

Not only do limited-edition holiday spirits skillfully ‘reinvent’ the brands’ classic packaging, but often change the recipe of the heavenly elixir itself, offering older, seasonally-inspired ingredients, or completely new distilling methods. This makes it a gift for both a hardcore connoisseur and recreational sipper. Plus, these bottles have a leg-up on the ordinary versions you can get year-round.

So, knock out your holiday shopping right now with this single list, complete with tequila, vodka, gin, whiskey, liqueur, and more tequila. The best holiday spirit releases for 2017 are…


Patrón Silver One-Liter Limited Edition
The third in a series of collectible large-size bottle designs for the holidays, this 2017 limited release from the Tequila king, Patrón, is inspired by Mexico’s tradition of vibrant ceramic and textile folk art. See the iconic Patrón bee? And the colorful native Weber Blue Agave being chopped with a razor-sharp ax? Then the traditional “tahona” stone which crushes the agave to begin the distillation process? For the tequila drinker interested in every step of the process, this bottle is an ace present. Inside you’ll taste ultra-premium Patrón Silver tequila handcrafted in small batches from the highest quality 100% Weber Blue Agave, and distilled and bottled at the Hacienda Patrón distillery in the Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. And the cherry on top? An intricately engraved metal stopper.


Dewar’s 25 Blended Scotch Whisky
This unique blend of Deward’s whiskey is a rare release due to it being aged at least 25 years (more than double the usual time), then double-aged up to three months. (You were probably younger than ten when this whiskey began its journey.) The taste? Exclusive and smooth, with rich layers that float from your tongue to reference the Royal Brackla Single Malt Scotch casks the whiskey is aged in. This final stage of its unique distilling process brings lightly perfumed notes of grass and green foliage to the mix. Perhaps the most intentional and complex whiskey most people will ever taste, it’ll be a high note in any holiday, blending floral with honey flavor, and a hint of smoke for a whiskey that lights our palate.


Absolut Uncover
Although the vodka itself is good, the reason to buy an Absolut holiday bottle is for the bottle itself. After all, the brand built its cultural significance on the creativity of its bottle design, and this holiday they’re releasing Absolut Uncover. Encased in interactive hand-flip sequences (real popular with the yunguns these days), running your hand along the bottle reveals hidden shapes and dimensions, means to mirror the endless possibilities of a holiday evening. “This holiday season we like to inspire you to shine with a bottle that can be the perfect gift to any party or celebration,” says Gaia Gilardini, Absolut’s global communications director. In other words, your girlfriend or mother in law will love it.


Casa Noble Seleccion del Fundador Volume II
At $1,499 a bottle, Casa Noble’s second collectible tequila, Seleccion del Fundador Volume II, to be launched on December 1, is the ultimate holiday spirits gift of 2017. Why? Well the triple distilled, certified Organic, kosher, extra añejo, has been aged for eight years in new Taransaud 114-liter French white oak barrels to develop a complex, highly elegant flavor profile. Only 100% Blue Weber agave plants (originally planted in 1997 to commemorate the founding of Casa Noble) are used. Plus, only 300 bottles will be available worldwide.


Riegers Kansas City Whiskey 2017 Collector’s Edition
The holidays are all about honoring traditions and building new ones. J. Rieger & Co. did exactly that with their limited-edition Holiday label Kansas City Whiskey. They designed a new label that references pre-Prohibition 1887, when J. Rieger & Co. sent out festive holiday ad deals for their popular whiskey, which would then be mail-ordered to your doorstep to enjoy over the holidays with family and friends. Today, the Kansas-City distillers honor this festive heritage with a vintage advertisement of hand-drawn holly and the classic KCW label. The look and taste of this bottle is classic and fits well in a stocking for dad or grandpa.


Jim Beam Distiller’s Cut
No, you don’t have to sacrifice price for taste this holiday, as Jim Beam is making a surprise release of its Distiller’s Cut, an unfiltered 100-proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. This limited-time bottle was personally selected by Jim Beam’s 7th generation Master Distiller to be made available nation-wide in time for the holiday season. And hip-hip-hoorah, it’s less than $25. "We skipped the chill filtration process, so the liquid gets from barrel to bottle a little differently," says Noe. "The result is unique to other Jim Beam offerings, with a fuller taste and longer finish compared to your typical bourbon." Aged 5-6 years, the final aroma is perfect for a fire-side drink, blending soft charred oak, sweet caramel, vanilla, and hints of dried fruit.


Grey Goose Limited Edition Holiday Flour Tin
The epitome of clean, classic vodka, Grey Goose isn’t trying to invent the wheel (or distilling process) this holiday, but playing on its French heritage to release a limited-edition flour tin casing for the quality vodka. This is one of those presents that require no wrapping. Available in iconic blue metal, the Grey Goose Holiday Flour Tin hearkens to the traditional tins found in myriad bakeries throughout France store blé panifiable supérieur from Picardy—the only flour grade permitted to be used for making the world-renowned bread that France is famous for and the only grade used in the production of Grey Goose. A perfect gift for…well…anyone.


Bombay Sapphire Holiday Gift Tin
Speaking of holiday gift tins (if gin is more your tune), Bombay Sapphire is releasing a special collector’s gift tin in a beautiful packaging that doesn’t make use of kitschy Santas, jingle bells, or dressed turkeys. Instead, the 100% London Dry Gin brand is keeping things classy with its heritage blue sapphire color, Queen Victoria emblem, and a striking, modern design.

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