Here at SCG, we love high quality, truly inspired items when it comes to imbibing or entertaining. So, we put together this gift guide to share some unique offerings that we hope will be delightful discoveries that we know your host, family and friends will enjoy.
How did we go about creating this list amongst the many brands and companies that we work with every year? We selected bottles with a story that you do not already know. Enthusiasts have tasted most of the obvious choices, so we selected regional categories (hierbas, Armagnac, craft soju, French cidre) or a limited release with truly special characteristics.
We went with handcrafted and things that provide a real sense of place: vodka made from oyster shells from one Maine farm. Seaweed from one Scottish shore. Armagnac from one Gascony cellar. A specific place and a specific ingredient transmit a specialness in every bottle.
Heritage categories are always of interest to us and we want to share them. Hierbas, Armagnac, bottled-in-bond single malt: these are old categories that most North American drinkers have never tried. In a gift market that can be saturated with one category, the bottle that introduces someone to something entirely new is the gift they remember.
We also wanted to find the best gifts at everyday prices so you can give in multiples or buy in multiples for your holiday party. We are publishing this guide one item at a time and will have all twelve live by Black Friday, November 27. Bookmark it and check back.
1. Which vodka is rested on oyster shells? Bold Coast Spirits Oyster Shell Vodka (“Marine 01”)
Most vodkas compete on how little they taste of anything. Bold Coast Spirits went the other way. Their Oyster Shell Vodka, label name Marine 01, is rested on cracked, reclaimed oyster shells from a Maine oyster farm, which lend the spirit a soft minerality and a rounder texture you notice the moment it hits a chilled martini glass. It is the first release in a planned series built on underused ingredients from the Maine coast, made in small batches at a chef-founded distillery in Oxford, Maine, and the first run was capped at 600 bottles. For a clear point of difference, a story tied to a place, and a sustainability angle (shells that would otherwise be waste) that did not require a premium price tag. At $32.99 shipped direct from the distillery, it is an easy gift for the martini or Bloody Mary devotee who thinks they have tried everything. Prefer lobster instead of oysters? Bold coast has created a Lobster vodka as well. Or, gift both and let them decide.
Price: $32.99 for 750ml
Where to buy: shop.boldcoastspirits.com, shipped direct. US only; eligible states are checked at checkout.
2. Which gin has seaweed in it? Isle of Barra Gin
There are a lot of gins with a “coastal” story. Isle of Barra is one of the few where the coast is actually in the bottle. Made at Scotland’s most westerly distillery on a tiny island in the Outer Hebrides, it is built on 17 botanicals led by carrageen seaweed that the family hand-harvests from Barra’s own shoreline, and you can taste it: a faint salty sea air, a cool menthol lift, then a long, warm spice finish that holds up in a gin and tonic and shines in a martini. The distillery is the work of Michael and Katie Morrison, who moved back to the island to build it, named their copper still after their daughter, and have since picked up gold medals from the IWSC and The Spirits Business. This gin owns a place and signature ingredients that can’t be duplicated. Until this summer you had to fly to Scotland or pay international shipping; now that it has landed at Total Wine in more than 25 states at $29.99 for a 46% ABV, plastic-free bottle, it is one of the best-value “something they have never tried” gifts on this list.
Price: $29.99 for 700ml
Where to buy: Total Wine & More, in stores across 25+ states (pickup or delivery depends on your state). The distillery does not ship to the US or Canada.
3. Summer Water Rosé. Summer is a state of mind.
And low sugar is a plus year round - especially if you are overindulging in sweet things during the holiday season. This well priced, delicious rosé is a year round winner! It also comes in a party friendly magnum.
Price: $20 for 750ml direct ($80 for the 4-bottle minimum); typically $12–15 at retail — $14.99 at Total Wine
Where to buy: Summerwater.com ships direct (4-bottle minimum, free shipping on 6+ bottles), or grab a single bottle in person — it’s widely stocked at Total Wine, Target, Costco and grocery chains nationwide.
Tagged Gift Guide, Holiday, Spirits