Drinks by the Dram Sherry Cask Advent Calendar Review
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Drinks by the Dram Sherry Cask Advent Calendar Review
Time for a few drams!
I have always been a massive fan of advent calendars in general, but when you trade cheap supermarket chocolate for 25 wax-sealed, wax-topped drams of proper single malt, December gets a whole lot more interesting.
Every year around this time, social media gets flooded with creators churning out the exact same scripted lines about advent calendars: "If you're not sure you want to commit to a full bottle..." It gets repetitive very quickly.
The practical reality is much simpler: buying full bottles of decent whisky is expensive, especially if you enjoy exploring different distilleries, regions, and cask styles. An advent calendar is simply a brilliant way to taste your way through a wide variety of fun pours without spending a fortune on 70cl bottles you might only ever drink twice. You might stumble across your next absolute favourite bottle in the process, but even if you don't, you get a genuinely enjoyable pour to look forward to every evening through Christmas.
Drinks by the Dram puts out quite a few different options—spanning Scotch, World Whisky, Peated expressions, and single-cask sets. This year, I went straight for the Sherry Cask Whisky Advent Calendar.
Here is a breakdown of what makes these sets worth picking up, how to choose the right style for your palate, and why they make fantastic gifts.
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Spoiled for Choice: Which Calendar Fits Your Palate?
The best thing about their lineup is that you aren't forced into one generic mixed box. Depending on what you actually like to drink, you can tailor your pick:
The Sherry Cask Edition (My Pick): Centred entirely around whiskies matured or finished in Spanish sherry seasoned oak (Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez, Fino). Expect heavy dried fruits, sticky dates, dark chocolate, sweet baking spices, and rich colour throughout.
The Peated Whisky Edition: If you like smoke, maritime brine, and campfire embers. I picked up their peated calendar last year and it was packed with heavy-hitting Islay classics alongside subtle, earthy mainland smoke.
The World Whisky Edition: Ideal if you want to branch out beyond traditional Scotch borders, featuring expressions from Japan, Ireland, America, Scandinavia, and Australia.
The Classic Scotch Whisky Edition: A balanced journey across the classic regions of Scotland—Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Campbeltown, and the Islands.
What You Actually Get Inside the Box
If you haven't bought one of these sets before, each calendar contains:
25 Unique 30 ml Drams: Each pour is packaged in Drinks by the Dram's signature glass miniature bottle, sealed by hand with a dipped wax seal.
Wax-Sealed Presentation: Keeps the liquid fresh and makes peeling the wax open each evening feel like an event.
A Real Cross-Section of Distilleries: You aren't just getting 25 variations of entry-level supermarket whisky; you get a mix of famous heritage houses, modern craft producers, independent bottlings, and varying ABVs
Why Sampling Beats Buying Blind Full Bottles
A quality single malt easily sets you back anywhere from £45 to £90+ these days. Buying two or three full bottles based purely on marketing descriptions or label hype is always a gamble—if the profile leans too bitter, too tannic, or just doesn't suit your personal palate, you're left with an expensive paperweight taking up space on your shelf.
With 25 distinct 30 ml measures:
You Discover New Profiles at Low Risk: You get to test heavy Oloroso bombs, lighter Fino wood finishes, and rich PX sweetness side-by-side.
You Build Your Own Tasting Notes: It lets you figure out which distilleries and cask types you genuinely enjoy before you ever spend your hard-earned cash on a full bottle.
It Keeps the Season Fun: Having a different dram waiting behind each door turns the countdown into a fun ritual to share with friends or enjoy quietly by the fire.
Who Is This Calendar For?
Whisky Beginners: If you are fairly new to whisky and don't know your Speyside from your Campbeltown or your bourbon cask from your sherry butt, this is the most hands-on, accessible way to learn.
Curious Enthusiasts: If you've been drinking whisky for years but tend to stick to the same two or three safe distilleries, it forces you out of your comfort zone.
The Perfect Gift: If you have a whisky lover in your life and you never know what bottle to buy them (because they already have a shelf full of their favourites), this takes away the guesswork completely.
Final Verdict
Drinks by the Dram consistently delivers one of the most reliable festive sets on the market. Having picked up their peated version last year and another edition the year before that, they never disappoint on liquid quality or variety.
Whether you want to treat yourself to an upgrade from cheap chocolate or you're shopping for a thoughtful present for a drinks fan, the Sherry Cask calendar is an absolute treat to have on the counter throughout December.
If you want to hop on board the whisky countdown this Christmas, you can find this exact Sherry Cask Whisky Advent Calendar on Master of Malt here
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Are you grabbing a whisky advent calendar this year, or do you have a favourite cask style you always gravitate towards? Let me know in the comments below!
I hope life is treating you well.
Take care
