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From 24 canned cocktails to miniature Scotch and full-size craft beers, drinks Advent calendars are one of the most varied Christmas gift categories.
This guide compares calendars by what you actually get to drink, not just how impressive the box looks. A 30ml whisky dram, a mini wine bottle and a full-size beer are not directly comparable, so every entry explains the format as well as the headline price.
We checked every buying link again on 22 September 2026. A live page does not by itself confirm a 2026 edition, so each status below distinguishes a confirmed 2026 product from an older or year-unspecified listing.
All alcohol calendars in this guide are for people aged 18 or over in the UK. Please drink responsibly.
How this 2026 guide works: We used the best-reviewed and most talked-about 2025 calendars as the evidence base, then checked which 2026 product pages, waitlists and pre-orders are already live. Where a 2026 product is not yet available, the button uses the official 2025 page, current brand Christmas/Advent collection, or a retailer route referenced by established 2025 coverage. We will swap those links as the 2026 editions launch.
Status key: Green: the actual 2026 calendar is available to buy or pre-order Grey: the 2026 calendar is not available; the link is an older product, collection, information or holding page
Top 10 Alcohol & Drinks Advent Calendars 2026: quick comparison
| # | Calendar | Best for | Price/value benchmark | 2026 status | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MOTH Cocktail Advent Calendar | Ready-to-drink cocktails | 2025 benchmark: £79 | 2026 edition not yet confirmed | Check MOTH |
| 2 | Virgin Wines Mixed Wine 2026 | Mixed wine discovery | £99.99 | Reserve for £10; ships November | View |
| 3 | Virgin Wines Red Wine 2026 | Red-wine drinkers | £99.99 | Reserve for £10; ships November | View |
| 4 | Virgin Wines Gin 2026 | Gin discovery | £99.99 | Reserve for £10; ships November | View |
| 5 | Beer52 Craft Beer 2026 | Craft beer discovery | £69.99 | 2026 pre-order; 24 beers and tasting glass | View |
| 6 | Drinks by the Dram Whisky 2026 | Whisky discovery | Amazon: £93.95 | Exact 2026 edition available | Amazon |
| 7 | Drinks by the Dram Rum 2026 | Rum discovery | Amazon: £118.95 | Exact 2026 edition available | Amazon |
| 8 | Drinks by the Dram Premium Gin 2026 | Premium gin | Amazon: £99.95 | Exact 2026 edition available | Amazon |
| 9 | BrewDog Craft Beer Advent Calendar | BrewDog fans | Price not verified | 2026 announced; confirm live checkout before buying | View |
| 10 | Wise Bartender Mixed Drinks 2026 | Alcohol-free variety | £85 | Pre-order; early-November dispatch | View |
1. MOTH Cocktail Advent Calendar
Best for: Best cocktail calendar
Current product-page details: £79; 24 premium cocktails; waitlist only
2026 status: Not confirmed: the current listing is waitlist-only and does not identify the edition year
MOTH’s live product page lists 24 premium cocktails at £79 and says the calendar is coming soon, with a waitlist available. The page does not label the edition as 2026, so we are not treating it as a confirmed 2026 launch yet.
Why did people love this Advent calendar last year?
Good Food’s 2025 coverage liked the convenience: each door is effectively a bar-style drink without buying multiple full bottles or learning cocktail technique. Reviewers also highlighted the range across familiar serves. The practical point is strength — these are proper alcoholic cocktails, not soft-drink tasters.
DealRobin verdict
The 2025 £79 benchmark offered 24 complete cocktail serves, making it easier to compare with buying individual premium cans than with a calendar of tiny spirit samples. The current listing is waitlist-only and does not confirm a 2026 edition.
Why we like it
- 24 complete cocktails
- Strong flavour variety
- No extra mixers or bartending equipment required
What to check before buying
- 18+ only
- Has sold out in previous seasons
- Check can sizes and ABV before gifting
2. Virgin Wines Mixed Wine Advent Calendar
Best for: Best mixed-wine discovery calendar
2026 price and contents: £99.99; 24 miniature wines plus a full-size French sparkling wine for Christmas Day
Virgin Wines uses single-serve bottles to turn the calendar into a genuine tasting journey, mixing red, white and sparkling styles. This format is especially useful for discovery because drinkers can explore grapes and regions without opening a full bottle every night.
Why did people love this Advent calendar last year?
The 2025 calendar was popular for letting drinkers compare red, white, rosé and sparkling wines in single-serve bottles. The value came from variety and convenience rather than the cheapest price per litre.
DealRobin verdict
Buy this for discovery and convenience, not cheapest wine. It works particularly well as a couple’s calendar where each miniature becomes a shared tasting.
Why we like it
- Broad wine variety
- Single-serve format reduces waste
- Good gift for exploratory drinkers
What to check before buying
- Price per litre is high
- 18+ only
- Check exact 2026 bottle sizes and delivery terms
3. Virgin Wines Red Wine Advent Calendar 2026
Best for: Red-wine drinkers
2026 price and contents: £99.99; 24 miniature red wines plus a full-size French sparkling wine for Christmas Day
2026 status: Confirmed 2026 edition available to reserve for £10. The remaining £89.99 plus delivery is charged when it ships in November.
This is the focused alternative to Virgin Wines’ mixed calendar, built for drinkers who would rather explore reds than alternate between styles.
Why did people love the 2025 calendar last year?
The miniature format made it possible to compare grapes and regions without opening a full bottle every evening, while the Christmas Day bottle gave the calendar a stronger finish.
DealRobin verdict
A better fit than a mixed calendar for a committed red-wine drinker. Remember to include the separate £7.99 delivery charge when comparing value.
4. Virgin Wines Gin Advent Calendar 2026
Best for: Gin discovery with a clearly confirmed 2026 buying route
2026 price: £99.99; reserve for £10 now
2026 status: Confirmed 2026 edition available to reserve. The balance plus delivery is charged when the calendar ships in November.
The 2026 selection spans styles such as London Dry, fruit-led and botanical gins, giving the recipient a broad tasting route rather than 24 variations from one producer.
Why did people love the 2025 calendar last year?
Last year’s appeal was the chance to compare unfamiliar gins in manageable portions. That discovery value matters more than the price per litre.
DealRobin verdict
A strong current UK gin option because the year, price and reservation terms are explicit. Mixers are not the main contents, so budget for tonic.
5. Beer52 Craft Beer Advent Calendar 2026
Best for: Best craft beer discovery
2026 price and contents: £69.99; 24 beers and a branded tasting glass; stated value over £95
2026 status: Pre-order open at £69.99; dispatch from 9 November; free UK delivery
The 2026 calendar lists 24 beers across 12 styles and 10 countries, plus a branded tasting glass. Beer52 says dispatch begins on 9 November and UK delivery is free. Check the annual listing for the final contents and any exclusions.
Why did people love this Advent calendar last year?
The 2025 Beer52 calendar appealed to craft-beer fans for the chance to sample beers from multiple breweries and styles over the countdown. The trade-off is subjectivity: a mixed calendar may include sour, dark or heavily hopped beers the recipient would not normally choose.
DealRobin verdict
For a craft-beer fan, full cans or bottles are a major advantage over tiny spirit samples. For someone who only drinks one mainstream lager, it is a risky gift.
Why we like it
- Full-size beers
- Strong discovery factor
- Multiple breweries/styles
What to check before buying
- 18+ only
- Taste styles can be polarising
- Check subscription terms before checkout
6. Drinks by the Dram Whisky Advent Calendar 2026 Edition
Best for: Best whisky discovery calendar
2026 Amazon price checked 22 September: £93.95; 25 different 30ml samples
2026 status: Available to buy; the official listing shows £99.95 and in-stock delivery
The 2026 calendar contains 25 different 30ml wax-sealed whisky samples spanning multiple styles, origins and producers.
Why did people love this Advent calendar last year?
The 2025 Scotch calendar offered 25 wax-sealed 30ml drams, including familiar names such as Johnnie Walker, Jura and Dalmore alongside less expected bottles. Its appeal was the chance to explore a range of Scotch styles in one tasting calendar.
DealRobin verdict
Amazon UK lists the exact 2026 edition with 25 different 30ml samples at £93.95 at the time of checking. It is a clear option for a curious whisky drinker; check the live page before ordering because stock can change.
Why we like it
- 25 different 30ml whisky samples
- The 2026 product page lists a broad range of distilleries and styles
- £99.95 is below the 2025 £134.95 benchmark
What to check before buying
- Sample portions are 30ml
- Some listed contents may change
- Check live stock and delivery terms before ordering
7. Drinks by the Dram Rum Advent Calendar 2026
Best for: Exploring different rum styles
2026 Amazon price checked 22 September: £118.95; 25 rum miniatures
2026 status: The exact 2026 calendar is available on Amazon UK.
The calendar uses 25 miniature rums to compare countries, producers and styles without committing to full bottles.
Why did people love the 2025 calendar last year?
Reviewers liked the broad tasting journey and premium presentation. Its value was education and variety rather than a simple saving against one bottle.
DealRobin verdict
One of the clearest specialist rum choices now that the exact 2026 edition has a UK checkout route.
9. BrewDog Craft Beer Advent Calendar
Best for: Best big-brand beer calendar
2025 price, contents and value: 2025: £64.99
2026 status: 2026 calendar announced; verify the live checkout and price before ordering
BrewDog’s 2025 calendar offered 24 full-size cans across several beer styles. The advantage over a mixed-brewery calendar is familiarity: fans know the core BrewDog profile while still getting access to less-common or seasonal cans.
Why did people love this Advent calendar last year?
Good Food and men’s-gift coverage highlighted the generosity of full-size cans and the breadth across BrewDog’s own range. The limitation is concentration — somebody who does not like the house style has no escape for 24 days.
DealRobin verdict
This is a safer gift for a confirmed BrewDog fan than for a general craft-beer explorer. Check the 2026 contents for duplication with supermarket multipacks.
Why we like it
- 24 full-size beers in 2025
- Recognisable brand
- Straightforward value comparison
What to check before buying
- Single-brand format
- 18+ only
- Compare with case and supermarket pricing
10. Wise Bartender Mixed Drinks Advent Calendar 2026
Best for: Alcohol-free drinks discovery
2026 price and contents: £85; 24 different alcohol-free drinks; free UK mainland delivery
2026 status: Available to pre-order, with dispatch expected in early November 2026.
The mix covers alcohol-free beers, wines, sparkling drinks, ready-to-drink cocktails and premium soft alternatives. It is also described as vegan-friendly.
Why did people love this format last year?
Mixed alcohol-free calendars appeal because every day can introduce a different style or brand, without requiring the recipient to drink alcohol throughout December.
DealRobin verdict
This broadens the guide beyond spirits and beer and is the clearest current choice for an alcohol-free recipient.
How to choose the best alcohol & drinks Advent calendar in 2026
Calculate total liquid volume
Sample calendars can look generous while containing less than expected. Add up the ml before comparing prices.
Decide between discovery and complete drinks
Whisky and gin drams are designed for tasting. MOTH and beer calendars provide complete serves. Wine and alcohol-free mixed calendars prioritise variety over spirit sampling.
Check for hidden subscriptions
Some specialist drinks retailers also run subscription services. Make sure a calendar purchase does not enrol you in recurring deliveries unless you want that.
Think about the recipient’s actual taste
Twenty-four adventurous craft beers are wasted on someone who only drinks lager. Likewise, peated Scotch can be challenging for a casual whisky drinker.
How DealRobin chose these calendars
For drinks, we used 2025 food-and-drink testing, specialist reviews and current 2026 product pages from Virgin Wines, Beer52, Drinks by the Dram, BrewDog, Wise Bartender and other UK retailers.
We gave more weight to calendars that appeared repeatedly in established UK editorial coverage, had strong official product information or customer feedback, and offered something useful beyond festive packaging. We also considered the number of genuinely desirable products, full-size items where relevant, UK availability, price and how easy it is to compare the calendar with ordinary gift sets or standalone products.
Review summaries on this page are paraphrased. We do not reproduce long passages from press articles, and editorial praise does not automatically make a product a DealRobin recommendation. Our ranking can change when final 2026 prices and contents are confirmed.
Frequently asked questions about alcohol & drinks Advent calendars
What is the best alcohol Advent calendar for 2026?
The strongest confirmed current choices include the Virgin Wines 2026 calendars, Beer52 2026, Drinks by the Dram calendars on Amazon UK and Wise Bartender’s alcohol-free 2026 calendar. MOTH remains a watch-list option until its 2026 edition is confirmed.
How old do you have to be to buy an alcohol Advent calendar in the UK?
You must be 18 or over to buy alcohol in the UK. Retailers may require age verification at checkout or delivery.
Are whisky Advent calendars good value?
They can offer useful value rather than pure financial value: you can try many expensive whiskies without buying full bottles. Compare the number and size of drams before buying.
Do beer Advent calendars use full-size cans?
Some do. Beer52 lists 24 beers and says six are 440ml tallboys for 2026; BrewDog’s 2025 calendar also used full-size cans. Check the current product details because annual formats can change.
DealRobin’s 2026 buying rule
Do not buy an Advent calendar purely because a retailer advertises a huge “worth” figure. Work out how many of the products you would genuinely buy, then compare that personal value with the live selling price. We will keep this page updated as 2026 stock, discounts and launch details change.
Bookmark this guide: the ranking, prices and buy links will be refreshed as more 2026 calendars go live.