In recent years, we’ve seen an increased number of the best gin advent calendars with more gin brands and distilleries producing Christmas countdowns as a great alternative to classic chocolate.
For 2025, brands are offering more inventive ways to sip your way through December, with miniature bottles of craft and premium gins stored behind each door. Whether you love discovering boutique distillers, pairing with tonic or indulging in unusual flavours, there’s a gin advent calendar to suit every palate and budget.
This year’s line-up spans colourful, quirky collections to serious premium editions featuring rare spirits. As well as making excellent early Christmas gifts, they also provide gin fans with a way to try before investing in full-sized bottles. To help you find the right one, we’ve tested some of the most exciting gin advent calendars for 2025.
How I tested
When assessing the gin advent calendars, I considered a wide range of factors, including variety, quality, presentation and value, testing each gin both neat and with a splash of tonic water to get a fair sense of the gins’ character. While testing each one, I considered the following different factors:
- Variety: Did it offer a wide spectrum of styles, from London dry to flavoured and navy strength?
- Quality: How good were the gins, both neat and in a gin and tonic?
- Presentation: Was the packaging festive and fun? Would it impress as a gift?
- Value: Did the selection justify the price point?
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Jonathan Hatchman is a food and drinks writer. He’s taste-tested everything from the best Japanese whisky to the best British lager, and certainly knows a lot about spirits. Above all, though, he’s partial to a gin and tonic, and has come to appreciate that not all Mother's Ruin are created equal, mastering his craft in finding the perfect bottle of the spirit. That’s why he’s well-placed to bring you the best gin advent calendars to buy this year.
The best gin advent calendars for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Drinks by the Dram premium gin advent calendar: £99.95, Masterofmalt.com
- Best budget buy – Drinks by the Dram premium gin collection: £51.95, Masterofmalt.com
- Best appearance – Virgin Wines Gin advent calendar 2025: £99.99, Virginwines.co.uk
- Best for G&T lovers – Fever-Tree the ultimate gin & tonic advent calendar: £70, Johnlewis.com
- Best for classic gin fans – Drinks by the Dram gin advent calendar: £74.95, Masterofmalt.com
- Best budget buy – Drinks by the Dram premium gin collection: £51.95, Masterofmalt.com
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Drinks by the Dram premium gin advent calendar
Best: Gin advent calendar overall
Number of bottles included: 25
Size of bottles included: 30ml
Gin advent calendar highlights: Hernö Old Tom gin, Ki No Bi Sei navy strength
Why we love it
- Incredible range, including rare inclusions
- Premium feel
If you want to splash out for the Christmas countdown this year, Drinks by the Dram’s premium gin advent calendar is an absolute showstopper.
Inside you’ll find 25 wax-sealed 30ml samples from a range of genuinely world-class producers, including Isle of Harris, Ki No Bi Sei navy strength, which is a gorgeously sophisticated gin with fresh citrus, herbal and spicy notes, and Hernö Old Tom with delicious vanilla and cinnamon sweetness against the juniper notes.
This Drinks by the Dram gin advent calendar covers the entire spectrum of outstanding gin craftsmanship. What’s more, the presentation is sleek, and every day feels like opening a gift. Perfect for serious gin enthusiasts.
Buy now £99.95, Masterofmalt.com
Drinks by the Dram premium gin collection
Best: Budget gin advent calendar
Number of bottles included: 12
Size of bottles included: 30ml
Gin advent calendar highlights: Four Pillars rare dry Gin, Bathtub Gin
Why we love it
- Compact
- Good price point
Take note
- Less festive than typical
Easily the least festive option on the list, this selection of 12 gins, also compiled by Drinks By The Dram, features a good selection of different gin styles, each presented in 30ml wax-sealed miniature bottles, perfect as a gin advent calendar or more broadly as a gift for any gin lover.
Some of the box’s highlights include excellent gins such as the bold rare dry gin from Australia’s Four Pillars, distilled using a handful of local Australian botanicals such as warming pepperberry and Yarra Valley lavender, or cold-compounded Bathtub Gin with glorious perfume notes and a pleasing hit of orange peel, or Swedish Hërno Old Tom. A great budget-friendly option.
Buy now £51.95, Masterofmalt.com
Virgin Wines gin advent calendar 2025
Best: Range of gins
Number of bottles included: 24
Size of bottles included: 50ml
Gin advent calendar highlights: Henley Classic Dry Gin. Nordés Atlantic Galician Gin
Why we love it
- 24 craft gins
- Mix of big names and boutique bottles
Take note
- No mixers included
The Virgin Wines gin advent calendar delivers the exact level of quality that’s come to be expected from the company, containing 24 50ml miniature gins.
Highlights include bottles from Whitley Neill, Edinburgh Gin, and some smaller craft distilleries, such as Henley Classic Dry Gin, a contemporary take on London Dry Gin distilled with lime leaves, Szechuan pepper, and cardamom. There is also a Nordés Atlantic Galician gin, distilled from Albariño grapes and bold with notes of bay, samphire, and eucalyptus.
The illustrated “Christmas street” design really adds to the charm, providing a welcome hit of nostalgia, which makes it perfect for gifting. This is certainly one of the more accessible and mainstream options available. But if you’re after a good range without straying too far into the unusual, this is a definite crowd pleaser.
Buy now £99.99, Virginwines.co.uk
Fever-Tree the ultimate gin and tonic advent calendar
Best: Gin advent calendar for G&T lovers
Number of bottles included: 12 gins, 12 mixers
Size of bottles included: 50ml
Gin advent calendar highlights: Silent Pool rare citrus, Tarquin’s rhubarb and raspberry
Why we love it
- Clever gin and tonic pairings
- Fun drawer format
Take note
- Only 12 actual spirits inside
Easily the best gin advent calendar on the market for 2025 from a non-gin producer, the Fever-Tree calendar cleverly alternates between premium gins and Fever-Tree mixers, including a total of 12 complete festive serves.
Expect combinations such as bright and zesty Silent Pool rare citrus gin with Mediterranean tonic, tart and well-balanced Tarquin’s rhubarb and raspberry gin with ginger ale and Edinburgh Christmas gin with aromatic tonic.
It’s less about collecting lots of gins and more about perfectly matched drinks, showcasing the mixer just as much as the gins included. For the price, it’s great fun, though those who want 24 straight gins may prefer one of the other options on the list.
Buy now £70.00, Johnlewis.com
Drinks by the Dram gin advent calendar
Best: Classic gin advent calendar
Number of bottles included: 25
Size of bottles included: 30ml
Gin advent calendar highlights: Aviation Gin
Why we love it
- Broad, reliable selection
- Strong value
Take note
- Less luxurious packaging than premium versions
Drinks By The Dram’s standard gin advent calendar for 2025 follows a similar format to its premium countdown, but with a different line-up of spirits. With 25 30ml samples from top producers, this is a balanced pick for gin drinkers who want breadth without stretching to more premium prices.
Expect household names such as Hendrick’s, Sipsmith and Aviation – an American gin with delicate floral sweetness and a pleasant lingering finish, alongside flavoured options like Tanqueray blackcurrant royale.
Although the gins included are less remarkable than the premium option, the contents of this advent calendar feel more international and slightly more adventurous than other similar options, which is refreshing to see.
Buy now £74.95, Masterofmalt.com
That Boutique-y Gin Company advent calendar
Best: For bold gin flavours
Number of bottles included: 24
Size of bottle included: 30ml
Gin advent calendar highlights: That Boutique-y Gin Company spit-roasted pineapple gin, That Boutique-y Gin Company balsamic strawberry gin
Why we love it
- Quirky
- Playful flavours
- Fun, creative branding
Take note
- Some of the more unusual gins may divide opinion
Expect a surprise each day throughout December with That Boutique-y Gin Company’s collection of 24 wax-sealed 30ml tasters.
Standout gins include the likes of spit-roasted pineapple gin made using demerara-roasted pineapples, which lend great sweetness to the gin, rounded off with an earthy juniper base, balsamic strawberry gin with surprisingly minimal acidity but loads of delicious woodiness from the aged vinegar, rich chocolate orange gin and its popular Yuletide gin.
The branding is bold and fun, as are the flavour combinations, with the contents of this calendar leaning more towards experimental than refined, less about prestige and more about playfulness. A perfect option for those looking to push their palates further.
Buy now £59.95, Masterofmalt.com
What is the best gin advent calendar?
After deliberation, the best gin advent calendar is Drinks by the Dram premium gin advent calendar, thanks to its unbeatable mix of rare spirits and sleek presentation. For those looking for something less expensive but still excellent, the Fever-Tree’s gin and tonic advent calendar delivers perfect festive serves at a lower price point. If you’re after a middle-ground option, Virgin Wines’ gin advent calendar is an excellent all-rounder with broad appeal.
