Flaviar Whiskey Advent Calendar 2024, Tested & Reviewed

Estimated read time 5 min read


The Advent calendar is no longer for kids. A package of a whole month’s worth of little treats is appealing to anybody, and there is truly an astonishing variety of food and drink Advent calendars out there, filled with everything from high-end chocolates to fancy jams to cheese to caviar.

Lots of these are decidedly for grownups, with drinks Advent calendars that offer samples of wine, beer, and spirits of all kinds. One of the most popular every year comes from Flaviar. Not only does the package include samples of spirits you’ve probably never heard of before, but it also features a fun design that makes it an even more desirable gift for the whiskey-lover in your life — even if that whiskey-lover is yourself. It’s no wonder that the Flaviar Whiskey Advent calendar sells out every year.

I was lucky enough to get an early preview of the 2024 Hotel Flaviar edition, and here’s what I thought.

Flaviar Whiskey Advent Calendar 2024

PHOTO: Flaviar

Why I Love the Flaviar Whiskey Advent Calendar

The big thing that separates the Flaviar calendar from other whiskey Advent calendars is its focus on small brands. You won’t find any Jack Daniel’s, Jim Beam, or Johnnie Walker here. Most of the samples are from independents, and even the most dedicated of whiskey geeks is probably not familiar with them all. I don’t want to spoil all the surprises, but my favorites of the bunch include Starward Nova, an Australian single malt aged in wine barrels for tons of red-fruit flavor, and Milam & Greene, a blend of bourbons from Texas, Kentucky, and Tennessee that brings spice and floral notes.

The packaging makes things a bit more fun, too. This year’s hotel-themed calendar comes in a steamer trunk–style box, and the included tasting booklet is a “guest itinerary” that puts each day’s whiskey in a different area of the fictional Hotel Flaviar, from its ski slopes to its tennis courts. More practically, there’s also a set of tasting notes for each whiskey with a paragraph about how it’s made and aged, plus space for you to write down your notes. Your “hotel keycard” unlocks a free Flaviar Black membership for a year’s worth of discounts on full bottle purchases, too, including all 24 whiskies in the calendar, other member-only options, and an array of spirits of all kinds. There’s even a little do-not-disturb hanger to put on the door of your whiskey-tasting room. None of this is necessarily anything you’ll want to hold onto after the holidays, but it makes the experience more fun.

The samples in the Flaviar calendar are a good size, at 50 milliliters (a little over an ounce and a half). That’s a full pour for one person, or for two to split and have a nice substantial taste. You also get two Glencairn glasses (our favorite glasses for whiskey tasting), which are the right size for nosing and sipping neat, with a little water, or with a small ice cube. These are all fairly high-end spirits meant to be enjoyed by themselves, but cocktail fans who want to splurge would probably like any of them in an old fashioned or Manhattan.

Food & Wine / Jason Horn


The Caveats

I’m a big fan of Scotch, especially the smoky peated single malts from Islay, and what disappointed me most about this year’s calendar is that it doesn’t include even a single one. It’s a global tour for sure, with Irish, German, Japanese, and Australian whiskies included, but the 2024 Flaviar Advent calendar avoids Scotland entirely. It’s heavily focused on American whiskies, with 14 bourbons plus a handful of American ryes and single malts.

It’s a pick for the more adventurous whiskey lover who knows a bit about the spirit and what they like. But even an expert will likely find several whiskies in here they’ve never tried before.

In terms of price, the Flaviar calendar is not a steal, but it’s a cost-efficient way to try a lot of different things at once. For $250 (plus shipping), you wind up with 1,200 milliliters in total, the equivalent of about a bottle and a half of whiskey. On the other hand, you’re getting pours of two dozen fairly rare spirits for under $12 apiece, less than you’d pay at your local whiskey bar — if you could even find them all there.

Food & Wine / Henry Wortock


How It Compares

Flaviar’s Advent calendar is by no means the only boozy option out there; we’ve rounded up 10 favorite whiskey Advent calendars, and that doesn’t begin to catalog all the possibilities. Where it stands out is in its balance of price and selection: Cheaper calendars tend to have a rather pedestrian assortment of whiskies, while ones with ultra-aged, extra-rare spirits cost astronomical amounts of money. It helps as well that Flaviar’s vials hold 50 milliliters each, nearly twice as much as many competitors’ 30-milliliter samples.

Another nice thing about the Flaviar calendar is shipping, which is often a source of frustration thanks to America’s patchwork of liquor laws across states and counties. The site can ship to all but nine states, and shipping costs $19.59 no matter where your calendar is going. Buying spirits online often leads to some sticker shock when you get to the shipping options page, but that’s not the case here.

Food & Wine / Jason Horn


The Verdict

The Flaviar Whiskey Advent Calendar is a generous gift for the whiskey lover in your life, whether that person is you or someone else. It’s just about the only way to get sample-sized tastes of smaller-production and harder-to-find whiskies, and it’s all in a fun, well-made package created especially for holiday gifting.

More Drink Advent Calendars

Our Expertise

Food & Wine senior writer Jason Horn has a master’s degree in journalism, a culinary education, and nearly 20 years of experience covering food and drinks. He’s a former editor at Liquor.com and former spirits columnist for Playboy, and his favorite whisk(e)y is Caol Ila, which sadly is not included in the Flaviar calendar.



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