The Festive Spirits Guide: Curated Bottles to Sip, Celebrate, and Gift This Season

The holidays are about coming together — around the table, at home, or over a well-chosen bottle. Whether you’re gifting something special or opening a bottle for Christmas dinners and New Year’s celebrations, the right spirit sets the tone and elevates the moment.

Travel retail adds an element of surprise to festive shopping, with airport shelves often revealing whiskies and spirits you don’t find back home. Limited editions and travel-only expressions make for thoughtful picks — bottles chosen in transit that feel personal, considered and quietly special.

At home, familiar favourites easily open into Christmas dinners, house parties and late-night New Year’s toasts. These are easy-going, characterful spirits made for sharing, pouring generously and marking the moments that bring everyone together.

Here’s your guide to the season’s finest picks, perfect for gifting, hosting and making the holidays truly special.

1. Roku Gin Botanical Kasane Edition (Travel Retail Exclusive)

A new expression in the Roku family and a perfect festive find for travellers, Roku Kasane celebrates the Japanese art of layering in both craft and flavour. Available exclusively through travel retail, it builds on Roku’s signature six Japanese botanicals, each harvested at peak season, and elevates them through a meticulous layering technique that honours the beauty of arrangement. The result is a refined gin with a rich, complex aroma and a gentle hint of sweetness. Sweet, floral notes blend seamlessly with fresh green botanicals, subtle citrus, and a refreshing touch of spice.

Its smooth and vibrant, lingering finish makes it ideal for festive cocktails or to enjoy neat as an elegant aperitif. Thoughtful, sophisticated, and beautifully crafted, Roku Kasane makes for a limited-edition gift that captures the spirit of Japanese artistry, and a truly special way to toast the holidays with something exclusive.

Availability: Mumbai’s Ospree Duty Free

2. Maker’s Mark Classic

Rounding out the winter dram selection, Maker’s Mark brings its signature smooth, wheated bourbon into the festive spotlight. While rooted firmly in its handcrafted, small-batch heritage, Maker’s Mark continues to evolve, introducing styles that speak to both traditional bourbon lovers and younger, more adventurous drinkers. Its warm notes of vanilla, caramel, and gentle toast pair beautifully with winter favourites, from cosy desserts to grilled holiday feasts. The result is a pour that feels both classic and forward-looking, perfect for those who appreciate tradition with a modern twist.

This festive season, every bottle of Maker's Mark Classic 1L comes with a complimentary knitted bottle jumper, making it an instantly giftable treat, full of charm, warmth, and exceptional bourbon in one festive package.

Availability: Mumbai’s Ospree Duty Free & Delhi Duty Free, while stocks last.

3. Hibiki Harmony Master's Select

A bottle that feels like a gift before it is opened, Hibiki Japanese Harmony blends more than ten malt and three grain whiskies with the precision of the House of Suntory. This expression is available exclusively at select travel-retail locations, making it a rare discovery you can only bring home while travelling.

Perfect alongside cheese boards, roasted nuts and lighter Japanese fare, it makes a thoughtful gift for those who value craftsmanship and quiet sophistication.

Availability: Domestic & Global Travel Retail, including Delhi Duty Free and Mumbai’s Ospree Duty Free

4. Toki Suntory Whisky

For the holidays, Toki Suntory Whisky captures the lighter, more playful side of the House of Suntory. Crisp and vibrant, it opens with notes of green apple, basil and white grape, making it an effortless choice for refreshing highballs at Christmas brunches, afternoon gatherings or lively house parties.

Toki Black takes a richer, more contemplative turn, built on Hakushu heavily peated malt and grain. With notes of baked apple, warm butterscotch, soft smoke, and gentle winter spice, this travel-retail exclusive is a deeper, cosier expression, meant to be discovered on your journey and savoured at home or gifted thoughtfully.

Two expressions, clearly distinct, together showcase Suntory’s mastery of balance and mood this festive season.

Availability: Toki Suntory Whisky: Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Assam, West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Goa, Chandigarh, Punjab and UP; Toki Black 1L: Delhi Duty Free & Mumbai’s Ospree Duty Free, and other key selected Indian airports.

5. Bowmore 16 Year Old Ruby Port Cask Finish

A collector’s treasure in the travel retail collection, Bowmore 16 Year Old Ruby Port Cask Finish offers a rare encounter with coastal smoke, layered fruit, and Ruby Port richness — a whisky to bring home with purpose. Matured in American Oak ex-Bourbon and European Oak Sherry casks, and finished in Ruby Port casks from Portugal’s Douro Valley, it layers coastal smoke with berry richness and winter warmth.

Complex, contemplative, and perfect for winter, this travel-retail exclusive makes a rare holiday gift for seasoned whisky drinkers or a memorable souvenir to bring home from your journey.

Availability: Delhi Duty Free & Mumbai’s Ospree Duty Free, and other key selected Indian airports

6. Laphroaig 10

Bold, iconic and unmistakably Islay, Laphroaig 10YO delivers medicinal peat, sea spray, smoky sweetness and a long, warming finish, a perfect winter dram. It pairs beautifully with hearty festive fare, from grilled meats to rich holiday dishes.

A timeless gift for fans of deep, expressive smoky whiskies.

Availability: Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Goa, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, UP, Rajasthan, Delhi Duty Free & Mumbai’s Ospree Duty Free, and other key selected Indian airports

7. Roku Gin Sakura Bloom Edition

Bringing the poetic beauty of Japanese spring to the festive season, Roku Sakura Bloom Edition adds a soft floral elegance to Christmas celebrations. Crafted with six signature Japanese botanicals including Sakura flower and Sakura leaf, this limited edition gin balances delicate sweetness with subtle salty notes, creating a beautifully layered and refreshing profile.

A graceful, super premium pour that adds a touch of serenity to cosy Christmas evenings and a thoughtful, artful gift for the season.

Availability: Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata