The Massive Costco Advent Calendar Perfect For Whiskey Lovers

If you celebrate Christmas, counting down the days until December 25 is a process best enjoyed with an Advent calendar. Traditional Advent calendars include little toys or pieces of candy, but in recent years, retailers have been releasing ones that are more extravagant and often themed. Costco, for example, had an imported cheese Advent calendar one year. There was a calendar made especially for dogs. And every year, many Costco shoppers celebrate the return of the coffee-themed one.

For 2023, Costco has also brought back its popular A Whisky Tour of Scotland advent calendar. Similar to past seasons, this version comes with two nosing glasses as well as 24 mini bottles of Scotch whisky for every day leading up to Christmas. Unlike Costco's beer Advent calendar, the Scotch one actually features 24 different types of whiskies. It also comes with a map and chart that tell you details such as the region and distillery each dram comes from and how long it's been aged.

According to shoppers who have already spotted the product at their local stores, Costco's whisky Advent calendar costs between $149.99 and $159.99. If you want to try a new whisky every day and enjoy Advent calendars in general, you'll probably find the product worth it. However, if you consider yourself a whisky connoisseur with a refined palette, you may not be impressed by the quality for the price.

Even though Costco's Advent calendar offers plenty of variety, the majority of the whiskies in it are only aged for 10 years or less, technically making them young according to whisky standards. Many of them are also single grain (not to be confused with single malt), meaning they're cheaper and easier to make and therefore not as high in quality. You definitely won't be getting top-shelf whisky from Costco's Advent calendar, so if you buy it just for the whisky, it's not the best deal.

Those who have tried Costco's whisky Advent calendar generally have positive things to say about it. "I bought it last year and had no regrets, one customer shared on Reddit. "Most were decent enough and a few were really good. It was fun and I enjoyed the variety, so it was $150 well spent." Another shopper in a different thread writes, "Some whiskeys [sic] were great, some not so much, but different regions offer different flavors, and I thought it was worth it. Good present for sure."

Most of the negative reviews about the Advent calendar actually come from people who didn't even buy it. The biggest complaints have to do with the fact that the whiskies are young, which you can easily figure out just by reading the package. One of the worst reviews did describe the whiskies as "smoke bombs," but as a TikToker pointed out in their review, all of the whiskies in the Advent calendar are peated, which means you can expect them to have smoky notes. For the most part however, customers seem to agree that Costco's whisky advent calendar is a fun way to countdown to Christmas.