CH Contributor

Eight Giftable Spirits

by Karen Day, Ami Kealoha and Julie Wolfson

For booze-hounds and casual tipplers alike, a quality bottle of the sauce makes an always-appreciated gift. Choose display-worthy packaging too—from opulent crystal to a melting box——and you've made the whole scene merrier.

Layering hints of mulled cherries, strawberries and raspberries intermingled with spicy cinnamon and clove, Patz & Hall's 2007 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($38) pairs well with traditional holiday meals. Add a Gräf & Lantz Quiver wine carrier ($126) to dress it up as a gift for favorite oenophiles.

A limited edition of 400, Macallan housed their 57-year-old single malt whiskey in a decanter designed by French crystal authority Lalique. Double hitting both our penchant for Scotch and for over-the-top objects, the $15,000 bottle ranks high on our "if-someone-wins-the-lottery" wish-list this season.

Owned by funny man Dan Aykroyd, he packages his Crystal Head vodka in a skull bottle made by Milan-based Bruni Glass.

Strong but sweet, the smooth black Kraken Spiced Rum begets an ambrosial drink either mixed or sipped neat.

Just in time for the holidays, Belvedere launched a limited edition silver bottle to encase their classic, high-quality vodka. To help out holiday party planners, they also recently launched the Belvedere Bar, an online feature offering signature cocktail recipes and mixing tips—such as celebrating the end of this decade with a Connaught Mule.

Design Miami's Designer of the Year Maarten Baas teamed up with centuries-old champagne producer Ruinart for a gift box celebrating the 50th anniversary of its prestige cuvée, Dom Ruinart with a nod to Baas' melting collection. Included in the box (a gift in itself), a customized Dom Ruinart 1998 and two Maarten Baas’ flutes add a surreal touch to drinking one of our favorite beverages. To order contact Ruinart.

Collaborating once again with Australian designer Marc Newson, Dom Pérignon's new molded Black Box totes a bottle of their bubbly keeping it perfectly chilled on the way to its destination with chic lime green accents. Retailing for €200 in France, it will debut in other markets around the world come January 2010.

Image via Selectism