The Ginvent Calendar: An advent calendar for gin drinkers

This is no ordinary advent calendar. It’s an advent calendar filled with gin -- 24 days of small bottles of gin, one to be enjoyed each day leading up to Dec. 24.

The Gin Blog collaborated with booze retailer Master of Malt to come up with the Ginvent Calendar, 24 gins in 3-centiliter drams for “juniper crazy” fans of the spirit.

Each gin is hidden behind an individual door, like a traditional advent calendar. Starting Saturday, those with Ginvent Calendars are asked to share their opinions about each gin on Twitter with @theginblog and @masterofmalt; a live tasting takes place at 5 p.m. GMT, or “gin o’clock.”

Each gin is meant to be a surprise, and the collection is not meant to represent “all forms of gin from around the world,” but it does include one or two from the U.S. “There is a real difference between the gins and ... all 24 represent what we think is the best the category has to offer,” the Gin Blog says.

“These are not new ‘fad’ gins there to fill out PR creds and that will be dead and disappeared in a year, they are brands that are here to stay and that are made, run and promoted by people who we felt understood what gin was about.”

If you’re dying to know what gins are offered (and skip this paragraph if you’re not), here’s the list: Hendrick’s Gin, Berkeley Sq, Hayman’s Old Tom, Bloom, Plymouth, Adnams, Origin – Arezzo, Bathtub Navy Strength, Portobello Road, Greenalls, Edinburgh Gin, No3 Gin, Tanqueray, G’Vine Floraison, Sacred, Caorunn, Tanqueray No. 10, Beefeater, Sipsmith, Bathtub Gin, Bombay Sapphire, Darnley’s View, Few Gin and William’s Gin.

Ginvent Calendars are available online at Master of Malt for £79.95 ($128.27) plus shipping. (There’s also a Whisky Advent Calendar.)

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