Holiday Gift Guide: 25 Liquor Bottles We're Wishing For

Image via Complex Original

We can't really tell you about how great a coping mechanism liquor is during the stressful holiday season. Instead, we're reminding you that the holidays are great, and that if you want to have a drink to unwind, well, go right ahead. But before you start brown-bagging bodega swill, wish on all your luckiest stars for someone in your life to buy you any of these bottles. Or buy one for yourself. You deserve it.

Here's our Holiday Gift Guide: 25 Liquor Bottles We're Wishing For.

RELATED: 25 Liquor Bottles Worth Buying for the Bottle Alone

Lucid Absinthe

Click Here To Buy It Now At Binny's, $64.99

The absinthe revival has been in effect for a few years now, but that's no reason to not highlight the only American absinthe that contains real wormwood. For one, wormwood gives absinthe its signature flavor—on those grounds alone you should accept no substitutes. The other reason why you want real wormwood: thujone. Thujone is the ingredient said to cause the famous hallucinations absinthe is known for.

The Original Moonshine

Click Here To Buy It Now At BevMo, $38.99

There are a number of reasons to buy this (moonshine is badass, it tastes delicious, etc.) but don't let us tell you about it. Please take Yelawolf's word for it.

Partida Elegante Tequila

Click Here To Buy It Now At BevMo, $179.99

Your regular añejo tequila tastes smokier and more complex than a blanco. Partida's Elegante is an extra añejo for players with extra pocket strength. Aged for over 36 months and with a suggested retail that encourages window shoppers, the Elegante is for the discerning drinker. Let the great unwashed masses sip Patron.

Oxley Classic English Dry Gin

Click Here To Buy It Now At BevMo, $49.99

Other brands claim small-batch status, but Oxley actually lives it; the distillery only produces 240 bottles a day. The fresh, bright taste—similar to other English dry gins, but with an extra edge—is a result of Oxley's unique cold distillation process.

Tito's Handmade Vodka

Click Here To Buy It Now At BevMo, $32.99

There's a reason most quality cocktail bars stock Tito's—it's the one vodka every bar needs. Made in Austin, it does exactly what the clear spirit should: emphasize the tastes of whatever you've paired it with. It does nothing else, and it does it beautifully.

Angel's Envy

Click Here To Buy It Now At BevMo, $45.99

Woodford Reserve makes one of the best bourbons out, so when they announced they had a new American whiskey in store for us, we died of anticipation. Then Angel's Envy, the small-batch spirit they produced, resurrected us. The new bourbon is a result of extra aging in port wine casks. The result is a finely-balanced liquor with the flavor of wine-soaked cherries.

Ron Zacapa XO Solera Gran Reserva Rum

Click Here To Buy It Now At Binny's, $99.99

This Guatemalan export is a blend of various rums, all hand selected for quality. It's fruity, spicy, and the bottle it comes in suggests importance.

L'Esprit de June Liqueur

Click Here To Buy It Now At The Whiskey Exchange, $32.51

This flower liqueur, created from grape blossoms, looks like perfume and tastes like sweet fruit. You won't earn any points for hardness having this around, but listen up and look around—this is the time of the human croissant. Embrace it. This bottle is the perfect way to do just that.

Knappogue Castle Twin Wood

Click Here To Buy It Now At Binny's, $89.99

This 16-year-old single malt is mellow and sweet, thanks to the sherry casks it's finished in. The Irish know things about whisky that aren't expressed by Jameson or Tullemore Dew. This is proof.

Hendrick's Gin

Click Here To Buy It Now At BevMo, $31.99

If you're looking for a classic gin, steer clear of Hendrick's. Their concoction famously infuses the quintessential English liquor with rose and cucumber. Distilled in Scotland, Hendrick's doesn't taste like any other gin out.

Nolet's Silver Dry Gin

Click Here To Buy It Now At Binny's, $49.99

Another distinctive, different gin, Nolet's tastes of peach in addition to the expected juniper flavor. It's great in cocktails, especially if you want to deliver something unexpected. A gin and tonic made with Nolet's isn't like the next guy's G&T.

Grand Marnier Quintessence

Click Here To Buy It Now At Binny's, $799.99

Quintessence is the first expression launched in the U.S. by famed French spirits house, Grand Marnier, in over 30 years, and it's for ballers only. A blend of many different vintage Cognacs, some over 60 years old, Quintessence retails for nearly $800. But that's the ceiling on your annual Secret Santa, right?

Leblon

Click Here To Buy It Now At BevMo, $24.99

Leblon is cachaça, a Brazilian liquor made from fresh-pressed sugar cane juice. It's frequently compared to rum, but it this has a brighter, fruitier flavor. There are light floral notes as well. Leblon, named after a neighborhood in Rio, is three-times filtered and finely balanced, a result of the cognac casks the liquor ages in. Just add a couple of ice cubes, a splash of lime, and you're ready to go.

Glen Garioch Highland 1797 Founder's Reserve

Click Here To Buy It Now At Binny's, $44.99

One of the oldest scotch whiskies on this list, this single malt from Glen Garioch has been aging for nearly two decades. Peaty and smoky, with a long finish, this is your granddad's scotch. Keep it around for savoring.

Hakushu

Click Here To Buy It Now At The Whisky Exchange, $49.99

According to the experts at Suntory, Japan's premier whisky manufacturer, water is crucial to whisky. After tasting the crisp, green flavors of Hakushu, a single malt newly available in the United States, you'll be convinced of the importance as well. At their distillery, they use only water that cascades down from the Southern Japanese Alps. Classy.

Kahlúa Cinnamon Spice

Click Here To Buy It Now At Shopper's Vineyard, $18.99

You already know what it is. If you're making a White Russian, you'll need Kahlúa, the Mexican coffee liqueur. The new flavor takes Christmas cookies and crunches them into your White Russian. This is the Big Lebowski of holiday cocktails. Your party isn't complete without it.

Milagro Select Barrel Reserve Reposado

Click Here To Buy It Now At Binny's, $79.99

If you're going to stock your bar correctly, you need to stock a variety of tequilas. Enter this high-end reposado from Milagro, packaged in one of the most handsome bottles out. The glass is blown in such a way as to suggest an agave plant. The liquor inside has a honey-amber cast, and tastes like vanilla with little oak undertones.

Peligroso Anejo

Click Here To Buy It Now At BevMo, $59.99

Peligroso is one of the best packaged tequilas available, and their anejo is especially handsome. The opaque bottle and snake ornament make this a necessary look for you bar. Slightly paler than most anejos, it has caramel and pepper notes that provide a nice kick but won't leave your palate so hurt that it doesn't demand more.

(Belvedere) RED

Click Here To Buy It Now At Binny's, $21.99

You already know Belvedere: perfectly balanced, smooth, clean. (Belvedere) RED is special because 50% of the profits from its sale will contribute to the Global Fund™, an organization that fights HIV/AIDS in Africa. Usher has lent his support to the cause through promotion of (Belvedere) RED, and you should too. Few other liquors offer you the opportunity for positive action while you imbibe this holiday season.

The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years Old

Click Here To Buy It Now At Shopper's Vineyard, $57.99

A classic from the Macallan distillery gets a new look, making it a great gift. Their delicious scotch gets repackaged with original art from X-ray photographer Nick Veasey. Even if you've had the spirit before, you've never seen it look so awesome.

Brugal 1888

Click Here To Buy It Now At Shopper's Vineyard, $49.99

This unique rum treats the process with the seriousness of a fine scotch, aging the spirit twice, first in medium toasted American white oak casks followed by a second maturation in first-filled Sherry oak casks. Drink it neat to better taste the notes of chocolate, roasted coffee beans, hints of cinnamon and dried fruit.

Balvenie PortWood

Click Here To Buy It Now At Binny's, $189.99

The PortWood single malt is of drinking age, that is to say it's a 21-year-old. Because it's finished in casks that once held port wine, the whisky has a dark, nutty quality, as well as rich raisin notes. It's soft and silky; you want it in your mouth. You want a bottle in your house. You want someone to bankroll your expensive-ass taste.

Espolón Blanco

Click Here To Buy It Now At Binny's, $19.99

A blanco that shames the Cuervo you swilled in college, this clear tequila is smooth and clean. There's a hint of pepper and rich caramel in the nose. On the palate the taste is full-bodied, even a little creamy. There's no question as to why it won a Double Gold Medal at the 2011 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Jim Beam Devil's Cut

Click Here To Buy It Now At Binny's, $22.99

This new bourbon from the stalwart Jim Beam distillery plays off the idea of the angel's share—the portion of the bourbon that evaporates from the barrel as it ages—by offering you the darker alternative: the Devil's Cut. When a bourbon is finished aging, some of the liquid remains trapped in the wood. The folks at Beam have figured extracted that liquid and incorporated it back into the liquor, making for a richer drink. The vanilla and wood flavors are more pronounced, though none of the smoothness has been lost.

Johnnie Walker Double Black

Click Here To Buy It Now At Binnys, $39.99

A regular glass of Johnnie Walker Black Label tastes like liquid smoke, a delicious cigar in the form of a blended scotch whisky. They've made the taste even bolder with the new Double Black. Taste the charred oak casks with each refined sip.