Introducing The Holly and The Ivy, The Robin and The Wren for Christmas 2026
Every year, somewhere around the third mince pie, someone asks what you want for Christmas. Every year, you say "oh, nothing really". And every year, you get socks.
If you're reading a blog post about Christmas whisky gifts before December has properly started, you're already ahead. This year our Christmas range takes its cue from two of the oldest songs of the season: the carol of the holly and the ivy, and the folklore of the robin and the wren. One is a whisky. One is a whisky liqueur. They were made to sit on the same shelf, and we'd be lying if we said we hadn't designed the labels with exactly that in mind.
Here's the story behind each of them, plus the gift sets, the crackers, and a few honest pointers on who should get what.
Why carols and birds?
Winter in Caithness doesn't mess about. By late December the sun is up for about six and a half hours, the wind comes straight off the Pentland Firth, and our warehouses by the sea in Thurso earn their keep.
That's why the oldest Christmas traditions make so much sense up here. Holly and ivy were brought indoors at midwinter because they stayed green when everything else had given up. The robin and the wren were the birds that never left, still singing in the hedges on the shortest day. All four are a small promise that the dark doesn't last.
So we gave the whisky the evergreens and the liqueur the birds. The stags run across The Holly and The Ivy. The robin and the wren keep watch on the bottle beside it. Put them together and you have the whole of a far north Christmas, from the first carol to the last of the leftovers.
The Holly and The Ivy: a 10 Year Old, full grown
"The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown..."
The old carol had the right idea. Some things shouldn't be rushed. The Holly and The Ivy is our Christmas Edition 2026: a limited-edition 10 Year Old single malt Scotch whisky, drawn from the expression that gave Wolfburn its first ever age statement.
Every drop spent a full decade in hand-selected second-fill Oloroso sherry butts, maturing slowly by the sea. Full grown, in other words. We bottled it at 46% vol, with no chill filtration and no artificial colour, because that's how it tastes best and we see no reason to pretend otherwise.
What it tastes like
Nose: soft sherry sweetness, figs and raisins.
Palate: dark chocolate, caramel and gentle spice.
Best moment: Christmas Eve, once the presents are wrapped and the house has gone quiet. A drop of water if you like. No rules.
It's £69.99 for 70cl, and once it's gone, it's gone.
The Robin and The Wren: Pentland goes to Christmas
Let's get this out of the way: some people will read the words "whisky liqueur" and make a face. We've written about that face before. We're still fine with it.
The Robin and The Wren is the Christmas edition of Pentland, our single malt Scotch whisky liqueur, named after the stretch of sea between our coast and Orkney. It starts life as aged Wolfburn single malt from fresh bourbon casks, joined with pure, natural, locally sourced ingredients. No artificial anything. What comes out is toffee, caramel and Christmas cake in a glass, at 26% vol, in a 50cl bottle, for £29.99.
Why the robin and the wren?
The robin found its way onto Christmas cards thanks to the Victorian postmen, whose red coats earned them the nickname "robins". Before long, the bird itself was delivering the greetings.
The wren has an older story. In the fable of the birds' contest to fly highest, the tiny wren hid in the eagle's feathers, waited until the eagle tired, then flew a few feet higher and was crowned king of all birds. Small, clever and quietly brave. We felt a certain kinship. The wren even gets her own day: St Stephen's Day, the 26th, when the leftovers come out and nobody's in a hurry. Which happens to be exactly when this bottle does its best work.
How to drink The Robin and The Wren
After Christmas dinner: neat, or over a single large ice cube, alongside the plum pudding.
The Boxing Day coffee: a strong black coffee, a measure of The Robin and The Wren, and a spoonful of lightly whipped cream floated on top.
The lazy pudding: poured over good vanilla ice cream. Takes ten seconds. Gets compliments for a week.
It's also the answer to the hardest question of the season: what do you buy for someone who "doesn't really like whisky"? This. You buy them this.
Better together:
Can't choose? You don't have to. The Christmas Whisky Gift Set brings The Holly and The Ivy and The Robin and The Wren home together: one bottle for the quiet dram before dinner, one for pouring over pudding and into coffees long after it.
At £94.99 for the pair, it costs £4.99 less than buying them one at a time. That strikes us as the right way to reward good planning.
The Christmas Gift Pack: a dram for two
The best gifts include the giver. Our Christmas Gift Pack holds a full-size bottle of The Holly and The Ivy and two Wolfburn Glencairn glasses in a luxury presentation box. The Glencairn is shaped to gather every aroma, and there are two of them for a reason.
Everything a whisky drinker needs on Christmas morning, short of an armchair. The box does the work, the whisky does the talking, and you take the credit. It's £85.99.
Luxury whisky Christmas crackers: a dram at every place
Most crackers give you a paper hat and a plastic fish. Ours give you a paper hat and a dram.
Every one of our luxury whisky Christmas crackers holds a 5cl miniature of Wolfburn single malt, a festive hat, a joke (no promises on quality) and a Wolfburn pin badge to keep. They come in matt black with gold geometric ends, or festive red with gold detail, both tied with gold ribbon.
- The box of six has one of each of our single malts: the 12 Year Old, the 10 Year Old, Northland, Aurora, Langskip and this year's Christmas Wee Dram. Six crackers, six drams, no doubles, and an argument about which is best that will outlast the turkey. Choose the 6 black crackers or the 6 red crackers, £44.99 a box.
- Single crackers let you pick the dram for each guest. The black cracker and the red cracker start at £8.99.
A word of advice: five of the six drams are bottled at 46% vol. Langskip is cask strength, at 58% vol. Seat whoever pulls that one somewhere sensible.
And since you'll be wondering what the jokes are like, here's one we didn't put in: What did the 10 Year Old say to the Wee Dram? "You'll understand when you're older." You see the standard we're working to.
Which gift is right for them?
- For the whisky lover who has everything: The Holly and The Ivy. Limited, aged ten years, and not something they'll already own.
- For someone you'd like to share a dram with: the Christmas Gift Pack, with its two Glencairn glasses.
- For the person who "doesn't really like whisky": The Robin and The Wren. They'll be asking for a second glass by Boxing Day.
- For the couple, or the house that hosts Christmas: the Christmas Whisky Gift Set. Before dinner and after, sorted.
- For the whole table: a box of six black or red whisky Christmas crackers.
- For a stocking filler or Secret Santa: a single black or red cracker, from £8.99.
Last order dates for Christmas delivery
To make sure your gifts arrive in time for Christmas Day, please order by:
United Kingdom (Royal Mail Tracked 48hr): Friday 18th December
Europe, EU and non-EU (DHL Express): Friday 18th December
USA (DHL Express): Thursday 17th December
Rest of the world (DHL Express): Thursday 17th December
We deliver to much of Europe and many countries further afield, though not currently to Canada or Mexico, and recipients must be of legal drinking age. The full list, and answers to the other questions we get asked every December, are on our Christmas whisky gifts page. Honestly, though: order early. Couriers in mid-December are not famous for their sense of humour.
Merry Christmas from the far north
The holly and the ivy took a decade to grow. The robin and the wren stayed through the winter. The crackers are ready for the table. All that's left is to choose.
Browse the full range of Christmas whisky gifts, and if one of the drams happens to stay with the giver, we won't tell.
Fortune favours the brave. So does Christmas. From all of us in Thurso, Merry Christmas.