The Whisky Gift Graveyard

SipVault · Gift notes

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The whisky gift graveyard

Every whisky lover has a drawer of things people bought them because they like whisky. Here is why almost all of it ends up in there, and the one shape of gift that doesn't.

By Matt Wexler · Founder, SipVault

You already know the graveyard, because you've contributed to it. It is the second drawer down in the kitchen of anyone who has ever said out loud that they enjoy a good bourbon. It is full of well-chosen, well-meant, genuinely nice objects that got used exactly once.

The problem isn't taste. People buy whisky lovers beautiful things. The problem is that almost every whisky gift asks the recipient to change what they do: set up a ritual, plan ahead, get something out. And nobody adds a step to the thing they do at the end of a long day.

Five residents of the drawer

  • Whisky stones Handsome in the box. They chill nothing meaningfully, they need freezer space, and they need washing. Used once, at Christmas, to be polite.
  • The engraved glass set Now the good glasses, which means they live in the cabinet and never come out because they're the good glasses. Displayed, not used.
  • The decanter Requires decanting, and then requires washing something with a neck too narrow to get a hand into. Ornamental within a month.
  • The tasting journal Three entries in a confident hand, then eighty blank pages. Abandoned by February.
  • The "world's best whiskies" book Read on the sofa on Boxing Day, then a coffee table object forever. Never opened twice.

The gifts that survive are the ones that live on the bottle, not in a drawer, because the bottle is the thing they already reach for.

So we made the pour itself better

SipVault Smart Dispenser
  • It measuresSet the amount on the display, press once, and get the same pour every time, anywhere from 1 to 999 ml.
  • It aerates on the way outAir is introduced during the pour, which opens up whisky and bourbon and softens tannins in red wine. No decanter, no waiting.
  • It stays where it's neededIt sits on the bottle on the bar cart. There is no step to add and nothing to get out.
  • It gets noticedThe thing owners tell us most often is that guests ask where they got it.

Whether it's the right gift for your person

Buy it if they

  • Keep spirits out on a bar cart or a shelf rather than in a cupboard
  • Pour for other people: guests, dinners, the odd cocktail
  • Drink red wine as well as whisky, and never remember to decant
  • Are counting what they pour, for any reason
  • Already own every ornamental whisky object in existence

Skip it if they

  • Drink mostly beer, cocktails from cans, or nothing at home
  • Keep the bottle in a cabinet and pour twice a year
  • Want something that goes in a suitcase, because this stays upright on a bar
  • Dislike anything with a battery near their whisky

What actually turns up

SipVault Smart Dispenser
SipVault Smart Dispenser
SipVault Smart Dispenser
SipVault Smart Dispenser
  • Free worldwide shippingNo threshold, no surprise at checkout.
  • Arrives boxedDispenser, silicone adaptors, telescopic pipe, USB cable and quick-start guide, in a box you can hand over as-is.
  • 30 days to change your mindWhich runs past the holidays if you order now, including if it doesn't fit their bottles.
  • 4.9 from 483 buyersVerified Loox reviews on the dispenser.
4.9 average · 483 verified buyers

From people who own one

  • First time using this weekend and it is a game changer, even the wife loves using it!Wade B. · verified buyer
  • High end pouring! Love it. Lots of compliments.Ellen H. · verified buyer
  • This has more than added ease to my life. Now as more come into my home they ask where did I get it.Linda N. · verified buyer

Buy the one. Or don't stand there empty-handed.

The most common thing that happens after someone gives one away is that they order a second for their own bar. You can skip that step.

The gift $79each 1 unit · $79.00 One dispenser, boxed and ready to give.
Theirs and yours $75each 2 units · $150.00 · save $8 One to hand over, one for the bar cart you'll be standing at.
The whole list $72each 3 units · $216.00 · save $21 For the years where three people on the list all like whisky.
Get SipVault

Free worldwide shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee

SipVault™ Smart Dispenser: digital pour spout and wine aerator. Savings shown are against buying single units at $79. Rating and review count from verified Loox purchases at time of publication.