Est. 2021 ยท Des Moines, Iowa ยท Sixth Annual

The Whiskey Advent Calendar

24 people. 24 bottles. 24 strangers' samples, one revealed every day through Christmas.

Every year since 2021, 24 people each buy one bottle of whiskey. Those 24 bottles get split into 24 one-ounce samples and reshuffled, so that on December 1st, everyone opens a box holding a different stranger's bottle for every day through Christmas.

Sixth Annual Bottles due Oct 31, 2026 Tasting begins Dec 1
Thank You

Our 2026 Sponsors

Four distilleries stepped up to put a bottle in the box this year.

Days Until Day 1

The Countdown

โ€”Days
โ€”Hours
โ€”Minutes

Until the box gets opened on December 1, 2026

Five Years of Receipts

By the Numbers

Every kickoff email closes with a cumulative scoreboard. Through the 2025 chapter, since inception:

123Bottles Shared
2,640Samples Poured
$11,033Total MSRP Spent
37Unique Participants
30Are Repeats
104.4Avg Proof / Bottle
The Mechanics

How It Works

01

Submit a bottle

Each of the 24 participants buys and donates one bottle of whiskey (or two, back in the founding year).

02

We split & reshuffle

Every bottle is split into 24 one-ounce samples, then reshuffled so nobody gets their own bottle back.

03

Sip a surprise every day

From December 1st through Christmas, everyone opens one sample a day โ€” a different stranger's bottle each time.

Keep Reading

Explore the Archive

Six chapters, 2021โ€“2026

History & Lore

The founding charter, year-by-year chapters, the running jokes, and the traditions that stuck.

Read the history โ†’
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Records & Stats

Proof and price trends by year, the all-time hall of fame, and the records that still stand.

See the records โ†’
Avoid a repeat

Search The Archive

Thinking about submitting a bottle? Search everything that's been poured so far โ€” no year attached.

Search now โ†’
For distilleries

Partner With Us

An open invitation for distilleries curious about getting a bottle in front of a group that actually pays attention.

See the invitation โ†’