There is something about an advent calendar that brings back the excitement of Christmas.

As a child, it was the simple ritual of opening a little door every morning to see what was hiding behind it. As an adult, the same idea still works — only the chocolate can be replaced with something a little more grown-up.

That is where spirit advent calendars come in.

For Christmas 2026, Beerhunter has introduced two 12-day spirit advent calendars designed around miniature bottles: the 12 Rums of Christmas Dead Man’s Fingers Advent Calendar and the 12 Spirits of Christmas Advent Calendar, featuring a mixture of rum, gin, whiskey, vodka and tequila.

Both contain 12 x 5cl miniature spirits and currently retail at £39.95, making them a more affordable alternative to many traditional 24-day drinks calendars.

They are also ideal if you like the idea of an adult advent calendar but don't necessarily want an alcoholic drink waiting behind a door every single day of December.

Explore Beerhunter's Advent Calendars 2026

What Is a 12 Day Spirit Advent Calendar?

A 12 day spirit advent calendar works on the same principle as the traditional Christmas countdown, but instead of opening 24 doors, you have 12.

Behind each one is a miniature spirit to discover.

That shorter format has a few advantages.

For starters, it brings the price down. You can still get the excitement of an advent calendar without moving into the £80–£100 territory of some full 24-day drinks calendars.

It also makes the countdown much more flexible.

You don't have to drink one spirit every evening. You could open them across the final 12 days before Christmas, save a few for weekends, share them with someone else, or simply work through them at your own pace.

For us, that is part of the appeal.

It's an advent calendar, not a drinking schedule.

Why Choose a 12 Day Advent Calendar Instead of 24 Days?

The biggest difference is simply that 12 days can fit Christmas better for some people.

A full 24-day alcohol advent calendar is great if you want the complete December experience, but it isn't right for everyone.

A 12-day version gives you:

• a lower price
• fewer drinks to work through
• more flexibility over when you open them
• miniature bottles rather than full-size serves
• the same element of surprise and discovery
• a Christmas gift that feels a bit different

It can also work especially well if you're buying for someone else.

You still get that impressive advent-calendar experience, but you're not necessarily asking the recipient to commit to opening an alcoholic drink every day from 1 December.

Which Beerhunter 12 Day Spirit Advent Calendars Are Available?

Beerhunter currently has two different 12-day choices for Christmas 2026.

The important thing is that they suit quite different drinkers.

12 Rums of Christmas Dead Man’s Fingers Advent Calendar

If the person you're buying for loves rum, this is the obvious choice.

The 12 Rums of Christmas Dead Man’s Fingers Advent Calendar 2026 contains 12 x 5cl rum miniatures and is currently priced at £39.95. Beerhunter also currently lists it as a top pick within its rum-gifting range.

Rather than jumping between completely different spirit categories, the fun here comes from exploring rum flavours within the Dead Man's Fingers range.

That's what makes it particularly suitable for somebody who already knows rum is their drink.

After all, you probably wouldn't buy someone a rum advent calendar if you knew they didn't like rum.

Best for: Rum fans, Dead Man's Fingers drinkers and anyone who enjoys flavoured spirits.

Why choose it: A focused tasting experience rather than a random mix of different spirit categories.

12 Spirits of Christmas Advent Calendar

If you don't want to stick to one type of drink, the 12 Spirits of Christmas Advent Calendar 2026 is the more varied option.

It contains 12 x 5cl miniatures spanning rum, gin, whiskey, vodka and tequila, and is also currently £39.95.

This is probably the stronger choice for someone whose drinks cabinet already contains a bit of everything.

It can also be useful when you're buying a Christmas present for somebody who enjoys spirits but you aren't confident enough to say, "They're definitely a rum drinker" or "They only drink gin."

Every door has the potential to take them somewhere different.

Best for: Adventurous drinkers, gift buyers and anyone who likes spirit variety.

Why choose it: Five different spirit categories make the tasting experience less predictable.

Which 12 Day Spirit Advent Calendar Should You Choose?

The easiest way to decide is to think about the person opening it.

There isn't a universal winner.

If you know the recipient loves rum, I'd go with Dead Man's Fingers.

If their drinks cabinet looks like a tour of the entire spirits aisle, the mixed calendar makes far more sense.

Are Spirit Advent Calendars Good Christmas Gifts?

Yes — and that is arguably where these 12-day versions make the most sense.

Most people can buy themselves a bottle of their favourite gin or rum at any point during the year.

An advent calendar is different.

You're giving them 12 separate moments to enjoy throughout December, rather than one bottle they unwrap on Christmas morning.

That makes it feel more like an experience.

There's also an element of surprise that you don't get from a standard bottle.

What will tomorrow's miniature be?

Will they discover something they haven't tried before?

Will one bottle end up becoming their new favourite?

That's the bit that brings back some of the childhood magic of an advent calendar without making the gift feel childish.

It is essentially the grown-up version of opening that little cardboard door each morning.

Can You Buy a Spirit Advent Calendar for Yourself?

Absolutely.

Not every advent calendar needs to be a present.

Buying one for yourself can actually be one of the best ways to explore spirits because miniatures let you sample different flavours without committing to full-size bottles.

If you're curious about rum, the Dead Man's Fingers calendar gives you a relatively low-commitment way to explore the range.

If your tastes are broader, the mixed calendar lets you compare completely different spirits.

You might discover that you actually enjoy tequila more than you expected, or finally find a gin style you like.

That's why we think the discovery element matters just as much as the countdown itself.

Do You Have to Open One Spirit Every Day?

No — and you really shouldn't feel as though you have to.

One of the advantages of a 12-day calendar is that you can make the countdown work around you.

You could:

• open one on selected evenings
• save them for Friday and Saturday nights
• open all 12 across the final days before Christmas
• taste them with a partner
• share different miniatures with friends
• keep a few for Christmas and New Year

For some people, that flexibility is a major advantage over a traditional 24-day alcohol calendar.

The calendar still gives you the ritual and surprise without needing to turn December into a daily drinking challenge.

Can You Share a 12 Day Spirit Advent Calendar?

Yes, and we actually think this is one of the nicest ways to use one.

A 5cl miniature can be split into small tasting pours, particularly if you're interested in trying and comparing flavours rather than simply making a full drink.

A couple could work through the calendar together.

Friends could open several miniatures on one evening and turn it into an informal tasting.

You could even rate each bottle as you go and see whether you agree on the favourite by Christmas.

It turns the calendar into something social rather than just something sitting on the kitchen side.

Are Miniature Spirits Good for Discovering New Drinks?

This is one of their biggest advantages.

Buying a full 70cl bottle of an unfamiliar spirit is quite a commitment if you have no idea whether you'll enjoy it.

A 5cl miniature gives you enough to experience the flavour without being left with most of a bottle you don't want.

That makes advent calendars particularly well suited to discovery.

You aren't only counting down to Christmas.

You're gradually working out what you actually like.

By the end of the 12 days, you might have discovered a new rum flavour, spirit category or serve that you'd happily buy again in full size.

Is a 12 Day Spirit Advent Calendar Good Value?

That depends on what you want from it.

If you judge purely by litres of alcohol for your money, buying one full bottle is obviously a different proposition.

But that isn't really what an advent calendar is for.

You're paying for:

12 miniatures + variety + presentation + discovery + the Christmas countdown experience.

At a current regular price of £39.95 for 12 x 5cl miniatures, Beerhunter's two spirit calendars also sit well below its £99.95 24-day Mixed Tipple Advent Calendar.

That's part of why we think the shorter format is interesting.

It gives you the adult advent-calendar experience at a noticeably lower entry price.

What Is the Difference Between a 12 Day Spirit Calendar and a 24 Day Drinks Advent Calendar?

A 12-day calendar is more focused.

A 24-day calendar gives you the full month-long countdown and naturally offers more individual drinks.

The 12-day calendars do something different.

They cost less, take up less of December and are centred around miniature spirits.

Neither format is automatically better.

It depends on what sort of Christmas countdown you actually want.

Read Beerhunter's guide to the best drinks advent calendars for 2026

Who Is a 12 Day Spirit Advent Calendar Best For?

I'd consider one for:

The rum lover
Go for Dead Man's Fingers.

The adventurous drinker
Choose the mixed spirits calendar.

The person who has everything
An experience-based gift can be much harder to duplicate than another bottle.

Couples
Share the miniatures and turn each opening into a small tasting.

Someone who doesn't want a 24-day alcohol calendar
Twelve days offers a lighter, more flexible countdown.

Yourself
Because adults are allowed advent calendars too.

When Should You Start a 12 Day Advent Calendar?

There are no rules.

If you want the final bottle to fall on Christmas Eve, start on 13 December.

But you could equally start on 1 December and open one every other day, save the calendar for weekends, or work through it whenever suits you.

That's another part of what we like about the format.

It gives you a countdown without dictating exactly how you should enjoy it.

Why Do Advent Calendars Still Feel Special as Adults?

Because the appeal was never really just the chocolate.

It was anticipation.

You knew there was something waiting behind the next door, but you couldn't have it yet.

A spirit advent calendar recreates that feeling in a more grown-up form.

Instead of discovering a tiny chocolate Santa, you're discovering a miniature rum, gin, whiskey, vodka or tequila.

The product has changed.

The Christmas excitement hasn't.

And when December becomes dominated by buying presents, organising meals and trying to remember where you put the wrapping paper, having one small surprise waiting for you can actually be quite nice.

Which Beerhunter 12 Day Spirit Advent Calendar Is Right for You?

If you know you love rum, the 12 Rums of Christmas Dead Man's Fingers Advent Calendar is the straightforward choice.

If you want variety, surprise and the chance to discover several different types of spirits, choose the 12 Spirits of Christmas Advent Calendar.

Both offer a different approach to the traditional Christmas countdown: 12 miniature drinks, a lower price than many 24-day alcohol advent calendars and much more flexibility over how you enjoy them.

Whether you're buying one as a gift or keeping it for yourself, that's really the attraction.

It brings back a little bit of the excitement of an advent calendar — just in a way that feels considerably more grown-up.

Explore Beerhunter Advent Calendars 2026