Premium Whiskey Gift Sets: Which SmokeTop Set to Give This Holiday Season

Most premium whiskey gift sets are a bottle with two glasses, or a decanter in a wooden box. They look generous on the day and then join the glassware already in the cabinet. A gift set built around a cocktail smoker works differently, because it becomes part of how the drink gets made. The recipient reaches for it the way they reach for a jigger or a bar spoon.

What Makes a Whiskey Gift Set Premium

Price is not the test. A premium set has these qualities:

• Solid materials. Real wood, crystal or stainless steel, not plastic made to look like them.
• Complete in the box. Nothing for the recipient to go out and buy before the first use.
• Used often. Something that comes out every time they pour, not once a year.
• Presented well. A box that is ready to hand over.

SmokeTop Gift Sets Compared

Every SmokeTop, Cherry Bundle and Cinnamon Bundle can be engraved with up to 10 characters on the product page.

Why a Smoker Makes the Set

The original, patented SmokeTop®. Made in the USA, by bartenders, ready for your home bar.

The SmokeTop Cocktail Smoker by Middleton Mixology is a cocktail smoker made from American cherry wood and finished with food-safe mineral oil. It sits on the rim of the glass with no base unit, hoses or batteries. A small pinch of wood chips goes on the stainless steel screen, a torch lights them, and the glass fills with smoke in about five seconds. Grooves on the underside let the air in the glass escape so the smoke keeps flowing down. The design is protected by U.S. Patent No. 11,871,769.

Each SmokeTop is rated for about 500 uses, and each mesh screen for about 100. With the five spare screens in the box, the screens last the smoker's full rated life of about 500 uses.

The four wood chip flavors in the Cherry Bundle turn it into a small tasting set: pour the same bourbon four ways and compare. Cherry leans sweet and round, oak sits close to the barrel character already in the spirit, maple adds a mild sweetness, and hickory is the bold one for high-proof and barrel-strength pours.

How to Build a Fuller Whiskey Gift Set

For a bigger gift, start with the Cherry Bundle and add pieces that get used alongside it:

• Glassware. A pair of heavy-base crystal tasting glasses for neat pours.
• A decanter. The Prism crystal whiskey decanter for the bottle that stays on display.
• More wood. A second wood chip four-pack so they can try alder, apple, cinnamon and mesquite too.
• Engraving. Initials, a last name or a year on the smoker.
• The bottle. Their usual bourbon, or one they have not tried, bought locally.

Gift Sets by Budget

• Under $50: the SmokeTop on its own, or a wood chip four-pack for someone who already owns one.
• $70 to $100: the Cherry Bundle or Cinnamon Bundle, with engraving if you want it personal.
• $150 and up: a bundle plus crystal glasses and a decanter, or the 5-Pack for a group.

Current prices are on the gift collection, along with the full holiday gift guide on the gifts page.

Holiday Ordering

Order by noon ET on Monday, December 14 for Christmas delivery. Engraved orders need 4 to 6 extra days of processing, so place those by Friday, December 4. Each bundle ships in a branded SmokeTop gift box designed to go straight into a gift bag. Orders ship by ground within the contiguous United States, because butane cannot travel by air.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best premium whiskey gift set this holiday season?

For a bourbon or whiskey drinker who makes drinks at home, the SmokeTop Cherry Bundle. It holds a patented, made-in-the-USA cherry wood smoker, a refillable torch, four wood chip flavors and spare screens in a gift box, so it is ready to use the evening it is opened. Add crystal glasses or a decanter for a larger set.

What comes in the SmokeTop Cherry Bundle?

The SmokeTop smoker, a refillable butane torch, cherry, hickory, maple and oak wood chips, and five spare mesh screens. Choose Butane Included and the fuel is in the box too.

Is a cocktail smoker a good gift for someone who drinks whiskey neat?

Yes. The SmokeTop works on a neat pour or a single large cube as well as on an old fashioned. Smoke adds aroma to the glass, and the wood chip changes the character, so it adds range without changing what they drink.

Can I personalize a whiskey gift set?

Yes. The SmokeTop, Cherry Bundle and Cinnamon Bundle can be engraved with up to 10 characters on the product page. Custom engraving takes 4 to 6 days of processing.

Does the gift set need wrapping?

No. Each bundle ships in a branded SmokeTop gift box designed to go straight into a gift bag.

When should I order for Christmas?

By noon ET on Monday, December 14 for Christmas delivery, and by Friday, December 4 if you are adding engraving.