Dawn’s Holiday wish List: Shop Small, Shop Black-Owned
Every year, someone asks me what I want for the holidays. My answer is always the same: spend your gift budget somewhere it will be felt.
When you shop small, the money doesn’t disappear into a quarterly report. It pays for a founder’s next batch, a new design, a booth at next spring’s festival. I know because I’m one of those founders. Every bottle of New Dawn someone gifts keeps a Black woman-owned whiskey brand claiming its space in an industry African Americans helped build but were long kept from owning. And the gifts are better for it: made in small batches, by people who care how they taste and look and feel and rarely found on a big-box shelf.
So here’s my wish list this year: New Dawn favorites, plus the Black-owned and woman-owned makers I keep coming back to. Gift any of them, and you’ve given twice: once to the person on your list, and once to the person who made it.
The wish list
From New Dawn
6-Year Cask Strength Bourbon: organic New York grain, aged in the Catskills. Apricot, anise and chamomile on the nose, then cherry, almonds and croissant with a velvet finish. A Platinum winner at the 2025 L.A. Spirits Awards.
10-Year Wheated Whiskey: banana, chocolate and cherry on the nose; ginger, orange, apricot and peach on a palate that reveals itself slowly. The pour for the one who lingers.
Mixologist’s Tarot deck: 78 cards, each a cocktail recipe and a piece of guidance. The stocking stuffer I’m proudest of.
New Dawn rocks glasses and apparel: a glass and a bottle make the hostess gift; “My Girls” and “It’s a New Day” designs let them rep the brand.
For the cigar lover
Four of my favorite smokes come from Black-owned and woman-owned makers who sell direct:
Definition Cigars (Black-owned, Dallas): the Conception finishes like pecan pie beside the 6-Year; The Goods pairs beautifully with the 10-Year.
Tres Lindas (Black woman-owned): the La Negrita Torpedo turns into orange chocolate cake beside the 6-Year.
Drunk Chicken (Black woman-owned): the Original becomes rich gingerbread with the 6-Year.
Konscious (Black-owned): the Lancero is slender, elegant and built for a slow hour.
Every pairing is in my Cigar Lover Gift Guide.
For the morning after the gathering
Everything Irie Coffee and Tea (Black-owned): a bag of coffee or tea for the quiet moments before the family wakes up. Add a recipe card for our Alpine Brew or Mocha Old Fashioned.
For the snack board
Live Loud Foods: their Caribbean Jerk Candied Mixed Nuts sit beautifully beside a neat pour of the 6-Year.
For the one who loves a beautiful glass
Sisterly Drinkware cocktail and martini glasses: elegant stemware that makes any cocktail feel like an occasion. Pair a set with a bottle of New Dawn and a recipe card.
For the celebration
Caviar Dream with a New Dawn champagne cocktail: a little luxury for New Year’s Eve, or any night worth toasting. Pair a tin of caviar with one of our champagne cocktails, bubbles brightened by cask strength bourbon, and the evening plans itself.
For the reader: new releases from Black authors
Last First Kiss by Julian Winters: a second chance romance to warm you up on cold winter nights.
With Love from Harlem by ReShonda Tate: a novel of jazz great Hazel Scott. Pour a Juke Joint Julep and put on a record.
Honey by Imani Thompson: to satiate your desire for revenge in these troubling times.
Kin by Tayari Jones: if they haven’t read it already this will be at the top of their wish list.
For ten more book-and-whiskey pairings, see my Book Lover Gift Guide.
Shop small, shop early
Small makers don’t have warehouses on every coast, so give them time. Order gifts at least 10 days to two weeks before you need them, and earlier for anything made to order. Alcohol deliveries also need an adult (21+) to sign, so ship to an address where someone will be home.
Looking for more ideas? Start with Holiday Whiskey Shopping 101, then browse gifts by the person you’re shopping for.
Join the community
The best of New Dawn, from new recipes and pairings to stories and subscriber-only offers, lands with our newsletter community first. If you’d like a seat at the table this season, join the list here.
With gratitude,
Dawn
Frequently asked questions
Why should I shop small instead of at larger retailers?
You’ll find gifts made in small batches with real care, often ones the recipient has never seen. And your money goes straight to independent founders, helping them hire, grow and keep making the things you love.
What does New Dawn Distilling offer as gifts?
Our 6-Year Cask Strength Bourbon and 10-Year Wheated Whiskey, plus rocks glasses, the Mixologist’s Tarot deck and apparel in our merch shop. A bottle and a pair of rocks glasses make an excellent hostess gift.
How can I find more Black-owned and woman-owned gifts?
Every maker on this list sells direct, so you can buy straight from the source. Our gift guides feature more of them, alongside a pairing for each.
How do I hear about New Dawn’s holiday offers?
Join our newsletter. Subscribers hear about new releases and subscriber-only offers first.
Sip with purpose. 21+. Please enjoy responsibly.
