In case you needed the reminder: Mother’s Day this year is May 12. If your mom, mother figure, or the mother of your kids likes whiskey or wine, we recommend buying her a nice bottle. Something she might hesitate to buy for herself. (Maybe, if you’re lucky, she’ll share a drink with you.)

Whiskey gift-giving is as personal as taste, so rather than advise you on what we think this special lady would like—a dubious proposition, since we probably don’t know her—we asked moms who make whiskey what they are hoping to receive this year. 

Some made humble requests; others dreamed big. But hey, if there’s anyone who deserves her dream whiskey (or Champagne, or mezcal), it’s the woman who spent nine months of her life not drinking it at all for the sake of her offspring.

Lisa Roper Wicker, Master Distiller & Blender

Saints & Monsters Distilling

Mom to three 30-somethings: Rachel, Jordan, and Meg

Two bottles gifted to me on Mother's Days past: an Old Medley barrel pick from an evening at Jack Rose with my son and now daughter-in-law, and a “Japan-only” release of Four Roses one of my sons-in-law brought back from a trip there. 

Now? In my wildest dreams, a pre-Bernheim Old Fitzgerald! A 26-year Laphroaig! Both of these whiskies haunt me. In reality? Anything picked out by my three 30-something children, Rachel, Jordan, and Meg. All three have excellent palates!

Molly Troupe, Master Distiller

Freeland Spirits

Mom to a 2-year-old girl, with another on the way

I would love it if my husband got me a bottle of Barrell Seagrass or Glenfiddich 15 Year Solera Reserve for Mother’s Day. Barrell Seagrass is one of the most inventive blends I have tasted in a while, and combines my love of rye whiskey with my love of madeira barrel finishes. And Glenfiddich 15 Year Solera Reserve has a special place in my heart and is always a wonderful gift.

Jane Bowie, Master Blender and Co-founder

Potter Jane Distillery

Mom to Beatrice, 7

I feel like I could ramble on for days, as there are so many bottles I would love to have for either sentimental reasons or that I am dying to taste. If we are dreaming BIG, I would love to have an Old Crow Chessmen set. My daughter wants to learn chess and what better set we can both learn from; her with the game, me with the whiskey! 

I also am an amateur wine collector. And 2016 was the year I became a mom to the one and only Beatrice Bowie! I have been collecting wines from that year to drink as she gets older. My first wine experience was in Burgundy the year I turned 30. I finally understood terroir and it piqued so much interest in the agricultural side of what I do. I would love a beautiful grand cru from there to cellar and drink with her on a future Mother’s Day.

And for consumption on the day, that’s easy: Champagne. I’ve fallen in love with a smaller house I found in my local liquor store: Lacourte-Godbillon. They do premier cru Champagnes with less dosage and more time on the lees. Would love to have an expression we don’t get here in Kentucky.

Becky Harris, Co-founder and Chief Distiller

Catoctin Creek

Mom to Luke, 23, and Eddie, 26

For Mother's Day this year, were it even available anymore, I would love a bottle of Single Cask Nation: The English Whisky Co. 9 Year English single malt whisky. It was just delicious, and I always like to be shouting out other independent spirits companies available doing fun and unexpected projects.

Jackie Zykan, Master Blender

Hidden Barn Whiskey

Mom to Bennett, 10

This is going to sound strange, but the bottle I would like to receive is 291 Bourbon, at barrel strength, and not to drink but because I’m working on new ODUOAK scents using it as a base. Not that it isn’t worth drinking! I just have so much bourbon already.

Ashley Frey, Co-founder and Chief Storyteller

Frey Ranch Distillery

Mom to Alice, 10, and Charley, 8

I’m a pretty simple mom. When I’m not drinking Frey Ranch whiskey, I enjoy Mimosas. If I’m dreaming big, I’d ask for Dom Pérignon Champagne—and at that point I’d hold the orange juice.

Ann Soh Woods, Founder

Kikori Whiskey

Mom to two teenagers, 17 and 19

I'd want my kids or husband to get me a bottle of Jacques Selosse Champagne so I could share with my fellow mom friends because they deserve the best! And anything from The Japanese Bitters.

Jennifer Nickerson, Co-founder and Managing Director

Tipperary Boutique Distillery

Mom to a 2-and-a-half-year-old boy

Having a warehouse full of whiskey, I would like something a little different.

I love mezcal. Particularly brands like Real Minero, which are based on traditional techniques handed down through generations. I appreciate the authenticity of the brand, and the pride taken in using the spirit to convey the terroir of the region, from the agave variety used to the artisanal production methods.

In particular, I would have a bottle of Marteño, made with 13-year-old maguey Marteño [scientific name agave Karwinskii, often called Madrecuixe or Barríl], fermented with native yeast and distilled in a clay pot. The earthy, stony minerality of this mezcal is perfect for contemplating my to-do list when a certain toddler has gone to bed.

Having said all that, a plane ticket to visit the distillery itself would be easier for little hands to carry.

Amy Maverick, Co-founder

Maverick Distilling

Mom to Lauren, 18; Brady, 16; and Quinn, 12

For Mother’s Day, I want a bottle of Widow Jane bourbon that was blended by master distiller Lisa Wicker. A wise distiller once told me if you only drink your own juice, that’s all you will like. So I’m working on building my own collection of bourbons, starting with those made by inspiring female distillers. 

Shaylyn Gammon, Head of Innovation and Development for Whiskies

Coors Spirits Co.

Mom to “an almost-3-year-old son whose only vocabulary seems to be variations on the word ‘no’”

This Mother’s Day, I’d be over the moon to get any of the bottles that Nancy Fraley has worked on. [These include Wyoming Whiskey, Jos. A. Magnus, J. Henry & Sons, and Virginia Distillery Co., among others. – Ed.] I’ve never met her, but we have mutual friends. She brings such a disciplined approach to her blending. You can see how her wealth of knowledge in other spirit lanes creatively informs her approach within whiskey. Looking forward to trying some of her creations!