Canned heat: 9 of the best hip flasks for portable winter drinking
Stash shots in your pocket with these heady vessels
Whether you’re scaling Glen Coe or shivering outside a Glasgow club, there’s nothing like the neat heat of straight scotch to keep you warm in the depths of winter. Except, perhaps, a down-filled jacket. Or a log fire. Or soup.
Still, for an instant glow wherever you go, it’s tough to top a dram of something strong: the first-sip sucker-punch to your palate; the mildly unpleasant searing sensation as you swallow; the mellow afterburn more effective than any pot of Vicks VapoRub.
So, whether whisky is your weakness or it’s rum that toasts your tum, these fine flasks are the fastest route to liquid warmth this winter. And, quite possibly, the swiftest way to make new friends on a freezing Friday night.
Buying tips
Slim fit
From polished orbs to pewter cubes, flasks come in all sorts of forms. Planning to pocket yours? Opt for one with the classic kidney shape, curved to keep a low profile against your body.
Shot selection
Sharing is caring, but there’s only so much you can carry in your coat pocket. A standard 6oz flask will serve up seven single measures, so do the maths before you dole out the drams.
Unleaded fuel
Pewter is a fine material for a premium flask, with a lovely lustre that’ll last and last. And, thanks to a British Standard in the Seventies, you won’t find any nasty lead in the alloy today.
Initial thoughts
Patina can put a personal stamp on any well-loved vessel, but if you want to emboss your ownership right away then engraving is the way to go. A classy acronym is all it takes.
Wrapped receptacles
The technicolour cache: Ettinger Sterling 6oz (£90)
The hues of whisky might be amber, but that doesn’t mean your hip flask has to match. Bring brightness to your back-pocket booze with this azure accoutrement from Ettinger: compact, neatly curved and far classier than that disaster you tried to decorate yourself at craft club.
The patterned classic: Barbour Classic Tartan Cover (£32)
Wrapped in a wax jacket as the wind whips across the moor, spare a thought for the poor single malt shivering in your hip flask. No fermented beverage deserves to freeze, so invite yours to the tartan party with this woven home, sure to keep your glug as snug as a bairn.
The tanned can: Aspinal of London Classic 5oz Leather (£49)
A sip or two is all it takes to warm the cockles. Anything more and you’ll be stumbling among the hills like your old man after he’s been at the homebrew. Go streamlined and refined with this leather-bound flask from Aspinal, perfectly sized to keep you toasty but sober.
Sturdy reserves
The indestructible icon: Stanley Classic 8oz (£22)
The Zippo lighter. The Swiss Army Knife. The Leatherman multi-tool. The best outdoor gear is legendary for its sheer utility alone and Stanley’s stainless steel Classic Flask is no exception. As durable as it is iconic, there’s a reason the wide-mouth warrior ships with a lifetime warranty.
The porcelain pop-top: MCGO Ivory Ceramic (£76)
A ceramic flask might not sound like the safest way to transport 11 fluid ounces of liquor, but pottery worked just fine for the Romans – and things went pretty well for them. Sure, it’s not one to drop at the bottom of your kit bag but, with walls a quarter-inch thick, MCGO’s wonderfully rustic looker won’t go to pieces in your artisanal picnic basket.
The see-through stash: GSI Outdoors Boulder 10 (£16)
Keeping track of rations is key to any successful expedition, and that’s as true for fluids as it is for food. Helpfully, this rugged number has clear sides with measuring marks for easy liquid management. It’s shatterproof, too, which should prevent clumsy wastage – unless you drain it all at once.
Bare-metal vessels
The Scandi statement: Royal Selangor Erik Magnussen (£99)
Good design lasts for decades, which is why Erik Magnussen’s polished pewter piece looks as good today as it did when it was winning awards back in the ’90s. With its domed cap and curves in all the right places, the timeless container remains a lesson in liquid-toting minimalism.
The clean canteen: Snow Peak Titanium Curved (£116)
Inactivity is an unhelpful quality in a hiking partner, but the ideal attribute for a flask. Enter titanium: famed for its featherweight strength, the metal’s inert chemical nature means it won’t taint any tipple it touches. So, unlike your companion’s idle attitude, this shapely receptacle shouldn’t leave a bitter taste.
The corner cutter: English Pewter Company Novus (£85)
As you learnt during your summer as a gardener, chopping the top corner off something doesn’t usually pass for innovation. Unlike your lopsided topiary, though, the off-centre opening of this polished pewter puck is something truly new – which you’ll know from the name, if your Latin’s up to scratch.
Chris Rowlands
Freelance contributor 