Walker’s Shortbread is the world’s finest, all-butter shortbread and perfect for gifting. The timeless tastes of Walker’s Shortbread are a joy for all, enjoyed on their own and through our recipes. Walker’s furnishes both the gifter and the recipient with a golden opportunity to spend time together making memories, trying new dishes, and enjoying the fruits of those efforts, together.

This post will explore some traditional Scottish gifts, from Walker’s Shortbread gift tins to gift baskets and much more!

Shortbread, Gift Tins and More

Wee offer a wide range of shortbread assortment and gift tins. These are some of our top picks, which make great gifts for all sorts of life milestones and events throughout the year.

Thistle Flower Shortbread Assortment

Our Thistle Flower Shortbread Assortment not only sports the flower of Scotland, the thistle, it is a gustatory delight filled with pure-butter shortbread in delightful shapes, including thistles, fingers, rounds, and hearts.

Edinburgh Castle Shortbread Assortment

Another lovely traditional gift is our Edinburgh Castle Shortbread Assortment, which also contains an assortment of shortbread fingers, triangles, ovals and rounds, all packaged in a high-quality box showcasing Edinburgh Castle, which was the residence of the Kings of Scotland until the 17th century. The castle is still a portrait of national pride, making this a wonderful, traditional Scottish gift.

Kilted Girl Tin

The Walker’s Kilted Girl Tin is a nod to a Walker’s design created in the 1960s, and offers a definitively retro vibe. It’s also full of petticoat tails, 4 of them, to be exact, and the gift tin is reusable, making this a gift that keeps on giving.

Taste of Scotland Basket

Our Taste of Scotland Basket is packed with traditional shortbread and so much more. It also contains Vanilla Shortbread, Salted Caramel & Milk Chocolate Chunk Shortbread, Scottie Dog Shortbread, and more. The whole assortment is wrapped up in a high-quality, reusable basket, and would make a delightful gift for any of the year’s special occasions - for birthdays, promotions, holidays, and much more.

Cozy Comforts Gift Basket

Walker’s Cozy Comforts Gift Basket is another choice gift for shortbread lovers, and comes with Shortbread Fingers as well as Triangles, Highlanders, and three different Twinings Tea varieties: Earl Grey, Peppermint Vanilla, and English Breakfast Tea, all of which are natural mates for all-butter Walker’s Shortbread!

Walker’s Tea Towel

Looking for a Walker’s-branded gift to give as an add-on? Consider one of our Walker’s Tea Towels. These make wonderful traditional Scottish gifts as, in the 1800s, tea towels filled a variety of roles, and were used not only to keep tea warm but to dry dishes and even to serve baked goods - like shortbread.

Glass Cookie Jar

Not just a storage solution, but a statement piece for your kitchen, these glass cookie jars are made from premium materials and sport the Walker’s logo. While the jar might not be Scottish, the cookies inside certainly are! Plus, they’re perfect not only for keeping your shortbread fresh, but for displaying it!

Other Traditional Scottish Gifts

In addition to these unique gifts, there are so many other traditional Scottish gifts that make nice tokens for those who either celebrate Scottish heritage themselves or simply take an interest in Scottish culture.

Beyond shortbread, consider the following.

Thistly Jewelry

The bonnie thistle, a beautiful purple flower with needle-sharp spines, has been a potent symbol of Scotland since time immemorial.

No one is exactly certain how the thistle became the “Flower of Scotland,” but a pervasive myth tells how, before the Battle of Largs in 1263, the invading Norse intended to sneak up on a group of sleeping Scots in the dead of night.

To do so, they removed their boots to creep noiselessly over the terrain, but one of the invaders experienced the mishap to tread, unshod, on a thistle. As you might imagine, his cry of pain roused the sleeping Scots, who then routed their enemy.

True or not, the thistle is today an enduring symbol of the rugged, unyielding beauty of Scottish spirit, and thistle-themed jewelry, such as pendants, rings, and earrings, are all lovely tokens that are unmistakably Scottish in character.

Quaichs

Quaichs (from Scottish Gaelic “cuach,” for “cup) are two-handed vessels, often made of pewter, silver, brass, horn, stone, or wood, which were traditionally used to serve whisky in company. The passing of a quaich among company was a rite, and symbolic of trust.

Originally used at Highland Gatherings to share drinks, quaichs today are more often given symbolically and displayed as traditional Highland gifts, especially those that are made of semi-precious metals and ornately decorated.

Tartan Clothing (Appropriate to the Recipient, of Course)

Conventionally, it is only appropriate to wear the tartan of your own clan - that is the reason we have tartans like the “Pride of Scotland,” that anyone can wear.

Either way, if you’re looking for a nice gift for someone with Scottish ancestry, if you can find out which clans he or she belonged to, a tartan cap, purse, or other personal accessory sporting the pattern of his or her clan would make quite a personal, customized traditional Scottish gift.

Scotch Whisky

Some of the finest whisky in the world comes from Scotland, and for a Scotch lover, there is no better gift. Scotch also happens to be a great traditional Scottish gift.

Conventionally, scotch whisky is categorized according to the region from which it comes. There are 5 distinct regions, which are:

• The Highlands: Highland whisky is likely the most diverse of all the regions, and the region includes most of the islands (except Islay). Highland whisky can be quite varied in character, either light and almost floral, to heavy, malty, briny, and peaty - and everything in between.
• The Lowlands: Lowland whisky are typically lighter than other scotches, and characterized by sweeter notes of honey, cream, cinnamon, and even grass and floral notes.
• Campbeltown: Campbeltown whisky, like Highland whisky, is quite diverse, and most of them are full bodied. Common notes include smoke, peat, malt, brine, dried fruits, vanilla, and woods like oak.
• Speyside: Speyside whisky is often peaty and fruity, with notes of dried apples, pears, and light spices.
• Islay: Islay whisky is world-renowned for its pungent, powerful, smoky character. Whiskies like Lagavulin and Laphroaig are fiery, smoky, peaty, briny, and tarry, even nearly medicinal.

Gift wisely, each of these scotches is fine in its own right, and there are many others like them!

Clan Pins

Clan pins are a great traditional Scottish gift for anyone that claims Scottish ancestry and knows the clans to which they belong, or the clans to which their forebears at one time belonged. Many clan pins are made in elegant, beautiful pewter and make a wonderful, personalized gift. They can be worn on caps, jackets, and more!

Gifts Sporting Scotland’s Symbols: The Thistle, Saltire, Lion Rampant, and More

Last but not least, if you’re strapped for a traditional Scottish gift and don’t know what to get, just give a little trinket or token of affection embellished with one of Scotland’s national symbols.

The Saltire and Lion Rampant are also good motifs. The Lion Rampant - a red Lion “rampant,” with three paws outstretched on a yellow field - is the Royal Standard of the Kings of Scotland. The Saltire, a white St. Andrew’s Cross on a blue field, is one of the oldest national flags in use, and dates back at least as far back as 1385 - though tradition suggests much, much longer. In fact, it may be the oldest national flag in use in the world.

Other symbols of Scotland include the Unicorn, which appears on Scotland’s Royal Coat of Arms, bagpipes, and other conventional Celtic symbols or knotwork, such as the Celtic Cross. Any of these would make a nice, traditional Scottish trinket or gift.