With a bottle design reminiscent of those kept by Captains in the 19th century and instruction from the makers not to even consider mixing it with anything but ice, Pyrat xo is a genuine premium rum. Combining rums aged for as many as fifteen years, Pyrat xo is sweet and viscous on the palate, offering comforting marmalade sweetness. The orange flavour is tempered by sweeter, sugary notes and a medicinal edge reminiscent of cough drops. A truly exceptional rum which should be sipped at leisure.

Angostura 1919 is an 8-year-old offering from the famous Trinidadian distillery that benefits from oaky tones delivered through the ex-bourbon casks it’s matured in. Toasted coconut and rich vanilla are released from the first opening and the taste is zesty with notes of exotic cumquat, dark sugar and faint herbal notes of eucalyptus and almond. The citrus flavours are the most prominent from beginning to end and give angostura 1919 a refreshing twist.

NOSE: Fresh, Grassy And Apple Notes With A Clean Malt Aroma. TASTE: Smooth Mellow, Honey Sweetness, With Underlying Pepper Spice. FINISH: Silky Smooth With A Touch Of Caramel.

MarGin’s founder Rachel Verghis is a former banker, passionate art collector and a gin sipping enthusiast. Inspired by an article about an artist who commissioned a perfumer to recreate the scent of the dollar bill, she embarked upon her own quest to create a premium spirit imbued with the quintessence of a banknote. On that quest she chanced upon the ‘white fiver’—the first fully printed five pound note issued by the Bank of England in 1793. Struck by the elegance and heritage of this iconic note, Rachel saw the perfect union of liquid and label for her artisanal gin brand. And so MarGin was born; a classic London dry gin, a tipple as cool, crisp and uncomplicated as a freshly printed ‘white fiver’, to be savoured like a smooth single malt or fine Cognac.

Heavy on the botanicals upon entry which almost masks the juniper. Bergamot peel mid-palate followed by herbs and flowers. The gentle kick followed by stronger juniper notes with a sweet, almost lavender undercurrent on the close.

Olmeca Altos reposado spends a little longer being aged than other Olmeca tequilas, with 18 months in 200-litre white American ex-bourbon casks. It retains a super sweet and fresh flavour with its aroma packed full of bright fruitiness, notes of strawberry and cherry. The woody smokiness from the casks is apparent and is brought out even further when you take a sip. Slightly sweet honey comes through alongside the smokiness and the aftertaste is long, powerful and memorable.

One of the rare 100% pot still rums out there, smith & cross is a Jamaican favourite which allows tropical fruity flavours to define its character. A hit of pineapple is your first hint at the flavours within and the nose develops with further spicier notes of clove, pepper and intriguing hot chilli. On tasting, you’ll enjoy a warm, buttery opening which bursts into a fiery chilli-based heat, peppered with cinnamon and clove. This heat is tempered by balancing vanilla and muscovado sugar notes, bringing smith & cross to a mellower endnote.

A fine champagne VSOP cognac from the Hine house. H by Hine is a stylish alternative to Remy VSOP with a bit more oomph, but still very mixable for classy cocktails.

Another elegant offering from Courvoisier, Courvoisier VSOP has been intricately crafted to create a smooth balance of flavours. Highlights of fragrant jasmine, fresh peach and toasted almond work together to deliver a deep and mature flavour. The team at Courvoisier use their experience to ensure their cognacs are nurtured to deliver exceptional and complex flavour profiles of unerring quality. Courvoisier VSOP ends on a warm note of intense vanilla combining with its signature jasmine, peach and almond.

Wild Hedgerow sloe berries from Herefordshire and the ultimate forgotten fruit, mulberries, are gently macerated in GB Gin and then oak in Rhone Valley red wine casks.

Thai spice with a very faint wave of juniper. Lemon zest then comes to the forefront followed closely by a sweet pepper taste that moves through the soft kick. Very faint liquorice smashed parma violet and army and navy sweets wrapped in lavender on the finish.

This classic 12-year-old Aberfeldy is a traditional single malt scotch, distilled up in the highlands. Rich and malty in character, aromas of cooked cherries, sherry and a light hint of smoke come through first. The flavour is wonderfully sweet with a clean mouthfeel and malty notes coming through consistently. Gentle peaty depth reminds you of the quality of this malt and peters off to a gentle finish.

SOFT DRINK/MIXER

The entry-level bottle from the Glenkinchie distillery, this 12-year-old malt is rich in the classic flavours whisky lovers look for. The nose is light and fragrant, with cereal notes and a little barley sweetness most prominent. The flavour is fruity with notes of sweet Madeira, calvados and tannic oak flooding the mouth. Fresh and rounded, this dram is vibrantly refreshing with just a little gentle spice coming through.

Named for a well-known region of Rio, Leblon cachaça looks like any other white rum or vodka but its flavour tells a different story. Its nose is a borderline combination of sugar sweetness and zesty citrus and is reminiscent of a good rum and a slice of lime. On drinking, you’ll enjoy an initial hit of that limey citrus soon followed by strong rum-like flavours tempered down by sugar cane sweetness. Leblon is harsh on the palate but not overwhelmingly so and is a great alternative to your average white rum in a daiquiri.

In its apothecary-style bottle, we won’t blame you if you claim each sip of monkey 47 sloe gin is ‘purely medicinal’. A stunning gin which uses 47 botanicals and then combined this unusual and inviting flavour with the sweet flavour of sloe berries. Monkey 47 uses wild-grown, hand-picked sloe berries from the black forest in Germany and every single batch is distilled over a three month period to guarantee a perfectly blended taste. A very rare and exclusive sloe gin, get it before it’s gone.

Monkey 47 is your chance to enjoy the hard graft that comes from painstakingly matching 47 different botanicals. the botanicals chosen work in perfect harmony with each other and include everything from the expectation of ripe juniper berries to interesting notes of ceylon cinnamon, acorus calamus lemon balm and verbena. truly unique and one that all gin connoisseurs must try, monkey 47 retains the classic flavours of gin and enhances them with additional botanical notes.

A legend in its own right, 12-year-old highland park is an Orcadian classic. Made from the finest barley malted over peat fires and blended with the fresh waters of the isle, its character is intensely satisfying. Fresh peat notes stand out strongly against the classic malted barley and even heather comes through, offering a fresh, floral dimension. Medium-bodied and enhanced by its aromatic floral notes, this is one classic single malt.

Herradura Blanco is a smooth silver tequila, aged for just 45 days and offering up welcome cleanliness on the palate. The ageing means that there’s a hint of oak in the flavour but its keynote are refreshing agave which is enhanced by tangy citrus. The strength of the agave flavour makes this a fantastic choice for your next margarita and the light heat underlying the key flavours is a wonderful reminder of the quality of this tequila.

Père Magloire 12-year-old AOC is a single distillation calvados which is fine and silky on the palate. Its deep golden brown colour is attributed to a minimum of 12 years maturation in oak barrels and this also adds a distinct addition to the flavour profile of the bottle. Fresh hazelnut marries with fruity banana and natural spices all coming together with the baked apple flavour which is typical of a quality calvados.

Blended accordingly to specifications set out by the British admiralty, Pusser's rum is a genuinely classic flavour. Bringing together rums from Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad and Jamaica, Pusser's is a real classic. Treacle, toffee and molasses aromas are released and combine wonderfully with cinnamon-spied oak and ginger. The flavour is strong yet mellow and includes notes of toffee and espresso in addition to those in the nose. The depth of flavour in Pusser's come from the bitter oaky notes which are present throughout.

Matured for 12 years, Cragganmore is a delicious, sherry-infused single malt representing Speyside and offering up both fruity warmth and slight floral notes. As you open the bottom it’s those floral notes that come first, closely followed by heather, smoked almonds and honey. Stone fruits dominate from your first sip, with a rich honey depth, chestnuts, walnuts and almonds enhancing the flavour even further. Delicate pepper spice brings each sip to a close in understated yet delectable style.

Setting the standard in white Rum, Bacardi is known worldwide. In 1862 it became the world’s first premium aged white rum and using charcoal filtration was key to its original development. Bacardi is a necessity for many world-famous cocktails and without we’d not have the classic daiquiri, the mojito or the Cuba Libre. Smooth and gentle on the palate it’s wonderful however you choose to mix it and offers a taste of Cuba which can’t be compared.

Rums from around the Caribbean have come together to create the distinct flavour of banks 5. The blend brings together the light spice of Trinidadian rum with the complexity of Jamaican rum and the flavours of Barbadian rum Guyanese rum and unique Indonesian attack are combined into the mix too. Five aged rums from around the Caribbean offer up a deep and engaging flavour, rich with sugar cane, with deep bitter notes coming through as you sip.

Lots of roundness in the mouth with floral, woody and spicy notes leading to a long and pleasing finish of grilled almonds and vanilla.

A single region Joven (young) mezcal from quiquiriqui. This one comes from matatlan, a town with a lowland climate that produces a herbaceous, earthy and vegetal style of mezcal.

Johnnie walker green label is one of the lesser found offerings from the hugely popular distillery and has a flavour which deserves at least one taste. A blended malt whisky which binds together many different flavours of Scotland, Johnnie walker green label is rich in oak tones, coffee beans and even chocolate. Dates and walnut also come through with oak and charcoal wood smoke also getting a look in. A long finish is nicely spiced, rich with honey and sweetened by malty cereals.