Smirnoff is stirring up some holiday spirit with a collection of gifts to thrill the closet bartender on your gift list. Look inside a traditional Russian Matryoshka doll and usually what you’ll discover are five or more increasingly smaller wooden figurines. But take off the lid of Smirnoff’s Black Matryoshka, and your surprise is a bottle of premium vodka. The special holiday bottle container, a doll’s face painted in gold on a deep black exterior, also doubles as a cocktail shaker. Smirnoff’s Black Matryoshka is available at Selfridges and Waitrose in [Great Britain] for around £20.99.

Irish whiskey, my favourite whiskey, and when it comes to a drop of the Irish, Bushmills have been practicing the art at Ireland’s oldest working distillery in Co Antrim, Northern Ireland for a very long time, 400 years in fact.

With four different kinds of Port now available, it can be hard to know which ones will work best at a party. To help solve such holiday conundrums, Vinopolis is offering a self-guided tour to try them all. From 1st December, tour guests can try delicious Ports ranging from the new pink Port, launched earlier this year by Croft, to the more traditional tawny, red and white Ports.

Tokiwa, a premium rice Shochu from Akashi-Tai, is now available in the UK. The traditional Japanese distilled spirit originated over 500 years ago in Okinawa (Japan’s Southern Islands). The national spirit of Japan is either mixed with hot water, to release the aromas, or served neat over ice. It often accompanies typical Japanese cuisine, such as sushi and is certainly a better option than wine.

Taylor’s, Croft and Fonseca have created a list of ‘Credit Crunch Ports” to satisfy palates without breaking budgets. Priced under £10, both Croft Indulgence and Taylor’s First Estate are two fruity reserve ports that go well with cheese or dark chocolate.

With a winter chill in the air thoughts turn to the festive season, and this Christmas, Jameson Irish Whiskey is the spirit of choice for anyone looking for a more discerning drink.

To celebrate the festive season, the makers of Gordon’s gin have teamed up with Gordon Ramsay to create The Ramsay G&T – a fresh twist on the classic gin and tonic featuring a dash of cranberry juice.