Ask a Scot which malt she favours, and chances are the answer will be Glenmorangie. But as well as being the most popular single malt in its home country, the ten year old Original has won many friends & awards further afield, most recently a Gold Best in Class at the International…

Faced with the challenge of re-establishing the reputation of the re-opened distillery in 2001, Bruichladdich took a decidedly modern approach to packaging. Even the more standard bottlings – if Bruichladdich can be said to have standard bottlings – stand out on the shelf with their bright light blue livery, but the…

Jo Hilditch rose to fame in 2008 when she was awarded a Great Taste Award for her British Cassis, a blackcurrant wine made with fruit from her Herefordshire family farm. Essentially a British reworking of a French staple, this is like a little black dress – versatile and equally at home on…

Made by the pioneering Julian Temperley of the Somerset Cider & Brandy Company, this is the junior of the family (there’s also a ten year old, 15 year old and the recent addition of a 20 year old). It may only be five years old, but what it lacks in age,…

With an intense Seville orange nose, it’s no wonder one of Chase Marmalade Vodka‘s favourite going-out guises is the Breakfast Martini. Gallons of homemade Seville orange marmalade go into every batch of vodka prepared using Chase’s unique system: first the marmalade is distilled with the vodka to fully lock in the…

While on our Summer Roadtrip, James and I were thrilled to try the first bottling of Portland Black, brewster Claire’s third regular ale. With a lovely nose of chocolate and coffee, it’s all about the delicious malt in the mix, with rich dark and milk chocolate flavours and a sprightly…

Named after Glasgow’s local patron saint – and a brewer himself – in typical WEST style, this packs more flavour in than you might think while still sticking to all-important German 16th-century beer purity laws. The sub-title – pure heavenly – seems appropriate. This is refreshing, with a light bitterness…

These three berry-based liqueurs in varying brilliant shades of red are all especially appealing at this time of year. They’re dark, sumptuous, intensely aromatic and offer the warming comfort of a mulled wine or port, with the added appeal of being made with English-grown fruit. All three expressions – sloe,…

Perry pears are very different to dessert pears, often being much rounder and smaller in shape, as with these ones seen here in Tom Oliver’s special orchard. Some hail from ancient trees, such as a 150-year-old Barland perry tree,  Throw in a delicious splash of oak ageing and you offer this…

With this cider, it’s easy to see why Thatchers has such a good reputation. There’s a really great level of carbonation which just lifts the flavours. A hint of caramelisation plus notes of elderflower make for a complex flavour map. The finish is long, with braeburn and apple snow.

Delightfully ruby in colour, this Munich-style beer has a lovely, digestive biscuit nature on the palate, a medium maltiness and a light bitterness on the palate. Highly quaffable. 4.9%, available from the brewery & a number of other key locations, such as the Euston Tap and Malmaison.

With its stylish mix of five specially selected malts, this has lots of flavour and weight. The caramelly sweetness is in perfect balance with more weighty hobnob and light milk chocolate biscuits. 4.9%; available from the brewery & other select bars, including Euston Tap & certain Malmaison

With notes of dried fruit and light spicy hints, Shepherd Neame’s Christmas Ale is a refreshing amber beer with enough malt magic to complement the rich festive fare without heading into flavour-overload.  £2, supermarkets & online

For those who fancy creating their own blend of gin, Sacred Spirit brings you its Traditional and Contemporary Collections of distillates. With six 20cl bottles, you really can mix your own.  Each collection includes juniper – of course – but then you can choose between the Traditional mix, with its…

It’s wonderful the number of Rent-a-Vine schemes cropping up around the country. One of the ones I was most impressed with recently is Ancre Hill’s in Wales – but maybe that’s because I’m a greedy guts! You see, I like the way they structure your visit: try a few wines, have a Welsh Ploughmans, try…

The ultimate present for the passionate apple lover has to be a Somerset Hamper from Julian Temperley at Somerset Distillery on Burrow Hill Farm. With elegant sparkling cider, his ground-breaking complex brandies, the delightful Kingston Black Apple Aperitif – a blend of brandy and apple juice to sip á la…

Need something decent for your beer to look as good as it tastes? Adnams to the rescue. I’ve checked out loads of beer glasses over the last year as part of my research for Imbibe’s Beer Special. So I was more than thrilled to see the beautiful new glasses devised by…

It may not get made on these shores, but it was created for one of our monarchs by his “local”, Berry Bros & Rudd. The Royal Physician had put in a request for something enlivening for King Edward VII as he dashed about town in his new “horseless carriage”, a…

Named after a notorious critter – a stuffed squirrel – that used to preside over the Driftwood Spars bar, this is full of flavour with a good balance between seasoned malt, a moreish bitterness and an enthusiastically hoppy finish. No wonder if was crowned the 2012 Winter Ale of Britain.…

It was the week after New Year and I just happened to be stocking up in Sainsbury’s, as you do. Imagine my delight when, far from empty shelves, there was a good supply of none other than the Sainsbury’s Great British Beer Hunt winner, Bad King John from Ridgeway Brewery. Easy choice…

It was like sticking my nose in an English herb garden when I sniffed Juiceology’s Apple, Lime & Mint drink – evocative and inspriing. With its tang of apple, just the right amount of lime, and a friendly flourish of English mint, this is my style of soft drink. It’s…