Oh, pity the poor embattled booze hack at this time of year. The closer we get to Christmas, the more I’m bombarded by press releases and invitations to launches and sample bottles – the endless sample bottles – promoting yet another new whisky, brandy, vodka, gin or rum.

It’s a tough gig, but someone has to do it, because our thirst for top-shelf spirits seems to be unquenchable: whether it’s a couple of hundred bottles of craft single malt from a genuine artisan distiller or untold thousands of bottles of “luxury” whisky from one of the world’s giant drinks multinationals, the market just keeps soaking up new brand after new brand, regardless of the sometimes obscene prices.