With Christmas galloping towards us faster than Santa’s reindeer, it’s time to think about how you can make this year’s celebrations extra special.

From storied Irish whiskeys and artisan small-batch gins to the finest of French cognacs and cockle-warming cocktails, Hot Press brings you festive drink ideas galore in this Winter Distilling Special.

As for the rest of 2023, it’s been another year of spectacular growth for the Irish spirits industry with new product launches virtually every week.

Hollywood legend Jean-Claude Van Damme’s main reason for being here last week wasn’t to appear on the Late Late but to launch the Old Oak Irish Whiskey brand he co-owns.

Having sampled both their Aged 3 Years and Jamaican Rum Reserve, we can confirm that the Muscles From Brussels is backing a winner!

Meanwhile things go from strength to strength for Grace O’Malley, the blended Irish whiskey imbued with the rebellious spirit of its namesake Irish Pirate Queen.

A unique blend of triple and double distilled single malt and grain whiskeys, each batch is matured to perfection in specially selected French Oak, Rum and American Bourbon casks. Yum!

We’re also big fans of their Heather-Infused Irish Gin, which won big at the prestigious World 2023 Gin Awards.

From the other side of Ireland comes Lambay Whiskey, an award-winning combination of French family-owned cognac expertise and centuries of Irish distilling knowledge.

Bourbon barrel matured and cognac-cask finished, their Malt Irish Whiskey is a thing of mahogany brown beauty with aromas of malt, floral, ripe banana and fig and a long-lasting malt finish with lingering sweetness and a hint of spice.

Add a generous glug to your Christmas puds when you’re making them and send us a ‘thank you’ note in the New Year!

After their recent bringing together of Sharon Shannon, Susan O’Neill, Joshua Burnside, Brendan Quinn, The Francis McIlduff Band and John McSherry – he should have renamed himself John McWhiskey for the night! – in Belfast, details of the next Powers Golden Hours event will be announced shortly.

As well as throwing an extremely good party, Powers continues to wow with its triple-distilled Single Pot Still.

Of course, the 232-year Powers story doesn’t end there with Irish Rye, John’s Lane Cask Strength, Gold Label and Three Swallow among their other fine whiskey expressions.

Sadly, like many of their Midleton and other East Cork neighbours, Powers was badly affected by the devastating flooding which occurred on October 18th.

Team Hot Press sends everybody in the area its best wishes.

“Cutting the bull, when everybody else is full of it” is Blood Monkey, an Origin Green-certified Irish Craft Gin triple-distilled for smoothness and which can be enjoyed neat, over ice, with a premium tonic – Irish, naturally – or as the star ingredient in your favourite gin cocktail.

Picking up Best Contemporary Gin In Ireland at those 2023 World Gin Awards, it’s available in Batch No. 0002, Spice Storm (think orange and cardamom) and Tropical Storm (expect notes of mango, lime leaf, Szechuan pepper and rosemary) expressions, all of which look as good as they taste in their striking designer bottles.

Based on original 17th Century genever recipes, they’re at the same time reassuringly familiar and thrillingly new.

Making history is Two Shores, the world’s first 8 Year Old Premium Golden Rum aged in four different styles of mature Irish whiskey casks.

Handcrafted in Panama using only pure sustainably-sourced sugar cane and hand-finished here, it picked up Gold at the World 2023 Rum Awards and is ripe for creative mixology – ours is a Gaelic Sunset, please, with Two Shores Rum, Blood Orange Liqueur, Sweet Vermouth and a dash of Cherry Syrup and Bitters.

Let us also say “dia dhuit” to Croithlí, a premium craft whiskey from the Donegal Gaeltacht.

Matured in ex-bourbon casks and finished in virgin oak, using wood species as their key differentiator, their Sessile Single Malt, Quercus Robur Single Malt and Quercus Alba Single Malt are quite the power trio!

So, pour yourself a dram and say “Slainté!” to all of these world class spirits...

Read the full Winter Distilling Special in the current issue of Hot Press – out now: