THE GIFT OF LIFE

Aqua vita (Latin for "water of life") is an archaic name for distilled spirits and still very much relevant as we take stock of necessary supplies for the year

- JONATHAN HO

A superbly stylish cognac whose name refers to the old French saying, "noblesse oblige" (nobility carries obligation). Martell's newest expression, the Martell Noblige, is a VSOP cognac that while you can totally drink neat or on the rocks, seems tailor-made for cocktails. VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) signifies a blend of eaux-de-vie of which the youngest brandy within has been aged for at least four years in a cask. The blend itself comprises of more than 100 eauxde-vie from various terroirs in the Cognac region, but particularly the eaux-de-vie from the Fins Bois terroir.

Visually, it's dark gold with copper hues; the bouquet reveals fruit notes of pear and prune in abundance, exotic hints of vanilla pod and caramelised grape, and a distinctive woody character with notes of myrrh, cedar and fine-grained oak. These flavourful characteristics allow the cognac to rise above its mixers, either enhancing each flavour - the citrus or sour notes by way of "salted prune" notes - or by punching up peppermint profiles with VSOP's characteristic spiciness.

Retails at $160

THE BALVENIE MAKERS SET

The Balvenie is a unique range of single malts created by David C. Stewart MBE. Stewart began as an apprentice in 1962 at William Grant & Sons and was eventually appointed Malt Master in 1974, making him the longest-serving malt master of any distillers in the industry. During his 50-year career, he developed an award-winning range of single malts and blends, including the creation of two cask maturation techniques in the 1980s used in the DoubleWood today.