Johnny Walker Blue Label and Famous Grouse Mellow Gold – two great drinks for Christmas

When my children were small they used to have a Greek childminder. When we went to pick up our kids, her entire family – aunts, uncles, in-laws from Cyprus – would often be present. They treated me and my wife as if we were part of the extended family and often we’d end up staying for dinner.

On festive occasions – Christmas, Easter, birthdays – I would usually bring a bottle of whisky. And the one that the Greek men most enjoyed was Johnny Walker – particularly the more expensive black label. They didn’t want fancy single malts, with all those peaty smells. They wanted a very smooth, high quality blended whisky.

I mention this because they would have loved Johnny Walker’s new Blue Label. It’s not cheap and it’s not something for the more serious lover of single malts, but it’s probably the smoothest and best blended whisky on the market. With lovely tastes of pepper and honey and a slight smokiness, it’s something to savour. Please don’t pollute it with ginger ale or ice. Just sip it gently, enjoying the roundness on your tongue. Perhaps wash it down with a glass of cold water, just to cleanse the palate. It’s a superb drink and worth taking time to appreciate. Incidentally it’s only available at a few selected dealers, and it costs £135 a bottle, but for that price you do get your name engraved on the bottle.

Around Christmas many of the distillers are producing slightly more distinctive types of whisky. Famous Grouse is offering something called Mellow Gold (£20 per 75cl at Tesco). It’s similar to the normal Famous Grouse – another fine blended whisky – but this one has been left in sherry and bourbon casks. As a result, it has a fuller oaky flavour and the sweetness of raisins and a touch of dried fruit. It’s a good one for Christmas, not because it’s better or worse than the regular whisky, but because Christmas is remarkable time of year and should be marked with something which is just a bit out of the ordinary.