Founded by Andrew Dewar and William Rattray in 1868, A D Rattray began trading as an importer of French wines, Italian spirits and olive oil. More importantly, however, the company also established itself as a specialist in the field of blending and storage of malt and grain whiskies.

In the latter part of the 1800s A D Rattray Ltd came to represent a number of well-known Highland Malt distilleries - most notably Stronachie - selling bulk whisky to West of Scotland wine and spirit merchants, publicans and the main Scotch whisky blending houses in and around Glasgow.

If you spend a lot of time on tube station platforms you won`t have missed those adverts for misspelt whiskey, of which the makers claim everything happens slowly. Well, let’s hope no trading standards officer who has been to Delamain reads that! By contrast at Delamain’s HQ in Jarnac time stopped about a century ago. There have in fact been two changes in that time – a slight change of name for one of their XOs and recently, in a dramatic and shocking about turn a vineyard was acquired.

The richest and most complex cognacs you are likely to come across. The world of Cognac is overwhelmingly dominated by four huge players. Hennessy, Remy Martin, Martell and Courvoisier. Yet peek over the shoulder of these giants and you will see a plethora of smaller houses and artisanal producers producing very fine spirit. Foremost among them is the house of Frapin.

Since 1863, pioneers of the craft gin movement, when overlarge explorer beards were normal and gin was first immensely popular. In fact it was the Burroughs family - now the Haymans - who came up with the Beefeater recipe and many of their subsequent iterations had names and heritage that closely linked them with London.