J&B's new look 

Diageo has spent £5m on a new bottle design for J&B whisky. It described the bottle, which has angular shoulders and cleaner lines, as more masculine. 

Oak-aged gift packs 

Scottish brewer Innis & Gunn has launched a gift pack of its oak-aged beers for Christmas. Available through Majestic Wine Warehouses, the 12-bottle pack contains four of each of the beers in the range (rsp: £15). 

Extra Smooth moves 

S&N has developed new pack designs and launched an online competition for John Smith's Extra Smooth in a bid to encourage drinkers to enter the second John Smith's People's Race at the 2008 Grand National. 

Splitz party shots 

Shot brand Sidekick is targeting Christmas partygoers with a new split-flavour offer. Sidekick Splitz is a 30ml pot containing two complementary flavoured shots such as Strawberries & Cream and Sour Cherry & Cola.