Gin has been rocketing up the leader board of the most popular spirits, with British gin exports reaching a record £500 million last year. Additional figures say 2016 saw a 16 percent rise in the juniper-based alcohol sales, leading the drink industry declaring last year the 'Year of Gin'.

So, low-cost supermarket Aldi appears to be taking advantage of the situation by introducing a range of new products, just in time for Christmas.

The first off the conveyor belt will be available in stores at the start of next month and is called Oliver Cromwell 1599 Sloe Gin. According to the Huffington Post, this will be an absolute bargain at just £9.99. According to its website, this product is "an intensely aromatic plum and cherry flavour [which] resonates throughout the mouth, closely followed by a hint of almond from the stone of the sloe fruit, giving a full and complex taste."

We're literally salivating already.

If you want to add a slightly pink hue to your G&T, then Gin Lane 1751 Victoria Pink Gin could be more up your alley. Boasting of eight botanicals (juniper, coriander, angelica, orris root, Sicilian lemon, Seville orange, cassia bark and star anise), it gets its rose colour from Angostura bitters and is the perfect balance 'between sweet and dry'.

It will set you back just £19.99 and will be on the shelves by the middle of November.

Eight botanicals is fairly decent, until you consider La Fleuriste French Gin, which contains not nine, not 10, but 17 carefully selected botanicals and spices. Costing as much as the Gin Lane 1751 and available at the same time, it is "complex and elegant, with delicate notes of blossom closely followed by a citrus and juniper finish."

The Topaz Blue Premium Gin is subtly described as 'elegance in a bottle' - don't mind if I do. But in all seriousness, it's, "a balanced mix of wild botanicals and fruits with a touch of citrus and juniper. Mix with frozen berries for a perfect festive tipple to crack open for seasonal celebrations." It'll be ready for sale in just 16 days and will cost just £13.99 ($18.99).

But if you've been searching this list for a gin that is both 'unique and distinctive', then look no further. Needle Blackforest Gin is just a pound more than the Topaz and offers a mix of 11 botanicals 'ranging from lavender to hand-picked spruce needles'.

Now let's get to the special ones. Boyle's Premium Irish Small Batch Craft Gin is the same price as the Gin Lane 1751, but this one is the holder of the Overall Best Gin award, at the Irish Whiskey Awards. No need to speculate on why they were judging gin at a whiskey contest, all you need to know is that it won. It will also be available on 14 November.

But if you want to go for the top of the range, then you won't need to wait at all. That's because Aldi is already selling the Oliver Cromwell London Dry Gin, which received a gold medal at the 2017 IWSC Awards. While that might not mean anything to some people, just bear in mind that it beat some competitors that were double, triple and quraduple the price. You can pick up a 70cl bottle for just £9.99.

So, if you're wondering what to serve up to the in-laws, friends and family for Christmas, at least you won't have to look far for gin.