The shiny star, or in this case, Christmas Tree, or the product, was the design of the bottle, in the centre stood a glass Christmas Tree surrounded by floating gold flakes. The supermarkets have launched their popular Christmas gin liqueur bottles. Both have lights at the base and edible gold flakes within the liquid.

Classic gin botanicals such as juniper, angelica root and citrus peel are used in Gilded Gin, but elderflower and Valencian clementine stand out. Of course, the gold flakes also stand out, but don’t do much in terms of flavor and are truly there for your aesthetic pleasure.

M&S argued the Cuthbert cake infringed its trademark and "rode on the coat-tails" of its reputation. Marks and Spencer’s version arrived on the scene a few years ago, with shoppers desperate to get their hands on the stunning bottle - and others going as far as to collect all the different flavours to create a collection.

Moving on to the design of the bottle, it has a simple yet striking look, with berry vines all over and the gins' dark purple colour making it striking amongst any home bar shelf. This gin was unlike any others we tried, for starters it is a liqueur so by nature is not as strong as your traditional gin and is used as a mixer compared to a spirit. I tried the liqueur on its own and was pleasantly surprised. It didn't taste too much of alcohol, more a sweet drink. But they are small and right at the bottom of the bottle. You can hardly notice them. Going on looks, M&S was winning slightly here. This case is about design rights, a commonly forgotten but very effective IP right in protection against copycats. Most cases against Aldi are settled before trial, but with some notable exceptions, with Aldi having won and lost some high-profile disputes in recent years. M&S will be hoping that its strong action against Aldi will discourage further copycat products and allow M&S to retain distinctiveness and return on its investment in new product development.So, why not turn to a Scottish gin brand that’s ready to serve up some 41% ABV gold flake fun? Swiss 24-karat edible gold is added to the Scotland-made gin and we think that exudes pure elegance… someone should sip this spirit in long silk gloves and a golden floor-length gown. Adding the liqueur to tonic water, I thought it tasted nice, however, a member of the Gin Team said it would taste nicer with some Prosecco, but sadly, there was none nearby. Next onto Aldi’s Haysmith’s Cranberry and Clementine Gin, perfect for those who love the tangy and sweet taste of Clementine, this gin has it all.

The gold flakes seemed finer here too - but there was more. However you needed to give it a real good shake to see the effect. This year, Marks and Spencer's Light Up Snow Globe Gin Liqueur has been more popular than ever, and where M&S go, Aldi tends to follow. Yes, the budget retailer now has its own version, and of course it comes with an Aldi price tag. Mixing it with tonic, the Cranberry and Clementine was still very prominent and somehow transformed from a Christmas feel to a more refreshing summer taste, helping it become the perfect all-year-round gin.Both would make great Christmas gifts however - and I can see them being popular once again this year. On its own, the gin liqueur isn’t bitter and is nice and fruity but I thought the pomegranate was overshadowed by the cranberry. Aldi’s bottle is beautiful to look at, the snow covered trees and sparking gold flakes in the gin giving the drink the ultimate festive feeling. Add to it that it lights up - with two different settings - it's certainly impressive.

Everyone loves a drink at Christmas, so I decided to put two bottles of the gins to the test. To keep it fair, I tried both clementine flavours to see which really was the best. The gin tasted better and the bottle was much more striking. The design on the bottle was a lot more festive too - and would make a great Christmas decoration once finished. Furthermore, when it comes to gold in gin, the only other available products are the ever-trendy snow globe gin liqueurs offered by Marks & Spencer and Aldi. These same light-up liqueurs also happed to be at the center of a lengthy legal battle where it was alleged that Aldi copied the design of Marks & Spencer’s holiday product. While certainly dazzling with gold, these are sweet liqueurs with ABVs around 20%. On first taste, Aldi’s own Sole Gin was very warming on its own, with one member of my ‘gin team’ describing it as the “perfect spirit to warm up the bones”.While the Aldi taste wasn't awful, I would drink it again - but when teamed with a mixer it seemed to lose a little flavour. John Coldham, IP Partner at law firm Gowling WLG, said: “M&S is taking a forthright approach to protecting its IP this year, against Aldi in particular. We have seen a number of clients choose to challenge Aldi’s aggressive approach to taking inspiration from others, and M&S is doing the same. The huge press interest in the earlier dispute between M&S and Aldi about chocolate cakes called Colin and Cuthbert has not deterred M&S from taking action again. On just looks, then the M&S bottle is the most attractive to look at. And once finishing the bottles, would make a lovely Christmas decoration.