It's no bottle of snake oil sold to the curious by a traveling apothecary, but the bottle of Gentleman's Jack might have the power to cure.

After all, it's "fine Tennessee whiskey," distilled by Southern brewers whose tea-brown concoction remains a holiday favorite.

With the countdown to Christmas under way and that year-end party looming where indulging is synonymous with celebrating, the bustle at MT Glass - one of several Helena liquor stores - is hectic.

Behind the scenes, Clint Prescott, the store's owner, and his crew tear into boxes of whiskeys and bourbons and other spirits to keep the shelves stocked.

Prescott ordered in 14 pallets of liquor from the state warehouse today. The boxes fill the back room and should last through Christmas, when another holiday shipment is expected to arrive.

It is, Prescott says, their busiest time of year. Gift shopping or holiday coping mechanism, there's something here for everyone.

"We get a lot busier," said Prescott of the season for sharing and caring - emphasizing "a lot" with a grin. "We probably do one-fourth of our business a week before Thanksgiving and up through New Year's. It's a lot of Scotch, Bailey's Irish Cream, high-end vodka, lots of gifts."

Some drinks speak of sophistication and elegance, painting images of nights by the fire spent sipping fine whiskeys or blends of old scotch. Others sing of tacky times, harkening memories of college parties and binge behavior some would rather soon forget.

Prescott prefers a Canadian whiskey himself, or a dash of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum. Out on the shelves, there's light rum and dark rum, fine rum and cheap rum, spiced rum and rum that says it's spiced but doesn't really taste like it.

Across the room, the liqueurs jump out with color and wild promise, from Raging Root Beer to Cactus Juice. Pucker comes in seven flavors, including "Island Blue," "Cheri Beri," "Water Melon" and "Sour Apple."

But what are people really drinking? What are they lining their pantries with for Christmas, and if not their pantries, then their bars? Shopping for alcohol might be like seeking medical treatment: It's not something everyone wants to share.

"Captain's up there," Prescott said, talking of popular drinks. "We go through a ton of high-end bourbons, high-end scotches, great gifts for dad, and high-end Canadian whiskey. Whiskey is a big one. Scotch whisky is probably the biggest."

Out on the floor, customers study the bottles like connoisseurs of fine art. They stand back with arms crossed, tilting their head just so while cupping their chin and cooing with both anticipation and confusion.

The syrup bottles at the grocery store don't get this much attention.

"I'm just buying some stuff for friends right now," said Len Walch, a midday customer clutching a bottle of whiskey. "Sometimes I'll buy stuff for eggnog."

Walch confessed a fondness for bourbon. He's tried his share of good scotch as well, though it doesn't top his list of holiday drinks.

"Some friends of mine are big scotch fans," said Walch. "I like it OK. I like bourbon, personally. It's sad to admit, but I like the harsh taste of it."

Taste is one thing, but price may be something else. Walch is standing near the priciest bottle in the store, a distinction that goes to Hennessy's extra rare cognac, which registers for $450 a bottle.

The store's runner-up goes to the Macallan highland single-malt Scotch, aged 25 years. "Exclusively matured in selected sherry oak casks from Jerez, Spain," it'll set the finicky scotch drinker back $423 a bottle.

"Oh yeah," Prescott says. "There's a big difference between a good scotch and the lesser brands. A good scotch is pretty tasty."

Reporter Martin Kidston: 447-4086 or mkidston@helenair.com