Yes, unfortunately the Maldives is not a shining beacon of human rights protection. (Pity, that. I hope they're not going to become one of those "great country, wonderful people, shame about the government" places, like Zimbabwe.) That said, I doubt they're going to risk their essential and already struggling tourist industry's reputation over your 750ml of vodka. Most likely they will scowl at you and take your details and confiscate it and that will be that. But it is AYOR (at your own risk), as a famous travel guide used to say.
For what it's worth I'd say the water bottle thing has probably been done ad nauseam and I would check it if I were a customs official. But they have never checked any (half empty) that I have carried in. Friends have been successful with distributing miniatures in their luggage or in a metal hiking flask among their diving gear.
