Agua Mágica

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has been tapped as the national distributor for Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila. Southern will initially launch 818 in the California market, and continue to roll it out across the country in the months to come. 818 includes Blanco ($45 a 750-ml.), Reposado ($55), and Anejo ($65) expressions and is sustainably produced in Jalisco, Mexico.

Heaven’s Door, Bob Dylan’s American whiskey brand, is introducing a limited-edition 10-year-old Bourbon finished in Redbreast Irish whiskey casks for 15 months. Retailing at $99 a 750-ml., the new entry is at 50% abv. Its bottle features a new gate design created by Bob Dylan in his Black Buffalo Ironworks studio, as well as Redbreast’s iconic Robin. The core Heaven’s Door range includes a Straight Bourbon (46% abv, $50), Double Barrel Whiskey (50% abv, $50), and Straight Rye Whiskey finished in cigar barrels from Vosges, France (46% abv, $80).

Blanco, Texas-based Milam & Greene Whiskey is launching a new Castle Hill Series. Batch 1 comes in at 54.25% abv and is made from a blend of 13-year-old Bourbon whiskies bottled at barrel proof. The final blend was assembled from 20 barrels. The new line of whiskies is named for the Texas Military Institute, aka the Castle, which houses Milam & Greene’s blending facility and will soon be home to a new tasting room. Batch 1 is available in extremely limited quantities in select retailers for a suggested price of $120.

New York-based importer Olé & Obrigado has introduced Nordés, a Spanish gin, in select markets across the U.S. The Galician gin is made using local botanicals including bay laurel, lemon verbena, eucalyptus, and salicornia, among others, and is bottled at 40% abv. Nordés is available in New York, Boston, Washington DC, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, and northern and southern California, ahead of a full national push in 2022. The gin retails at a suggested price of $40 a 750-ml.

Agua Mágica has launched its namesake mezcal to select retailers across the U.S. The ensemble mezcal is made from both Espadín and Tobalá agave in San Juan del Río, Oaxaca, before bottling at 40% abv. The brand’s first release is extremely limited, and it comes in two packages: the bottle on its own, which retails for $65, and a boxed edition featuring illustrations for $95.

Diageo has announced Copper Tongue, the newest release in the Orphan Barrel line of high-end whiskies. The latest addition to the brand is a 16-year-old Tennessee Bourbon, distilled and matured at Cascade Hollow Distillery (the home of George Dickel). Copper Tongue is bottled at cask strength—in this case 44.9% abv—and will be available in limited quantities in select markets across the U.S. for a suggested price of $100. This release is the first Orphan Barrel whiskey helmed by Nicole Austin, Cascade Hollow’s general manager and distiller.