GSN Spirited News: March 22nd 2022 Edition

Waco, Texas-based Balcones Distilling has released the 2022 edition of Mirador, a limited release American single malt whiskey. The barrel strength whiskey is matured in second-fill barrels and blended from whiskies aged between three and five years. Balcones Mirador is available from select retailers across the U.S. and at the Balcones distillery for around $80 a 750-ml.

Kenyan gin brand Procera has partnered with Martignetti Companies to expand its distribution to Massachusetts. The sugar-cane based gin is made with its namesake species of juniper, native to Kenya, along with pink peppercorn, coriander, and other botanicals sourced from across the continent. Procera Gin is bottled at 44% abv and retails for a suggested price of $85 a 750-ml.

California-based O’Neill Vintners and Distillers has launched BrandyLab, a new small-batch spirits label, with a limited release bottling. The brandy, bottled at 40% abv, is blended from spirits aged between five and 10 years in American oak, French oak, and Sherry casks. BrandyLab’s inaugural release is now available in 375-ml. bottles for a suggested price of $35. Only 400 cases of the brand’s first bottling are available.

Frankfort, Kentucky-based Castle & Key Distillery is debuting its first Bourbon. Launching in two batches, it’s dubbed Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey. Batch #1 will be available at the Castle & Key Distillery beginning March 26, priced at $50 a 750-ml., and Batch #2 will follow in early May. Both batches will be sold throughout Castle & Key’s 17-state distribution area as well. Both batches were aged four years and bottled at 49% abv. 

Brown-Forman’s The GlenDronach has announced three new single-barrel releases for the U.S. market, all pulled from casks filled between 1992 and 1994. The whiskies, collected as the GlenDronach Cask Bottling Batch 19, are all at barrel strength and there are 12 casks in the whole batch. The first U.S. release is 1992 Cask 217, a 55.4% whisky matured in an Oloroso Sherry cask. Only 383 bottles are available across Georgia, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey for $820 apiece. The second bottling—1992 Cask 6052—is at 50.8% abv and aged in a PX Sherry cask; it retails for $720 and 658 bottles are available in 17 states. Finally, 1994 Cask 5080 is a 54.3% abv whisky aged in an Oloroso cask. It retails for $600 and 667 bottles are available in 11 states.

Information courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: March 8th 2022 Edition

Brown-Forman has released the 2022 edition of Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby bottle, with art from artist Jaime Corum. This year’s bottle features Corum’s painting “Dreams in Bloom” of three thoroughbreds racing. The 1-liter bottle retails for $50 and is available across the U.S. In addition to the yearly bottling, Woodford has teamed up with Williams-Sonoma to release the Woodford Spire cocktail mixer, made with cranberry and lemon. The mixer joins Woodford’s other Williams-Sonoma mixers like the Mint Julep and Whiskey Sour.

El Luchador Tequila has relaunched with a full portfolio of aged and unaged bottlings. The brand will now include four expressions: Blanco ($40), Reposado ($45), and Añejo ($50), all bottled at 40% abv, and a 55% abv Distill-Proof Blanco ($50). All four bottles feature a Luchador’s face on the label—a masked Mexican professional wrestler—with different background colors (green, silver, red, and red and green, respectively). An extra-Añejo is expected to join the range down the road.

Hendrick’s has unveiled a new limited edition gin, Neptunia. Retailing at $40 a 750-ml., the newcomer is bottled at 43.4% abv. Part of master distiller Lesley Gracie’s Cabinet of Curiosities, the new expression uses a blend of Scottish coastal botanicals—Hendrick’s distillery is located two miles from the sea in Girvan, Scotland—and has a sea foam green label.

Monfleurie Cognac Grand Champagne has launched a new ultra-luxury offering. The Cognac, bottled from two barrels of eau-de-vie that have matured since 1960 blended with select spirits from the Maison Boinaud cellars, is bottled at 40.6% abv and doesn’t contain any added coloring or flavoring. While Monfleurie L’Orchidee is blended with multiple Maison Boinaud Grande Champagne eau-de-vies, over two-thirds of the bottling come from the 1960 vintage barrels. Monfleurie L’Orchidee is available through the brand’s website for $2,900 a 750-ml. or $395 a 100-ml.

Baltimore-based Sagamore Spirit is debuting a new Rum Cask Finish rye whiskey. First offered exclusively at its Baltimore distillery in 2019, a new version of Rum Cask Finish is now making its way to shelves nationwide. For this year’s release, Sagamore Spirit took a blend of its 5- and 6-year-old straight rye whiskies, placing some in hand-selected South American barrels, and the rest in Jamaican barrels, aging both for an additional 10 months. The 98-proof Rum Cask Finish will be on shelves for a suggested retail price of $79.

Diageo has expanded Bulleit’s frontiers, adding new ready-to-serve cocktails for both the brand’s Bourbon and rye whiskies. The cocktails—a rye-based Manhattan and a Bourbon-based Old Fashioned—are bottled at 37.5% abv and come in both 375-ml. and 750-ml. bottles. The new permanent additions to the brand’s portfolio are now available across the U.S. where the 750-ml. bottle carries a suggested price of $30.

Bardstown, Kentucky’s Heaven Hill has kicked off its new Heritage Collection with a 17-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon. The whiskey, bottled at 59.1% abv, is made from Heaven Hill’s 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley mash bill, and blended from 28% 20-year-old barrels, 44% 19-year-old barrels, and 28% 17-year-old barrels. The Heritage Collection 17-Year-Old Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey will be available in limited quantities across the U.S. for around $275 a bottle.

Brown-Forman’s Slane Irish Whiskey has announced a new limited-edition bottling, set to hit shelves across America this month. Slane Special Edition is a 45% abv blend that takes the brand’s original triple-cask whiskey and tweaks it, introducing a greater portion of whiskies matured in new oak, alongside the usual used whiskey and Oloroso Sherry casks. The whiskey and its abv are a nod to Slane Castle’s 40-year history as a concert venue and the 45 RPM record. Slane Special Edition carries a suggested retail price of $37 a 750-ml.

Nashville, Tennessee-based Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, part of Constellation Brands, is launching Nelson Brothers, a new line of whiskey. Nelson Brothers will debut with two releases in Nelson Brothers Classic Bourbon and Nelson Brothers Reserve Bourbon. The former is a straight Bourbon blend, bottled at 46.6% abv, that will launch this spring priced at $37 a 750-ml. while the latter is at 53.9% abv and will be available nationally this month for $60 a bottle. The Nelson Brothers label will serve as the distillery’s premium brand going forward alongside flagship brand Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey.

Teeling Irish Whiskey, part of the Bacardi USA portfolio, has announced Wonders of Wood Single Pot Still Chinkapin Oak Whiskey. The release is distilled from 50% malted and 50% unmalted barley, matured entirely in new Chinkapin American White Oak barrels, and was bottled at 50% abv. The Wonders of Wood releases see Teeling experiment with more unique varieties of wood, pushing Irish whiskey into new frontiers. Roughly 6,700 bottles of Teeling’s new whiskey will be available in the U.S. beginning in June and July for $99 a bottle.

Global Brand Equities has launched Sunny Vodka, partnering with Shaw-Ross International and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. Created by influencers Stas Karanikolaou and Zack Bia, the 40% abv vodka is distilled from corn in Charleston, South Carolina before filtering through California limestone. The new vodka carries a suggested price of $25 a a 750-ml. and is available in retailers like BevMo and Wally’s as well as through the e-commerce app Gopuff. The launch is kicking off with California, Las Vegas, Florida, and New York.

Heaven Hill has announced the spring 2022 bottling of Old Fitzgerald Bottled In Bond. This season’s release is a 17-year-old Bourbon distilled in 2004 and bottled at 50% abv. The barrels for this wheater were selected from three different floors of Heaven Hill’s rickhouse V. This spring’s release is available in limited quantities across the U.S. for a suggested price of $185 a 750-ml.

Information courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: March 1st 2022 Edition

Proximo Spirits’ Sexton Single Malt Irish whiskey has unveiled a new bottle to commemorate the final season of AMC series The Walking Dead. The packaging depicts themes of The Walking Dead across The Sexton’s black hexagonal bottle, which features a decaying silver label and a walker’s head in the place of the brand’s trademark skeleton logo. The Sexton’s The Walking Dead-inspired release will be available in limited quantities at wine and spirits retailers across the country starting at the end of February at a suggested retail price of $30.

Pernod Ricard has announced Midleton Very Rare 2022, the latest release in the collection of rare and high-end Irish whiskies from Irish Distillers. This year’s edition is bottled at 40% abv and is made from whiskies aged between 12 and 33 years matured in first-fill and refill Bourbon casks. Midleton Very Rare 2022 is rolling out now to select retailers for a suggested price of €200, or roughly $226.

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has agreed to distribute Insólito Tequila in multiple states across the U.S. The Tequila is made by brothers Octavio and Alberto Herrera at the Premium de Jalisco distillery for Spirits Innovation Partners and the country band Midland. The brand is signing on with SGWS roughly one year after its launch and will be distributed as part of SGWS’ Craft Collection Luxury Spirits division. Insólito Tequila is now available in Texas, California, Florida, New York, Illinois, Colorado, and Arizona through Southern Glazer’s, retailing in the $40-$50 range.

County Wicklow, Ireland’s Glendalough Distillery has announced a new single malt whiskey finished in Japanese Mizunara oak, set to hit shelves next week. The 7-year-old single malt is bottled at 46% abv. Glendalough 7-Year-Old Single Malt Mizunara Finish will be available in select locations across the U.S. beginning February 28 for a suggested price of $100 a 750-ml.

Brown Water Spirits, the maker of O.H. Ingram River Aged, is expanding the whiskey brand into the Minnesota market. Ingram River Aged is currently available on shelves in Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Tennessee, as well as online. The range includes Ingram River Aged Straight Whiskey, Straight Rye, Flagship Bourbon, and Straight Bourbon Whiskey, all aged on a proprietary floating rickhouse moored in Ballard County, Kentucky.

Upscale Tequila brand Montagave has launched in select U.S. markets. Produced by fourth generation family-run distillery Tequila Cascahuín, Montagave’s inaugural release, Montagave Blanco Héritage, rested for 29 days in red wine barrels from Bordeaux, and was bottled at 41% abv. It retails at $75 a 750-ml. and is debuting in Colorado, New York, and California, with additional markets slated for later this year.

Brown-Forman has released the 2022 edition of Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby bottle, with art from artist Jaime Corum. This year’s bottle features Corum’s painting “Dreams in Bloom” of three thoroughbreds racing. The 1-liter bottle retails for $50 and is available across the U.S. In addition to the yearly bottling, Woodford has teamed up with Williams-Sonoma to release the Woodford Spire cocktail mixer, made with cranberry and lemon. The mixer joins Woodford’s other Williams-Sonoma mixers like the Mint Julep and Whiskey Sour.

El Luchador Tequila has relaunched with a full portfolio of aged and unaged bottlings. The brand will now include four expressions: Blanco ($40), Reposado ($45), and Añejo ($50), all bottled at 40% abv, and a 55% abv Distill-Proof Blanco ($50). All four bottles feature a Luchador’s face on the label—a masked Mexican professional wrestler—with different background colors (green, silver, red, and red and green, respectively). An extra-Añejo is expected to join the range down the road.

Information courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: February 8th 2022 Edition

Brown-Forman has announced the return of Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked, along with an accompanying sweepstakes to give fans of the whiskey a chance to purchase a bottle of the limited release. The drawing opens on Woodford Reserve’s website on February 8 and winners will be notified by February 10 and will have until April 10 to pick up their bottles at the distillery. The whiskey, bottled at 45.2% abv, starts off as Woodford’s regular Double Oaked Bourbon before finishing for an additional year in a heavily toasted, lightly charred, new oak barrel. Beyond the sweepstakes, Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked will go on sale at the distillery for $50 a 375-ml.

Tres Generaciones Tequila has launched Añejo Cristalino, a new ultra-premium release. It’s been triple-distilled from 100% blue weber agave and rested in American white oak barrels for a minimum of 12 months, then rock filtered and ultimately bottled at 40% abv. It’s available now nationwide for $65 a 750-ml. 

Bardstown, Kentucky-based Kentucky Owl is releasing a St. Patrick’s Day limited edition Bourbon. The expression was made in partnership with Louise McGuane, the founder of J.J. Corry Irish Whiskey. She helped select the whiskey blend used in the St. Patrick’s edition, which features Kentucky straight Bourbons aged 4 to 11 years. It’s at 50% abv and will retail soon at limited locations throughout the U.S. Kentucky Owl was acquired by Stoli Group in 2017.

Hennessy Cognac has launched a new limited edition bottling of its VSOP expression featuring a label designed by musician Maluma. The exclusive label features overlapping purples, pinks, and blues behind the brand’s typical typeface. Hennessy VSOP Limited Edition by Maluma is now available while supplies last for a suggested price of $65 a 750-ml.

Walsh Whiskey has rebranded super-premium label The Irishman, commissioning a new bottle design, brand redesign, packaging production, and a range of marketing initiatives. The rebrand will support the whiskey brand’s target of doubling sales across its 50-plus markets within five years. Packaging changes include the introduction of a bespoke tall tapered bottle closed with cork and highlighted with a new brand icon. The revamped Irishman will roll out across the brand’s global markets over the course of the year, and is set to reach the U.S. this summer. 

Tequila Avión is adding a second expression to its Reserva Range. The new release is Avión Reserva Cristalino, a blend of añejo and extra añejo liquid. Produced in Jesus Maria, Mexico, Reserva Cristalino is aged in American oak barrels and double-charcoal filtered to remove its color, resulting in a clear Tequila. It’s at 40% abv and is launching today in the U.S. for $145 a 750-ml.

Indian distiller Amrut has announced the second release of Amrut Spectrum 004 Single Malt Whisky, which is hitting the U.S. in an allocation of 1,050 bottles. The whisky initially matured in an ex-Bourbon barrel before being transferred to a unique barrel made of four varieties of oak, which included American oak with level three charring, French oak with slight toasting, as well as an ex-Oloroso Sherry stave and ex-PX Sherry stave. Amrut Spectrum 004 will be available at select U.S. retailers, priced at around $195 a bottle.

Las Vegas-based importer Liquor Starz is launching a new upscale mezcal brand called Nayasse. The Nayasse lineup initially includes Joven ($56), Reposado ($75), and Añejo ($110), all made from espadin agave, as well as an Ensamble ($190) that’s a blend of espadin and tepeztate. The range also includes a limited edition Añejo 21-year-old in a hand-painted bottle at $3,000, and at the entry level a collection of four RTD mezcal spritzers. Nayasse will debut across 10 U.S. markets—including California, New York, Florida, Nevada, and Texas—in April.

Information courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: November 9th 2021 Edition

Evanston, Illinois-based Few Spirits is celebrating its tenth anniversary with new release Few Bottled In Bond Bourbon Whiskey. It’s made from a mashbill of 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley and bottled at 50% abv after aging in oak for a minimum of 4 years. An initial 2,000 cases are being released this month to the New York, Illinois, California, Florida, and Colorado markets, as well as direct-to-consumer online, with wider distribution planned for next year and a suggested retail price of $50 a 750-ml.

Glenmorangie is introducing a special edition 18-year-old single malt in collaboration with Tokyo-based floral artist Azuma Makoto. The newcomer, which retails at $140 a 750-ml., showcases a special display, Dancing Florals of Glenmorangie, created by Makoto on its giftbox and label featuring over 100 blooms and confetti-like petals meant to evoke the whisky’s nuances.

Brown-Forman has launched Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Special Release, Coy Hill High Proof, the 2021 iteration of the company’s limited edition barrel program. The whiskey—ranging from 68.7% abv to 74.15% abv—is the highest proof bottling the distillery has ever released. It’s drawn from barrels matured in the highest levels of the Coy Hill barrel house, which is located on the highest hill at the distillery. The whiskey is rolling out now across the U.S. for a suggested retail price of $70.

Frankfort, Kentucky’s Castle & Key Distillery has partnered with the Black Bourbon Guild to release a brand new series of whiskies, with 100% of sales going to the Diversity in Kentucky Distilling Scholarship program, a new initiative launched by the distillery and guild. The Untold Story of Kentucky Bourbon, Chapter 1 is bottled at 53.3% abv and is made from a mashbill of 73% corn, 10% rye, and 17% malted barley. Each year a new Untold Story will be introduced, with each release highlighting the contributions of Black Americans throughout Bourbon history. Chapter 1 retails for a suggested price of $150 a 750-ml. and only 425 bottles will be released. 

Diageo’s George Dickel has teamed up with Colorado craft distiller Leopold Bros. to create the George Dickel x Leopold Bros Collaboration Blend, a new blend of rye whiskies. The 50% abv whiskey brings together Leopold Bros. Three Chamber rye (named for the type of still used to distill it) and George Dickel’s column still rye whiskey and carries a suggested price of $110 a 750-ml. The George Dickel x Leopold Bros Collaboration Blend is rolling out now in limited quantities in select markets across the U.S.

American Highway Bourbon, a new brand from country music star Brad Paisley, is set to hit shelves across the U.S. this month. The 48% abv whiskey was distilled at Bardstown Bourbon Company and is blended from two 3-year-old whiskies, plus a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old. In a unique twist on the maturation process, American Highway spent part of its life on the road with Paisley, aging in a 53-foot trailer that accompanied the musician on his 2019 tour. For the first batch, 30,000 bottles will be released for a suggested price of $100. American Highway will be available in 21 markets across the U.S. and online through Seelbachs.

Fort Collins, Colorado-based Old Elk Distillery is releasing a limited edition expression called Old Elk Infinity Blend. It’s a blend made up of 60% Six Year Old Elk Blended Straight Bourbon, 24% a 12 year old Kentucky vintage, and 16% an 11 year old Kentucky vintage. The distillery plans to use this blend in future releases, continuing annually. Old Elk Infinity Blend will be distributed by Southern Glazer’s for a national limited release, available at select retailers for $150 a 750-ml.

Beam Suntory has launched Baker’s Exclusive Selection, a new limited-time spinoff for the Bourbon brand. This release is bottled at 53.5% abv and the chosen barrels aged for over 11 years. Like the standard Baker’s, the Exclusive Selection is a single barrel whiskey. It’s rolling out now in select locations across the U.S. with a suggested price of $100 a 750-ml.

Information courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: August 31st 2021 Edition

Islay-based single malt Scotch brand Ardbeg has announced its latest release, Ardbeg Traigh Bhan Batch 3. The 19-year-old whisky is set to hit shelves this September and is part of the distillery’s yearly limited-release of substantially aged whisky. This year’s batch comes in at 46.2% abv and features the signature of Ardbeg’s director of distilling and whisky creation, Dr. Bill Lumsden. Ardbeg Traigh Bhan Batch 3 will retail for around $300 a 750-ml.

Brown-Forman is extending Jack Daniel’s with its first 10-year-old age stated Tennessee whiskey in more than 100 years. Retailing at $70, the 97-proof whiskey will debut in limited quantities across the U.S. next month. Jack Daniel’s master distiller Chris Fletcher sourced the new offering from oak barrels that were relocated throughout the brand’s barrelhouse to extend the aging process over the past 10 years.

Washington-based Woodinville Whiskey, part of the Moët Hennessy portfolio, will unveil a special distillery-only Harvest Release whiskey on September 11, Moscatel Finished Woodinville Straight Bourbon. The new entry was finished in 200-gallon Moscatel De Setúbal barrels, a rare fortified wine produced on the Setúbal Peninsula of Portugal. Bottled at 100 proof, the special edition will retail at $70 a bottle.

An extremely rare set of single cask Japanese whiskies, named the Legend of Asama, have come to market. The whiskies were distilled in 1981 and matured for 20 years at the Karuizawa Distillery before being transferred to Chichibu Distillery. The two Karuizawa 1981 35-Year-Old Single Cask Japanese Single Malt whiskies in the set—from casks 4059 and 6183—were bottled at cask strength in 2017, when the majority of bottles were sold. Only 30 sets, encased in Glencairn Crystal glassware and lunawood casing, are available worldwide through Legend of Asama’s website.

Maison Ferrand’s Plantation Rum has announced the release of the complete Birds of Paradise series of vintage rums. Three of the six rums—Fiji 2005, Jamaica 2003, and Barbados 2011—are currently available, with two more—Peru 2006 and Trinidad 2009—launching in October, and the final release, Australia 2007, coming to market in November. All expressions in the line will retail for a suggested price of $80 a 750-ml. and are or will be available in major markets across the U.S.

Brooklyn, New York’s Widow Jane has added Lucky Thirteen, previously a private-barrel release, to its year-round lineup of whiskies. The 13-year-old Bourbon is bottled at 46.5% abv from barrels chosen by Widow Jane president and head distiller Lisa Wicker. While Lucky Thirteen will be available throughout the year, it will remain a limited offering within the Widow Jane portfolio and will retail for around $100 a 750-ml. bottle.

Lexington, Kentucky-based Town Branch Distillery has unveiled two new limited-edition Bourbons. They include Town Branch True Cask Kentucky Straight Bourbon, a cask strength 54% abv whiskey retailing at $45 a 750-ml., and Town Branch Sherry Cask Finished Kentucky Straight Bourbon, bottled at 48.2% abv and retailing at $70. The new expressions will be available for purchase at the distillery and in select markets nationwide beginning next month.

Lux Row Distillers has announced Blood Oath Trilogy Second Edition, the latest collection from the luxury priced Bourbon label. The new pack contains Blood Oath Pacts 4, 5, and 6—released between 2018 and 2020—with all three Bourbons bottled at 49.3% abv. The trio is packaged in a black display box that shows off each whiskey’s label. In September, Lux Row will release 1,400 3-packs at a suggested price of $799.

Barrell Craft Spirits has released the latest release in the BCS line of limited edition whiskies. This release—adorned with a gray label—is a blend of 15-year-old Bourbon whiskies distilled in Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. The whiskey is bottled at cask strength, 50.2% abv, and is available in select retailers across the U.S. for a suggested price of $250 a 750-ml.

Anheuser-Busch has extended Natural Light into the spirits category with Natural Light Vodka, a new line of lemonade-flavored spirits. The line of 30% abv vodkas is kicking off with three flavors—traditional lemonade, strawberry lemonade, and black cherry lemonade—and is available in both 750- and 50-ml. bottles. 

Information courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: June 8th 2021 Edition

Campari America has launched the latest limited-edition whiskey from the Wild Turkey Distillery: Russell’s Reserve 13-year-old. The 57.4% abv Bourbon is non-chill filtered and bottled at barrel strength, and showcases the combined decades of experience in the industry from master distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell. The whiskey is now available across the U.S. for a limited time at a suggested price of $70 a 750-ml.

Conecuh Brands has released two new whiskies in the Clyde May’s family. First up is Clyde May’s Special Reserve Straight Bourbon, a new 55% abv permanent addition to the portfolio. It’s aged for five years and retails for $70 a 750-ml. Conecuh has also unveiled this year’s edition of Clyde May’s cask strength release, a 13-year-old Bourbon bottled at 56% abv, which is available in limited quantities for $180 a 750-ml.

Brown-Forman has added a new single barrel rye to the Old Forester brand. The unfiltered rye whiskey is bottled at barrel proof and is the first expansion for Old Forester rye since the whiskey was introduced in 2019. Old Forester Single Barrel Rye is now available across the U.S. for around $80 a 750-ml.

Danish whisky brand Stauning, part of the Diageo-backed Distill Ventures portfolio, is launching in the U.S. Initial offerings include Stauning rye whisky (48% abv, $80), Stauning Kaos triple malt (46% abv, $90), and Stauning Smoke (47% abv, $100), a peated and heather smoked malt. Situated on a fjord in West Jutland on the west coast of Denmark, Stauning’s whiskies are made from local grain, floor-malted in-house, and distilled in 24 direct-fired small copper pot stills.

Roscoe, New York’s Do Good Spirits has announced the latest version of Bootlegger New York Craft Barrel Aged gin. The 46% abv spirit is made with juniper, orris root, coriander, lemon verbena, and bitter orange peels before maturing in 30-gallon barrels used to age the distillery’s Bourbon. Bootlegger Barrel Aged gin is available in limited quantities at the distillery’s tasting room and through its website for a suggested price of $55.

Beam Suntory has released the second bottling of Booker’s Bourbon for 2021: Tagalong Batch. This edition aged for six years and five months and comes in at 63.95% abv. Tagalong Batch gets its name from the story of Booker Noe learning the family business from his grandfather Jim Beam by tagging along to the distillery. The whiskey is rolling out now in limited quantities across the U.S. where it will retail for a suggested price of $90 a 750-ml

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: February 9th 2021 Edition

Durham, North Carolina-based Durham Distillery has released Conniption Barrel Aged Gin Series No. 1 2020 Release. The new expression is a limited-edition launch that’s aged in High West Bourbon barrels for 10 months and bottled at 47% abv. Conniption Barrel Aged Gin Series No. 1 joins Navy Strength and American Dry gins—both of which feature Italian coriander, cardamom, and juniper, among other botanicals—in the label’s lineup.

Heaven Hill Brands is extending Black Velvet Canadian whisky with an Apple flavor. The 70-proof offering is rolling out in limited markets this month, retailing at $11 a 750-ml. Black Velvet Canadian Apple joins Toasted Caramel in Black Velvet’s flavored whisky lineup. Heaven Hill acquired Black Velvet from Constellation for $266 million in 2019.

Prairie Organic, part of the Phillips Distilling portfolio, is introducing Prairie Organic Cucumber, Mint & Lime Flavored Gin. Made with organic corn and natural flavors, the newcomer is bottled at 45% abv and is rolling out nationally, retailing at $35 a 750-ml. The new flavored gin follows Prairie’s launch of three botanical vodkas last year, including Grapefruit, Hibiscus & Chamomile; Watermelon, Cucumber & Lime; and Apple, Pear & Ginger expressions.

West Cork Distillers is introducing a limited release Stout Cask finished blended Irish whiskey into the U.S. market. The bottling is a 75/25 blend of grain and malt Irish whiskey aged in first fill Bourbon casks for four years. The malt and grain components are then blended and aged for an additional 6 months in casks that had held Ireland’s Blacks of Kinsale Stout. West Cork’s new Stout Cask finished whiskey retails at $32 a 750-ml. and is imported by M.S. Walker.

Don Papa Rum is releasing a new expression finished in Sherry casks. Launching in April, Don Papa Sherry Cask Finish is aged four years in American oak Bourbon casks; split and finished in Fino, Pedro Ximenez, Palo Cortado, and Cream Sherry casks; and then blended and bottled at 45% abv. The resulting product, produced in the Philippines and imported by Zamora Co. USA, will be available in select retailers, priced at $70 a 750-ml.

Brown-Forman’s the Benriach has launched a new series of luxury-priced Scotch whiskies. First up is the Benriach 21-year-old, a 46% abv whisky matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon, Sherry, new oak, and red wine casks that retails for $200. The company has also launched a 25-year-old whisky aged in Bourbon, Sherry, new oak, and Madeira casks ($360); and a 30-year-old whisky that retails for $740 and matured in Bourbon, Sherry, new oak, and Port casks. The new whiskies are rolling out now in limited quantities.

Casa Komos Beverage Group has announced Tequila Komos Reposado Rosa, the latest agave spirit in the brand’s portfolio. The Tequila is aged in once-used red wine barrels that impart a rosé color to the spirit, which is packaged in porcelain bottles. Reposado Rosa will launch in May.

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: January 26th 2021 Edition

San Diego-based Cutwater Spirits is expanding its lineup of RTDs. This month, Cutwater debuted a Mango Margarita (12.5% abv) in California, ahead of a nationwide launch in February. Strawberry and Peach Margaritas will follow in April. Additionally, Cutwater is introducing Frozen Margarita ice pops in a mixed pack featuring lime, strawberry, mango, and pineapple flavors nationally in March. The new entries join Cutwater’s existing Tequila RTDs, which include Paloma, Tequila Soda, and Margarita.

Rémy Cointreau has a launched a new limited edition bottle for Rémy Martin VSOP Cognac that hearkens back to the brand’s designs from the 1980s and 1990s. The bottle features a gold label and comes in a cardboard box with cassette tape art inspired by hip-hop and mixtape culture. The Cognac inside is Rémy’s normal 40% abv VSOP Cognac. The limited edition bottling is available now in select retailers across the U.S. for around $50 a bottle. 

Disaronno and Jack Daniel’s are teaming up with a new initiative called Velvet Fire, a cocktail created by combining Disaronno Velvet with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire in a 2-to-1 ratio. Disaronno Velvet, launched last April, is the newest addition to the brand’s lineup; it’s at 17% abv and retails for $30 a 750-ml. The Velvet Fire campaign is being supported with a dedicated release bundling a bottle of Disaronno Velvet with a bottle of Tennessee Fire. It’s available now nationwide priced at $50 for the two 750-ml. bottles.

Ardbeg is releasing a new limited edition bottling that represents its first rye cask matured offering. A non-age-stated 51.8% abv expression wholly aged in ex-rye casks, Arrrrrrrdbeg! is a tribute to distillery manager Mickey Heads, who retired late last year after 13 years at the distillery’s helm. It’s launching exclusively to the Ardbeg Committee’s 100,000 members on February 1, priced at $180 a bottle. Islay-based Ardbeg is part of the Moët Hennessy-owned Glenmorangie Co. 

Newport Beach, California-based the Cooper Spirits Company has announced a 20-year-old bottling of its Lock, Stock & Barrel rye whiskey. The 56% abv whiskey is sourced from Alberta Distillers and aged in new charred American oak barrels that were not toasted, a move the company says has allowed the whiskey to age gracefully over two decades. Only 1,000 3-pack cases have been released and the whiskey is now available at select retailers across the U.S. for a suggested price of $389 a 750-ml.

Brown-Forman has announced Woodford Reserve’s 2021 Winter Distillery Series release, set to debut tomorrow. This year’s release marks the return of Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked, which as the name suggests, is Woodford’s Double Oaked Bourbon finished for an additional year in a heavily toasted, lightly charred new oak barrel. The whiskey comes in at 45.2% abv and will launch Wednesday at the Woodford distillery. It will also be available at select retailers in Kentucky for a suggested price of $50 a 375-ml.

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: December 8th 2020 Edition

Brown-Forman has launched the winter 2020 iteration of the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection. This season’s whiskey, Woodford Reserve Very Fine Rare Bourbon, is blended from Bourbon aged up to 17 years, dating back to 2003, when current master distiller Chris Morris took the helm. Very Fine Rare Bourbon will also feature assistant master distiller Elizabeth McCall’s name on the bottle’s tag for the first time. The whiskey is bottled at 45.2% abv and is now available in select markets across the U.S. for around $130 a 750-ml.

Brooklyn, New York’s St. Agrestis has expanded its line up of bag-in-box cocktails to three releases, now including Black Manhattan and Boulevardier, in addition to the company’s original Negroni. Each cocktail comes in at 24% abv and is made with St. Agrestis’ amaro and Inferno bitters (the two new cocktails are also made with high-rye Bourbon sourced from Indiana and Kentucky.) St. Agrestis’ bag-in-box cocktails retail for around $60 a 1.75-liter package and are available nationwide in select retailers and DTC through the company’s website to 31 states.

Brooklyn-based Widow Jane Distillery has announced The Vaults 2020, a limited edition offering and the second annual release in the series. The 49.5% abv Bourbon is a blend of 15-17 year old whiskies distilled in Tennessee and Indiana before finishing in casks made from air-dried Appalachian oak. Roughly 5,000 bottles of the Vaults 2020 will be available for around $200 a 750-ml. in 24 markets across the U.S.

’Merican Mule, a brand of canned Moscow Mule cocktails, has launched Fire Mule, its latest seasonal offering. The spirits–based RTD is made with Bourbon, ginger beer, and cinnamon, and is packaged at 7% abv. The new release joins Moscow Mule, Mexican Mule (made with Tequila), Tropical Mule (rum), Southern Mule (Bourbon), and seasonal Pumpkin Spice Mule (vodka) in the portfolio. Fire Mule is now available in 4-packs of 12-ounce cans for around $14 in chains like Whole Foods, Total Wine, and Target in New England and the Southern U.S.

Frankfort, Kentucky-based Castle & Key has launched Restoration Rye, its first whiskey offering. Alongside Restoration Rye ($40 a 750-ml.), Castle & Key will also release Roots of Ruin Gin ($33) and Sacred Spring Vodka ($27), all in newly designed bottles. The new releases will be available in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, South Carolina, Texas and Georgia beginning this month. Founded in 2014 by partners Will Arvin and Wes Murry, Castle & Key is based in the former Old Taylor distillery, which Arvin and Murry restored and opened to visitors in 2018.

Purcellville, Virginia-based Catoctin Creek Distilling Co. is releasing a new whisky expression created in partnership with metal band GWAR. Launching in February 2021, Catoctin Creek Ragnarök Rye pays homage to GWAR’s elaborate monster costumes and mythos, and is bottled at 46% abv and aged in charred new white oak barrels followed by sugar maple and cherrywood. It will retail for $99 a 750-ml. “Ahh, such a powerful spirit,” said The Berserker Blothar of GWAR. “A delicious sacrament to drink in preparation for battle.” Founded in 2009, Catoctin Creek Distilling distributes to 27 states in the U.S.

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: November 10th 2020 Edition

Saint Luna, an ultra-premium moonshine, is expanding distribution to five new markets. The brand has partnered with Vintage Imports to launch in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey; Fireside Distributing in Nashville, Tennessee; and Clare Rose on Long Island, New York. Created in 2018 by entrepreneur David Suk, Saint Luna is made with molasses and rye and charcoal filtered. It is at 50% abv and, in addition to its retail footprint, is available through Caskers and ReserveBar, where it’s priced at $50 a 750-ml.

Purcellville, Virginia-based Catoctin Creek Distilling Company is releasing a highly limited whiskey expression. The craft distillery produced approximately 540 bottles of Peach Barrel Select Rye, which was aged in charred new oak barrels and then finished for over a year in peach brandy barrels used to produce its Short Hill Mountain Peach Brandy. It’s at 40% abv and retails for $46 a 750-ml., available beginning November 16 through Catoctin Creek’s online store for Virginia residents and at liquor stores throughout the company’s 24-state distribution footprint.

Nikka Whisky is releasing a new version of its Taketsuru Pure Malt in the U.S. this month. Named for Nikka founder Masataka Taketsuru, the expression is a blend of 100% malt whiskies showcasing the balance between liquid from Nikka’s two distilleries in Yoichi and Miyagikyo, Japan. This reformulation of Taketsuru has strengthened the Yoichi side of the blend for increased smokiness. It also features a new label design. The release is at 43% abv and retails for a suggested $80 a 750-ml.

Brown-Forman-owned The GlenDronach single malt Scotch whisky has launched a new Port-pipe finished expression across the U.S. The GlenDronach Port Wood is bottled at 46% abv, non-chill filtered, and is first matured in Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso Sherry casks before its Port finishing. It’s now available in select retailers nationwide at a suggested price of $90 a 750-ml.

Irish whiskey brand Writers’ Tears is getting a packaging refresh across its full line. All six expressions of Writers’ Tears now feature a cork and foil closure. The brand’s tall, Victorian-style bottle now also features an embossed teardrop above the label and debossing on the Writers’ Tears name on the glass base, and the bottle is 2mm wider and slightly heavier than before. The main labels have also been redesigned and feature additional writerly elements, like expression-specific “chapter numbers” denoting the order in which each release was originally created. Writers’ Tears is produced by Carlow, Ireland-based Walsh Whiskey, which also produces whiskey line The Irishman.

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: October 20th 2020 Edition

Newport, Oregon-based Rogue Ales & Spirits is launching an addition to its line of canned cocktails. Rogue Ginger Lemon Whiskey Mule is the first in the series to use whiskey as its base spirit, joining three vodka-based offerings and a Gin Fizz. It’s at 7.5% abv and contains a blend of Rogue Spirits whiskey aged between 4 and 6 years along with ginger, lemon, simple syrup, and sparkling water. It is available nationwide now, retailing in 4-packs of 12-ounce cans.

Cincoro Tequila, the brand founded by Michael Jordan and other NBA owners, has released a limited number of 1.75-liter bottles of its Añejo Tequila. Each bottle is individually numbered and will be available for purchase on Cincoro’s website. Interested consumers can register now for a chance to buy. The 1.75-liter bottles will be available in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Nashville, Dallas, and Houston.

Palm Bay International is launching Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. Retailing at $65 a 750-ml., the newcomer is triple-distilled from a blend of malted Irish barley, unmalted Irish barley and Irish barra oats. It was aged five years in first use ex-Kentucky Bourbon and ex-Oloroso Sherry casks and was bottled at 43% abv. Rolling out nationwide, it joins Drumshanbo Gunpowder Gin in the Drumshanbo range.

Herradura Tequila, part of the Brown-Forman portfolio, is introducing a new permanent extension to its range. Herradura Legend is an Añejo Tequila matured for 14 months in heavily charred, new American White Oak barrels. Herradura makes its own barrels and deeply grooves them to expose the Tequila to more layers of toasted oak. Legend will initially be available in select markets, including New York, New Jersey, Colorado, Oregon, California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina retailing at $125.

Boston, Massachusetts-based Latitude Beverage has added a new Bourbon to its Wheel Horse Whiskey brand, following the launch of Wheel Horse rye earlier this year. The 50.5% abv whiskey is aged between two and four years from a mash of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley. The whiskey was distilled at the Owensboro Distilling Company in Kentucky and is now available in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Tennessee for around $28 a 750-ml.

Bacardi is debuting three new offerings from its Exceptional Cask series of single malt Scotch whiskies: Aberfeldy 18 Years Old ($120, 43% abv), Aberfeldy 20 Years Old ($200, 43% abv), and Craigellachie 24 Years Old ($300, 52.2% abv), all of which are rolling out this month. Each expression in the Exceptional Cask series is hand-selected by malt master Stephanie Macleod.

Sweet Amber Distilling Co. has announced a new cask strength program for the Blackened American whiskey line. The whiskey, called Batch 106, is a blend of Bourbon and rye that’s bottled at 55.35% abv. According to the company, the whiskies in the blend are an average of eight years old. Like the wider Blackened release, Batch 106 is finished by playing music through the spirit, in this case Metallica’s S&M2 collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony. Blackened Batch 106 is available for around $55 in Kroger Supermarkets in Kentucky and in Tampa, Florida at Luekens Wine & Spirits.

Constellation Brands has extended Svedka with a new range of canned Vodka Soda cocktails. The new offerings, made with real fruit juice and natural flavors, are at 8% abv and come in Strawberry Lemonade, Black Cherry Lime, and Mango Pineapple flavors. They’re rolling out now, retailing at $13 a 4-pack of 12-ounce cans, and $3 an individual can.

Beam Suntory has launched Suntory World Whisky Ao, its first global blend of whiskies, to 16 travel retail markets. The 43% abv blend is assembled from Beam Suntory’s Scottish, Canadian, American, and Japanese distillers by fifth generation Suntory chief blender, Shinji Fukuyo. This marks the first international launch for Ao, which was previously released in April 2019 as an exclusive for the Japanese market. Suntory World Whisky Ao retails for around $71 a bottle.

Lucas Bols USA has launched a new, non-alcoholic version of its Damrak gin, called Damrak Virgin 0.0. The spirit alternative is made with citrus peels, lavender, and coriander seeds, among other botanicals, and aims to mimic the flavor of Bols’ alcoholic Damrak gin. It’s now available nationwide in retail channels as well as online via the brand’s website and Amazon.

Frankfort, Kentucky’s Pinhook has announced its 2020 Vertical series whiskies. The new releases are Bourbon War 5 Year, bottled at 52% abv, and Tiz Rye Time 4 Year, bottled at 48.5%. Both whiskies are sourced from MGP. Pinhook will release new editions each year until the Vertical series gets to 12-year-old whiskies. The whiskies retail for $50 and $45, respectively, and are now available in 25 states and through Breeze, the company’s text message-based e-commerce channel that allows fans to text a photo or description of one of Pinhook’s whiskies to a personal shopper who then sources the spirit.

Louisville, Kentucky’s Barrell Craft Spirits has introduced a new addition to its BCS (Barrel Craft Spirits) line, a 15-year-old Bourbon. The whiskey is blended from straight Bourbons distilled in Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee, and bottled at 52.45% abv. Barrel’s BCS Bourbon is rolling out now in limited quantities—only 12,000 bottles will be released—and will retail for around $250 in select stores across the company’s 45-market distribution footprint. In addition to this new release, the BCS line also includes another whiskey and a rum.

Compass Box has announced the Peat Monster Arcana, the latest whisky celebrating the company’s 20th anniversary. The 46% abv whisky is made from a base of cask strength Peat Monster that aged for an additional two years before blending with malt whiskies from the Talisker, Miltonduff, and Ardbeg distilleries. The Peat Monster Arcana is rolling out this month in limited quantities across the U.S.; only 3,900 bottles will be available for a suggested price of $95 a 750-ml. This is the third celebratory whisky the company has released for its 20th anniversary, following Hedonism Felicitas and Rogues’ Banquet.

Elenita, a new brand of sparkling mezcal cocktails, is debuting across California. The 5% abv range includes Cucumber Lime Basil and Pineapple Jalapeno offerings and retails at $36 an eight-pack of 12-ounce cans on the company’s website. In addition to online, Elenita is available at select Total Wine and BevMo outlets among other on- and off-premise locations. The brand’s mezcal base is made from 100%-Espadin agave and distilled in Oaxaca.

Brooklyn, New York-based Widow Jane has announced the next batch of Decadence, the company’s maple syrup cask-finished whiskey. The 45.5% abv Bourbon starts as Widow Jane’s standard 10-year-old whiskey before finishing in casks used to age Crown Maple Syrup. This iteration of Decadence is rolling out now in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, and Texas, and will retail for around $80. Each batch of Widow Jane’ Decadence comes in at around 3,300 bottles of whiskey.

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: October 6th 2020 Edition

Biddeford, Maine’s Round Turn Distilling has launched Bimini Coconut, a new flavored gin. The 47% abv gin is made with juniper, grapefruit, and hops, before fat washing with coconut to naturally infuse the gin. Bimini Coconut is available in California, Maine, New York, and Massachusetts for around $35 a 750-ml. The new spirit sits alongside Bimini gin, Bimini Barrel Reserve No.-1, and Bimini Overproof in the distillery’s lineup.

Minnesota-based Phillips Distilling Co. announced the release of Douglas and Todd Small Batch Bourbon Cream Liqueur. As the name implies, the new product is made from the company’s Douglas and Todd Bourbon, aged a minimum of four years in new charred oak barrels, then blended with cream and vanilla bean flavors. It’s available now as a limited release retailing for $35 a 750-ml. at select retailers and coming soon to online sales. The Phillips Distilling portfolio also includes UV Vodka, Prairie Organic Spirits, and Revel Stoke Whiskies, among others.

Proximo Spirits has launched Bushmills 28-Year-Old Single Malt Cognac Cask, the first in the brand’s new Rare Casks series. The 46.7% abv whisky first aged in Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry casks for 11 years before spending an additional 17 years in Cognac casks. Fewer than 500 bottles of the whiskey will be available, exclusively in the U.S., for a suggested retail price of $500 a 750-ml.

Mystic, Connecticut’s Prima Barista has launched a new ready-to-drink hard coffee, made with vodka. The 12.5% abv drinks come in two flavors—Mocha Hard Iced Frappé and Vanilla Hard Iced Latte—and contain roughly the same amount of caffeine as a 1-ounce shot of espresso per 200-ml. bottle. Prima Barista’s coffee cocktails are now available in Florida and Indiana at retail for around $19-$20, and for direct shipping to over 30 states across the U.S.

Edrington-owned Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky has launched Cask Strength No.-1, the first release in its new cask-strength collection. This edition comes in at 63.3% abv and matured in Sherry-seasoned American oak casks for a range of years before blending and bottling. The non-chill-filtered whisky will be released yearly. Highland Park Cask Strength No.-1 retails for around $90 a 750-ml. and will be available online and in specialty retailers across the U.S.

Kahlúa is extending with a new Blonde Roast Style liqueur. Made with medium roast coffee and hints of caramel, toffee and citrus flavors, Kahlúa Blonde Roast Style is at 20% abv and suggested to be served with tonic or coconut water. Pernod Ricard-owned Kahlúa posted 6% growth in NABCA channels in the 12 months through June. 

Dan Aykroyd and John Alexander’s Crystal Head vodka has launched Onyx, a new vodka distilled from Blue Agave. The new brand extension is bottled at 40% abv in an opaque black bottle. The agave for the spirit is sourced from a single farm in Mexico and the final product is bottled without additives or sweeteners. Crystal Head Onyx will retail for around $55 a 750-ml. and joins the brand’s original release, made from Canadian corn, and Aurora, made from English wheat, in the full-time lineup.

High West, part of the Constellation portfolio, has introduced two bottled whiskey cocktails, Barrel-Finished Manhattan and Barrel-Finished Old Fashioned. Both are made using a blend of Bourbon and rye, then finished in rye barrels. The Old Fashioned is at 43% abv, while the Manhattan is at 37% abv. Rolling out nationwide, High West’s new bottled cocktails retail at $50 a 750-ml. (containing 12 cocktails) and $30 a 375-ml.

Mount Gay Rum, part of the Rémy Cointreau portfolio, is launching a new limited edition, Master Blender Collection: The Port Cask Expression. Created by master blender Trudiann Branker, the new bottling is a blend of rums distilled in a traditional column still and aged for five years in Tawny Port casks, together with rums double distilled in a copper pot still and aged for 14 years in American whiskey casks and finished in Tawny Port casks for one year. Retailing at $175 a 750-ml., Mount Gay’s new luxury Port Cask expression is a cask-strength at 55% abv and is limited to 2,100 bottles in the U.S.

Código 1530 Tequila is releasing a new limited-edition extra añejo expression, the George Strait Origen. The new expression aged over six years in French white oak barrels that previously held Napa Valley Cabernet. The 40% abv spirit will retail for $350, with only 1,200 bottles available nationwide. The six barrels used to create the Tequila were hand-selected by Código co-founder and country music legend George Strait. Código 1530 reports that it’s seen rapid gains in the year-to-date, registering growth of 40%.

Diageo is bringing back Cîroc vodka’s White Grape expression for the holiday season. Five times distilled from French grapes, Cîroc White Grape is rolling out now. Cîroc slipped 9% to 1.4 million cases in the U.S. last year, according to Impact Databank, amid intense competition in the U.S. vodka category. In Diageo’s full fiscal year through June, the brand’s net sales fell by double-digits, with the decline partially offset by good results for limited-time offers like White Grape.

Minnesota’s Tattersall Distilling has launched a bottled Manhattan, made from 100% Minnesota grown rye, aged in charred American white oak barrels, and blended with Tattersall Italian-style liqueur, Sherry, and bitters. This is the distillery’s fourth ready-to-drink cocktail, joining Old Fashioned, Bootlegger, and Salty Dog. It retails at $35 a 750-ml. and carries an abv of 35%. The new entry will roll out first in Minnesota, with Wisconsin to follow shortly after. Tattersall’s portfolio is distributed to 30 states.

Whiskeysmith Co., a new line of flavored whiskies from Colorado-based Old Elk, has launched nationally via Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits. The line is launching with three flavors—Chocolate, Banana, and Pineapple—and all come in at 30% abv. Beverage director Melinda Maddox said the brand is aimed at home and on-premise mixology, and as a one-step home cocktail alternative. Whiskeysmith is now available across the U.S. and retails for between $25 and $30, depending on the market.

Brown-Forman has launched Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition, a new ultra-limited luxury release from the American whiskey brand. The newcomer is bottled at 45.2% abv and, after its initial maturation in American oak, aged for an extra three years in ex-Cognac casks. The whiskey is bottled in a handmade crystal decanter from Baccarat that’s reminiscent of the standard Woodford bottle but engraved in gold with both Woodford’s and Baccarat’s logos. It’s now available in limited quantities for $2,000 a 750-ml. 

Teeling Irish whiskey has announced a new addition to the distillery’s portfolio, Blackpitts Peated Single Malt whiskey. The 46% abv whiskey is triple distilled and matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sauternes casks. According to managing director Jack Teeling, the smokiness of triple distilled peated whiskey is quite distinct; he described it as more like “barbecue-style smoke,” compared to the briny or medicinal peated whiskies of Islay, Scotland. Blackpitts Peated Single Malt whiskey will launch globally in January 2021, for a suggested price of $75 in the U.S.

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: September 29th 2020 Edition

Moët Hennessy USA is set to launch A Tale of Cake, the newest limited release from single malt Scotch brand Glenmorangie, in October. The 46% abv whisky was finished in Tokaji casks. A Tale of Cake’s launch will be accompanied by a promotional campaign involving cocktails and cake recipes by Jeremy Le Blanche and Dominique Ansel, respectively, to go with the new whisky and with Glenmorangie’s core releases. The whisky will retail for around $99 a 750-ml.

Brown-Forman has announced a new three-batch Bourbon release to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Old Forester. The three whiskies will each be at cask strength and bottled in amber-colored glass reminiscent of hand-blown bottles used in the 19th century. Batch 1 is bottled at 62.8% abv and is made from 46 barrels; Batch 2 is made from 48 barrels and bottled at 63.2% abv; and Batch 3 is assembled from 53 barrels and is at 63.4% abv. Old Forester 150th Anniversary Bourbon is bottled unfiltered—only barrel char sediment has been removed—and will be available in limited quantities across the U.S. for around $150 a 750-ml.

Goslings Rum is offering a new limited release called Papa Seal Single Barrel Bermuda Rum. It was blended from a range of pot- and column-distilled rums that run between 10 and 21 years aged in white oak barrels and aged another two years in Bermuda, ultimately bottled at 41.5% abv. Only 1,500 bottles of Papa Seal 2020 will be available nationwide, each hand-labeled with its barrel number, bottle number, and bottling date. Beginning next month it will be available at select retailers in 16 states as well as online, retailing for $199 a 750-ml.

Edrington has announced the sixth and final release in the Macallan Edition Series. The Macallan Edition No. 6 is a 48.6% abv whisky made from liquid matured in both European and American Sherry-seasoned oak casks. Tying in with the launch, the Macallan has started a partnership with the Atlantic Salmon Trust to support efforts to protect at-risk fish, including in the Macallan’s own section of the river Spey. The Macallan Edition No. 6 is rolling out globally this month and will retail for around $150 in the U.S. Last year, the Macallan was at 268,000 cases in the U.S., according to Impact Databank.

Heaven Hill Brands has released a packaging refresh for parts of the Evan Williams family of whiskies. Evan Williams Black’s new label sports a richer gold color and a black and gold capsule with Evan Williams’s signature. The bottled-in-bond release features a green and white label that more prominently shows the higher proof and the standards of bonded whiskey; the capsule shows the tax strip designating the whiskey as bonded. Evan Williams’ flavored releases will now feature a centered label and the new bottle shape.

Minnesota-based Prestige Beverage has added Davidoff Cognac to its import portfolio for the U.S. The company is now rolling out Davidoff’s V.S. ($35), V.S.O.P. ($50), and X.O. ($150) releases—all bottled at 40% abv—in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, North and South Carolina, North and South Dakota, Nevada, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Texas, and Wisconsin.

William Grant & Sons has relaunched Milagro Select Barrel Reserve, the brand’s luxury-priced tier. The full line—Blanco ($40), Reposado ($45), and Añejo ($55)—is returning to market in new bottles inspired by Mexican architectural works and featuring an engraved agave plant and colors specific to each release.

Proximo Spirits has made former special edition Kraken Black Roast Coffee rum a permanent addition to the line. The 33.3% abv rum is made from macerating the brand’s Trinidadian spiced rum with coffee beans to create a richly spiced and sweet spirit, according to the company. Kraken Black Roast Coffee rum is now available across the U.S.

Sombra mezcal, part of the Davos Brands portfolio, has unveiled a new bottle design. The new packaging, which rolls out this fall, takes its inspiration from the vaso veladora, glass cups traditionally used to contain prayer candles that are common in Oaxacan churches. The updated design also includes a refreshed logo, copper lettering, and a reduced glass weight to be more eco-friendly. Sombra, which translates to “shadow,” is at 90 proof and retails at $35 a 750-ml.

Clase Azul Tequila has announced the launch of the 2020 edition of its Día de Muertos Tequila, set to hit shelves on October 1. The 40% abv spirit is made from a blend of Clase Azul’s Plata, 8-month-old reposado, and 5-year-old Ultra—aged in ex-Sherry casks—Tequilas. The 2020 Día de Muertos Tequila is a limited release and only 2,000 bottles will be available globally, retailing for around $400 a 750-ml.

The Dalmore has launched the latest release in its Principal Collection, a 12-year-old single malt finished in Sherry casks. The 43% abv whisky is initially aged for 10 years in American oak barrels previously used to mature Bourbon before finishing for up to three years in casks that held Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry. The Dalmore 12-year-old Sherry Cask Select single malt is now available in the U.K. and major Asian markets with a U.S. launch to follow in 2021.

Plantation rum has extended its portfolio with two new Fijian rums. Plantation Isle of Fiji is a permanent addition to the range. Distilled in pot and column stills at Rum Co. of Fiji, and then double-aged in Fiji and France, it’s at 40% abv and retails at $25 a 750-ml. Plantation Fiji Vintage 2005 is the first offering in Plantation’s new Birds of Paradise vintage collection. It was first distilled in triple column stills and aged for 14 years in Bourbon casks in the mild climate of the Fiji Islands, then spent an additional year in Ferrand French Oak barrels in the House’s cellars in Cognac. The limited edition is at 50.2% abv and retails at $80.

Chicago-based House of Somrus is adding to its range with a new Coffee Cream liqueur. The line extension is made with coffee and chicory, together with real dairy cream from Wisconsin and quintuple-distilled Caribbean rum. Retailing at $25 a 750-ml., it carries an abv of 13.5% and is rolling out across 21 states.

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily