GSN Spirited News: November 2nd 2021 Edition

Templeton Distillery, part of the Infinium Spirits portfolio, is launching the third expression in its Cask Finish Series. The latest whiskey is Templeton Rye Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish, made from American straight rye whiskey aged a minimum of six years in charred oak barrels. It was then rested an additional nine months in Sherry casks sourced from the Marco de Jerez region of Spain that aged Sherry anywhere from eight to 20 years. It’s at 46% abv and is available in limited quantities in the U.S. for $50-$55 a 750-ml. Previous entries in the series include Maple and Caribbean Rum Cask Finish. 

Louisville, Kentucky’s Michter’s has announced the 2021 edition of the brand’s 20 Year Old Bourbon. The whiskey comes in at 57.1% abv with the barrels chosen by master distiller Dan McKee and master of maturation Andrea Wilson. Michter’s 20 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon will begin to roll out in limited quantities across the U.S. in November, carrying a suggested retail price of $750 a 750-ml. This is the first release of 20-year-old Bourbon from Michter’s since 2019.

Louisville, Kentucky-based Angel’s Envy has announced the 2021 edition of the distillery’s cask strength Bourbon, the tenth annual release from the company. This year’s edition comes in at 60.35% abv and comes in a commemorative wooden box. Only 14,760 bottles will be released this year, available in select retailers—including the Angel’s Envy distillery store—across the U.S. Angel’s Envy 2021 Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels will begin to roll out on December 1, with a $230 suggested retail price.

Campari America has officially entered the Cognac category, introducing the Bisquit & Dubouché brand. Bisquit & Dubouché offers a flagship VSOP ($59 a 750ml.) and high-end XO ($180). Both offerings will initially launch in select states, focusing on California, Texas, and Florida, in accounts where the premium plus and super-premium business is concentrated, with plans for further expansion in 2022.

Procera, a new ultra-premium gin from Nairobi, Kenya, has launched in the U.S. The 44% abv gin is made with a blend of African botanicals, notably its namesake variety of juniper, indigenous to Kenya. Procera is also made with pink peppercorn, orris root, coriander, Swahili lime, Pixie orange, and green tea, among other botanicals. The gin is packaged in hand-blown bottles made by local glassblowers. Handled by New York-based Innovation X Marketing, Procera is now available in New York and online for a suggested retail price of $85 a 750-ml.

Johnnie Walker has unveiled High Rye Blended Scotch Whisky, which features a unique mash bill of 60% rye aged in American oak barrels, along with some of the notable single malts that make up the traditional Johnnie Walker blend, including Cardhu, Caol Ila, and Glenkinchie. The 45% abv expression is now available across the U.S., retailing at $35 a 750-ml. 

Pernod Ricard’s Smooth Ambler has kicked off a new collection of whiskies, the Founder’s Series, with a cask strength rye. The new whiskey is made from a mash of 88% rye and 12% malted barley and is distilled at Smooth Ambler’s West Virginia distillery. The Founder’s Series cask strength rye is a limited release and only six batches of less than 400 cases will be produced each year. The whiskey will begin rolling out in November in select stores in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, North and South Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas with a suggested price of $55 a 750-ml.

Distinguished Vineyards & Wine Partners is launching the Fuji whisky brand in the U.S. Fuji Single Grain Whiskey ($95) is now available at select establishments nationwide, with its flagship label ($60) slated to arrive in November. Both expressions will be available nationwide on and off premise. Named after one of Japan’s most iconic landmarks, Mt. Fuji Distillery is situated just miles from the peak of Mt. Fuji. 

Islay Scotch whisky distiller Bunnahabhain has announced Cask Strength 12 Year Old, a new annual release. The 2021 edition of the whisky is bottled at 55.1% abv and was matured in ex-Sherry casks. The whisky will be available beginning November 18 and carries a suggested retail price of $100. 

French malt whisky producer Alfred Giraud has launched Voyage, the first whisky in the Exploratory Series, a new line of whiskies for the U.S. Voyage is bottled at 48% abv and made from two French single malts matured in new French Robinia casks and Sauternes wine casks before finishing in ex-Cognac casks. Only five casks were selected for the initial release, with the whisky available at select retailers in Florida, New York, and California at a suggested price of $180 a 750-ml. In addition, Voyage will be available through the brand’s website and on ReserveBar.

Information courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: June 15th 2021 Edition

Armagnac house Château de Laubade has collaborated with Kentucky’s Bardstown Bourbon Company to create the Traveling Barrel, a limited-release eau de vie de vin d’Armagnac finished in a Bourbon barrel. The 48.4% abv spirit is made from two barrels of 8-year-old Armagnac (one distilled from Ugni Blanc and one from Baco) that spent eight months finishing in a Gascony oak barrel used to mature a Bardstown Bourbon whiskey. Only 698 bottles of Château de Laubade the Traveling Barrel will be available in select retailers in New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, California, and Washington state.

Seattle-based Westland Distillery has unveiled Westland American Single Malt Whiskey, its new flagship label, which will replace the previous core trio of Westland American Oak, Sherry Wood and Peated. Those expressions will be discontinued, though they will remain on retail shelves until supplies are depleted. Westland American Single Malt ($60 a 750-ml.) was distilled from six different types of barley and matured in five different cask types for 40 months on Washington’s Olympic peninsula. Going forward, Westland’s range will include the new flagship label and the annual releases from its Outpost Collection, comprised of Garryana ($150), Colere ($150), and Solum, whose first release is slated for 2023.

Campari America has added a new high-end rum to the Appleton Estate family. The new expression, Appleton Estate 15-year-old Black River Casks, is rolling out now and will be available nationally. The 43% abv rum was created by master blender Joy Spence, who is currently celebrating her 40th anniversary with Appleton, and takes its name from the Jamaican river used to proof Appleton’s rums. The 15-year-old rum retails for around $65 a 750-ml. In addition, Spence and Appleton have also relaunched the brand’s 21-year-old rum ($150) with a new bottle and flavor profile to retailers across the U.S.

The distilleries of Bardstown, Kentucky, including Heaven Hill, the James B. Beam Distilling Co., Bardstown Bourbon Company, Preservation, and Log Still have come together to celebrate their shared history, with each distillery contributing whiskey to a new limited-edition line of Bourbon whiskies. Beginning in September, the new whiskies—all sharing the same bottle design and housed in a gold-embossed navy blue box—will roll out to the distilleries’ on-site tasting rooms. The release dates will be spaced to allow collectors to make trips to each distillery and complete the set.

Diageo has added a new 8-year-old Bourbon whiskey to the George Dickel family. The 45% abv whiskey was created by Cascade Hollow distiller and general manager Nicole Austin, who selected barrels of whiskey that showed more traditional Bourbon notes, distinct from Dickel’s Tennessee whiskey offerings. George Dickel 8-Year-Old Bourbon is now rolling out in select markets across the U.S. for a suggested price of $33 a 750-ml.

Intrepid Spirits’ Mad March Hare Poitin has received a new bottle design. Inspired by Celtic art and mythology, the new design links Mad March Hare with the long history of poitin, which has been made in Ireland since the sixth century. Retailing at $30 a 750-ml., Mad March Hare is at 40% abv, with the new look hitting the market now.

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: November 24th 2020 Edition

Stoli Group USA has introduced the latest releases for Kentucky Owl: Rye Batch No. 4 and Bourbon Batch No. 10. The brand’s latest rye release, called “The Last Rye” is a blend of 10- to 13-year-old whiskey bottled at 56.4% abv. Kentucky Owl Bourbon Batch No. 10 is a 60.1% abv non-age-stated blend of whiskies that, according to the company, marries some of its oldest and oakiest whiskies with younger, fruitier spirits. Both are now available across the U.S. at a suggested price of $300 a 750-ml.

Louisville, Kentucky’s Barrell Craft Spirits has announced the Private Release Bourbon Series, a new line of limited editions. The releases are blended from four Bourbons—sourced from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana—of varying ages combined to make 49 different recipes. Each offering is bottled at cask strength and will retail for around $110 a 750-ml. Only 150-180 bottles will be available for each batch and a list of retailers is available on Barrell’s website.

Newport, Oregon’s Rogue Ales & Spirits has launched the Single Barrel Project, a new collection of one-off whiskey releases. The series will consist of four releases per year and will be exclusive to retailers in Oregon. The first release is a 6-year-old single malt finished in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels from North by Northwest Wines in Washington State and bottled at 48% abv. The second release, coming in January 2021, is an 8-year-old Oregon rye whiskey finished in a second-use Zinfandel barrel. The third release is an Oregon single malt finished in cherry wood and will be released in March 2021.

Appleton Estate, part of the Campari America portfolio, has announced a new collection of rare pot still rums, set to launch in early 2021. The Hearts Collection consists of three vintage-dated rums, aged between 21 and 26 years. This collection marks the first time that Appleton will release a series of rums entirely composed of pot still spirits. The three vintage releases—1994, 1995, and 1999—will be available in extremely limited quantities; only 3,000 bottles of each will be distributed worldwide.

Diageo has released the 2020 Distillers Edition Collection of Scotch whiskies to retailers across the U.S. The six releases cover a wide range of Scotch styles and vintages, bringing new whiskies from Oban (2006, 43% abv, $95), Talisker (2010, 45.8%, $85), Lagavulin (2005, 43% abv, $110), Cragganmore (2008, 40%, $85), Dalwhinnie (2005, 43%, $90), and Glenkinchie (2008, 43% abv, $85) to market. The Cragganmore bottling underwent a second maturation in Port casks, while the other five entries saw a second maturation in Sherry casks.

Oregon-based Westward Whiskey is launching a new permanent line extension, Westward Oregon Pinot Noir Cask ($90), into national distribution, after a limited rollout in its home state. Pinot Noir Cask joins the original Westward American Single Malt ($70) and Stout Cask Finish ($90) offerings in the core range. Along with the new whiskey, Westward has unveiled a new bottle design and logo that pays homage to its Northwest provenance. Diageo’s Distill Ventures took a minority stake in Westward in 2018.

Tennessee whiskey brand George Dickel, part of the Diageo portfolio, has introduced a new single barrel expression. The new whiskey is aged at least 15 years in new American oak casks, ranges in abv from 40%-52.3%, and will be available to purchase via the barrel or the bottle ($60 a 750-ml.). George Dickel Single Barrel is currently available in California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas, with more markets to come in January.

San Diego, California-based Cutwater Spirits, owned by Anheuser-Busch, has added a new Añejo Tequila to its spirits lineup. The Tequila is distilled at Tequila Orendain (NOM 1110) and, following distillation, matured for over a year in Cutwater’s whiskey barrels. Cutwater Añejo Tequila is bottled at 40% abv and packaged in a bottle made entirely from recycled glass. The spirit is now available at select retailers for around $50 a 750-ml.

Wilderton, a new non-alcoholic botanical spirit alternative, has launched in the U.S. with two zero calorie, gluten free offerings. Wilderton Earthen is made with peppercorns, pine-smoked tea, and patchouli, among other botanicals; and the brand’s Lustre is made with lavender, bergamot, rose, and lemongrass, among others. Wilderton retails for $33 a 750-ml. and is currently available on the brand’s website, with product available on Amazon and in other retail locations soon.

Minnesota-based Tattersall Distilling has introduced two bottled-in-bond Bourbons: High-Rye Bourbon and Wheated Bourbon. According to the company, these are the first bottled-in-bond spirits made in Minnesota since before Prohibition. Both Bourbons are made from local grains and have been aged in Minnesota white oak barrels between four and five years, with suggested retail pricing at $50 a 750-ml. Tattersall’s new entries will be distributed to select Minnesota retailers.

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily