Haig Club

Diageo has officially launched its new Haig Club single grain Scotch brand nationwide in the U.S. market. Developed in partnership with soccer star David Beckham and British entrepreneur Simon Fuller, Haig Club is produced at Scotland’s Cameronbridge Distillery, using select whiskies from refill, American oak and rejuvenated casks. The super-premium entry, which is packaged in a signature blue bottle, retails for $70.

Moët Hennessy-owned Belvedere announced today that it has partnered with Sony Pictures’ James Bond film franchise to launch the brand’s latest global campaign platform. The partnership will include two limited-edition bottles, including a 1.75-liter “MI6” edition, paying homage to Bond’s MI6 headquarters in London, which is limited to 100 bottles. In late 2015, Belvedere will follow with a James Bond-inspired edition of its metallic Silver Saber bottle, targeted toward the nightlife channel and priced in the $300-$500 a 1.75-liter range.

Austin, Texas-based Z Tequila has added a new Gran Reserva label to its lineup of 100%-agave offerings. Aged for four years, Z Tequila’s The Zevada Family Gran Reserva is classified as an Extra Añejo Tequila. The super-premium entry will be limited to 500 cases, carrying a retail price of around $69 a 750-ml.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee’s Sugarlands Distilling Company is adding to its lineup of moonshine offerings with the release of American Peach, created with TV personality Mark Rogers. Rogers, who appears on the Discovery Channel’s “Moonshiners” program, is the second personality to participate in Sugarlands’ Legends Series, following Jim Tom Hedrick. Sugarlands Shine American Peach ($25 a 750-ml. jar) will roll out in mid-January 2015 at retail in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, Minnesota and Florida.

All information courtesy of Shanken News Daily

Brown Forman’s Old Forester Bourbon has unveiled its Whiskey Row Series, a new lineup inspired by the brand’s history. Rolling out this month, the Whiskey Row Series makes its debut with 1870 Original Batch, which commemorates the year Old Forester switched from being sold by barrel to becoming a batched Bourbon. 1870 Original Batch is made according to brand founder George Garvin Brown’s 1870 batching process, using barrels from three different warehouses. Priced at $44.99 a 750-ml., the 90-proof expression will be available in select cities, including Chicago, Denver, Louisville, Nashville, New York City, Seattle and San Francisco.

Terlato Wines has officially launched Langley’s No. 8 gin in the U.S. Produced by Birmingham, England-based Langley Distillery, the small-batch London-style gin is made with a proprietary blend of botanicals, including juniper, coriander, orange peel, lemon peel, cassia bark and nutmeg, among others. Langley’s No. 8 is currently available in select markets, priced at $42 a bottle.

William Grant is launching a new single grain Scotch whisky brand, Girvan, which is made at its grain distillery in Ayrshire and distilled predominantly from wheat, with a small amount of malted barley. The line will include a non-age-stated No. 4 Apps edition ($45), as well as 25-year-old ($400) and 30-year-old ($600) expressions. Nash says the core No. 4 Apps—named for the patented column still from which it’s produced—is a sweet, lighter whisky that’s versatile and amenable to cocktails in addition to drinking straight.

Diageo recently placed a high-profile bet on single grain whisky with the global launch of Haig Club ($70 a 750-ml.), developed in partnership with soccer star David Beckham and British entrepreneur Simon Fuller. Rolling out currently in the U.S., China, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore with additional markets upcoming, Haig Club is intended to attract both novice consumers and Scotch whisky cognoscenti.

Ireland’s Teeling Whiskey Co. is planning to launch a 46%-abv single grain offering—fully matured in California Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrels—in the U.S. next year. Teeling’s newcomer will join another rare Irish single grain whiskey, Greenore, on the market. Greenore, which includes 8-year-old, 15-year-old and 18-year-old variants, is now part of the Beam Suntory portfolio, and is produced at the Cooley Distillery that Beam acquired from the Teeling family in early 2012.