Deutsch Family Wine and Spirits’ Redemption Whiskey has launched its latest limited release, a Bourbon whiskey finished in Cognac barrels. The new whiskey brings together Redemption and Maison Ferrand’s namesake Cognac by finishing the former’s high-rye Bourbon in the latter’s casks. After its initial maturation the whiskey spent a year in Ferrand Cognac casks before bottling at 49.5% abv. Redemption Cognac Cask Finish Whiskey is now available nationwide, while supplies last, for a suggested price of $70 a bottle.
Edrington’s The Macallan has kicked off a new series of limited edition whiskies with The Macallan Harmony Collection Rich Cacao. The collection will trace the brand’s trek toward sustainable packaging while showing off select whiskies from The Macallan’s library. This release was selected, as its name suggests, for its chocolate-forward flavor profile and was inspired by whisky maker Polly Logan’s work with Spanish pastry chef Jordi Roca and chocolatier Damian Allsop. The whisky’s box is 100% biodegradable and made from used cacao husks. It’s bottled at 44% abv and blends European and American Sherry-seasoned oak casks and is now available globally for a suggested price of $160.
Molson Coors has entered the spirits category with Five Trail Blended American whiskey. The 47.5% abv whiskey is blended from three Bourbons, including a four grain recipe and a 13-year-old Bourbon, along with a Colorado single malt. Molson Coors’ initial foray into brown spirits was made in a partnership with Kentucky’s Bardstown Bourbon Company. Five Trail is now available in Colorado, Georgia, Nevada, and New York for around $60 a bottle.
William Grant & Sons has launched The Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 8, the final release in the Tun 1509 series. The 52.3% abv whisky was blended from 18 rare casks selected by malt master David Stewart and rested together for three months in the collection’s namesake Tun, or large oak vessel for marrying whiskies. Batch 8 is rolling out now in limited quantities across the U.S. for a suggested price of $410.
Louis XIII Cognac is introducing a new special edition aimed exclusively at upscale nightclubs. The luxury Cognac’s N°XIII edition is packaged in individually numbered red decanters with six red bespoke crystal glasses made by glassmaker Saint-Louis. Only 200 N°XIII editions were created, and they’re targeted to select nightclubs.
Tullamore Dew, part of the William Grant & Sons portfolio, has debuted Tully Chips, a new package of six 50-ml. bottles of the brand’s flagship Irish whiskey. The minis are packaged in a bag reminiscent, like the name suggests, of those used for potato chips. Tully Chips are now available in select retailers in Illinois, South Carolina, Texas, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., as well as through caskers.com in Florida and California.
Infinium Spirits is launching two new expressions under the Zaya rum brand, Cocobana (40% abv) and Alta Fuerza (57.5% abv), retailing at $30 and $40 respectively. Both are blends of aged rums, with Alta Fuerza, meaning “High Force,” being the overproof variant. Infinium vice president of marketing Marcel Durand cited the growth of “the premium, super premium, and ultra premium rum categories aided by the rising popularity of craft rum cocktails, as well as dedicated rum bars,” in announcing the launch.
Clase Azul Spirits is introducing a new multi-year Día de Muertos series of limited editions called Nuestros Recuerdos (“Our Memories”), which will feature one release per year from now through Fall of 2025. The first installment in the Nuestros Recuerdos series is a single-estate agave Tequila called Sabores (“flavors”). Inspired by the holiday’s gastronomical traditions, Sabores debuts today, with 5,000 decanters available worldwide, priced at $750 each. Future editions in the series will include offerings titled Aromas (“scents”), Colores (“colors”), Música (“music”), and Recuerdos (“memories”).
Dallas, Texas-based Oak & Eden has announced the latest releases in the Anthro series, the distillery’s collaborative releases made with musicians. The new collection, the Troubadour chapter, features five whiskies all available through the distillery’s website. The new collaborations are from John Paul White of the Civil Wars (a barrel proof four grain Bourbon finished with a charred American oak spire), Jamestown Revival (a barrel proof rye with a toasted French oak spire), Filmore (a 45% abv four grain Bourbon finished with toasted American oak and made with honey and coffee), Penny & Sparrow (a barrel proof Bourbon finished with an American oak spire), and Abraham Alexander (a 45% abv Bourbon finished with an American oak spire and infused with vanilla).
Ireland’s Waterford Whisky, founded by industry veteran Mark Reynier, has unveiled a new whisky called The Cuvée, which will become the distillery’s flagship offering. Retailing at $95 a 750-ml. and carrying an abv of 50%, The Cuvée was inspired by the great châteaux of Bordeaux and created via the winemaker’s art of assemblage. It includes 25 component whiskies, each distilled and matured from a single barley harvest of a single Irish farm. Waterford head distiller Ned Gahan separately assessed each whisky for its terroir-driven attributes, then blended them to create The Cuvée, which is bottled at natural color, is not chill filtered, and features a “terroir code” that links to details on the component whiskies and production.
The House of Suntory has announced the 2021 limited-edition bottling of Hibiki Harmony. The special bottling features flowers and flowing water across the 24 faces of the bottle, which represent the seasons according to the Japanese lunar calendar and pays tribute to the Ryusui-Hyakka (one-hundred flowers and flowing water). The whisky is bottled at 43% abv and will be available in limited quantities across the U.S. at a suggested price of $125 a 750-ml.
Information courtesy of Shanken News Daily
Good Spirits News 