Rémy Martin

Egan’s Irish whiskey, part of the Intrepid Spirits portfolio, has added two new whiskies to its range, one a limited release and the other a permanent addition. The limited offering is Legacy Reserve IV, a 1,000-bottle release of an 18-year-old Irish single malt aged in Bourbon barrels and finished in Moscatel de Valencia casks. The 46% abv whiskey carries a $200 suggested price. Egan’s permanent addition is Conviction, a 10-year-old blend of single malts and single grain whiskies, finished in Cognac casks, bottled at 46% abv, and retailing for around $100 a bottle.

Angel’s Envy, part of the Bacardi portfolio, has launched the fourth release in the distillery’s Cellar Collection, a rye whiskey finished in ice cider casks. The whiskey, a 7-year-old rye made from a mash of 95% rye, finished for 364 days in casks from Vermont’s Eden Specialty Ciders before bottling at 53.5% abv. Only 6,000 bottles of Angel’s Envy Rye Whiskey Finished in Ice Cider Casks will be released to retailers in NY, CA, FL, TN, IL, TX and KY, with each bottle carrying a suggested retail price of $250.

Beam Suntory’s Courvoisier has named a new chief blender, Thibaut Hontanx, alongside a packaging refresh inspired by 19th century designs. Hontanx, formerly the brand’s master distiller, succeeds the retiring Patrice Pinet. The new packaging for the VS and VSOP expressions features a white label with red, black, and gold branding, and the XO has white and gold branding on a clear label. In addition, artist Yinka Ilori will serve as Courvoisier’s “Ambassador of Joy,” leading a series of global events, called “We Found Joy,” that will kick off in early March in New York City. The brand has also released a new ad, “Welcome to Maison Courvoisier,” on its website and social media channels.

Maison Ferrand has announced Ferrand Renegade Barrel No. 3, the newest eau de vie du vin in the house’s collection of spirits. Barrel No. 3 comes in at 48.2% abv and is double matured in rum casks (and therefore cannot be called Cognac under AOC rules). Ferrand Renegade Barrel No. 3 is rolling out now to select retailers across the U.S. for a suggested price of a $90 a 750-ml.

Lansdale, Pennsylvania-based Boardroom Spirits is expanding its Ship’s Cat Rum lineup with a Spiced Rum, which joins Ship’s Cat Aged Rum (40% abv, $39 a 750-ml.), Navy Strength (64% abv, $27), and White (40% abv, $22). Ship’s Cat Spiced Rum is at 35% abv and priced at $22 a bottle. The brand is named in tribute to Stray Cat Blues, an animal shelter in the Lansdale area that Boardroom donated to when the brand launched. Ship’s Cat products can be purchased online for shipping throughout Pennsylvania.

Diageo-owned whiskey brand I.W. Harper has unveiled Cabernet Cask Reserve, a Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey aged for four years in new charred American oak barrels, then finished in luxury California Cabernet Sauvignon casks and bottled at Stitzel-Weller Distillery. Retailing at $50 a 750-ml., I.W. Harper Cabernet Cask Reserve carries an abv of 45% and is rolling out to select U.S. retailers. It joins the brand’s original Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey and a 15 Year Old expression in the lineup.

Rémy Martin has announced a new limited-edition bottle paying tribute to the mixtape music culture of the 1980s. Rémy Martin VSOP Mixtape Volume 2 has a QR code which leads to unique playlists curated by a collective of DJs who drew inspiration from the sounds that came from each of their home cities: DJ Suss One from New York, DJ Meel from Los Angeles, and Jamal Smallz from Chicago. The design is inspired by the colorful graphics of the 80s and 90s, with the bottle housed in a premium gift box.

Dos Primos Tequila, founded by country music star Thomas Rhett and his cousin Jeff Worn, is extending with a Reposado expression. The new entry is made from 100% blue agave sourced from estates in Los Altos and the valley area of Jalisco, Mexico, and aged for at least six months in used Bourbon barrels. Retailing in the ultra-premium segment, Dos Primos Reposado joins the initial Blanco Tequila in the brand range. Dos Primos is distilled at Destiladora González Lux, located just outside Arandas, Mexico. Sales and marketing is handled by Luxco.

Pernod Ricard is rolling out updated packaging for Olmeca Altos Tequila. The new design—which is coming to all of the brand’s expressions—includes updated bottle engravings, like two toasting shots, as well as a new matte dark blue cap and a more transparent bottle with a longer neck. The new two-piece label shows off a circular logo for the brand and a rectangular label with information on the liquid.

Information courtesy of Shanken News Daily

Rémy Martin’s ultra-luxury Louis XIII Rare Cask 42.6 Cognac is making its U.S. debut this month at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. Sourced from one unique barrel selected from among hundreds of century-old tierçons, the 42.6%-abv Cognac is packaged in individually numbered Baccarat black crystal decanters, of which 738 were made. Louis XIII Rare Cask is selling at the Four Seasons’ Window Lounge in different pours starting at $1,000 for a half-ounce. Full bottles of the luxury offering will retail at $22,000 apiece. Other U.S. venues slated to soon begin selling Rare Cask 42.6 include Ago in Los Angeles, the New York Palace, Café Nuovo in Providence, the St. Regis Atlanta, Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa and Villa Azur in Miami.

Hennessy Cognac is bringing its super-premium Paradis Imperial marque stateside. The expression is available across the U.S. market for $2,700 a bottle. Paradis Imperial is a blend of eaux-de-vie singled out after fermentation, ranging from 30 to 130 years old, and matured in old casks. After fermentation, only one of 1,000 eaux-de-vie of a given vintage becomes part of the Paradis Imperial blend. The ultra-luxury offering is packaged in a glass decanter—designed by award-winning French Baccarat designer Stéphanie Balini—that features the iconic Hennessy shape and a crystal cabochon on top of an 18-carat gold and silver collar. Each bottle is individually numbered and comes in a luxury gift box.

Four Roses Distillery has unveiled its 2013 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon. A barrel-strength whiskey, the new offering will be released in September, priced at $85-$90 a bottle. Four Roses Master Distiller Jim Rutledge picked whiskies from three of Four Roses’ 10 Bourbon recipes to create the barrel-strength Bourbon—including 18-year-old selections of Four Roses’ recipe coded OBSV, a 13-year-old OBSK and a 13-year-old OESK. About 8,000 bottles of the uncut, non-chill-filtered expression will roll out in retail stores. Last year’s Four Roses 2012 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon was named American Whiskey of the Year by Whisky Advocate.

New York-based Spirits of Bhutan is bringing K5, billed as the first-ever whisky from Bhutan, to the U.S. market. It’s available online at SpiritsofBhutan.com for $49.99 a 750-ml. bottle, and is also launching at various New York on- and off-premise venues like The Brandy Library, Ambassador Wines & Spirits and other bars, hotels and restaurants. Blauvelt, New York-based Duggan’s Distillers is handling distribution of the brand. K5 whisky is a blend of 8-year-old and 12-year-old vatted malts made with grain whiskies and natural spring water from the Kingdom of Bhutan.

Heaven Hill Distilleries has introduced the limited edition Elijah Craig 21-Year-Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon. The release will be available in limited quantities in select markets across the country for one time only. It’s slated to hit shelves in September and will be priced at $140 a 750-ml. The 21-year-old Bourbon is packaged in the flask-shaped Elijah Craig Single Barrel bottle with a cork closure and marbled capsule, as well as a blue label with the age statement prominently displayed and the barrel number and “barrel date” on the back. The release follows the rollout of the Elijah Craig 20-Year-Old Single Barrel, which earned American Whiskey of the Year honors from Whisky Advocate.

Brown-Forman is set to roll out the limited edition 2013 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon this month. Priced at $54.99 a 750-ml. bottle, the Bourbon will be available beginning mid-August in limited quantities at retail stores across the country. The vintage-dated Bourbon is packaged in a decanter-style glass bottle, designed to look like that of the late 1800’s when Old Forester was first produced. Each bottle also features the date on which the Bourbon was barreled and bottled. Old Forester releases a special expression every year to commemorate the birthday of the brand’s founder, George Garvin Brown (September 2). This year’s edition is the 12th to be created. The brand also offers the Classic 86 Proof and Signature 100-Proof Bourbon variants.