Smirnoff Sorbet Light

Heaven Hill Distilleries will release a third bottling of Elijah Craig 12-Year-Old Barrel Proof Bourbon this year and three more bottlings next year. Debuting last year as a limited release version of Elijah Craig Small Batch 12-Year-Old, the series is drawn from the company’s inventory of aging barrels and each release reflects the proof of the batch, made of 100 or fewer barrels. A batch of 134.2 proof was released in March 2014 and a 137-proof was released in May, with the third 133.2-proof batch expected in September. In January next year, Heaven Hill will debut the first edition of the 2015 installment of the series. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is available nationwide in 750-ml. bottles retailing at $44.99.

Anchor Distilling Company has been named the importer for Tempus Fugit Spirits’ portfolio of small-batch absinthes, vintage-style liqueurs and bitters. Tempus Fugit was founded in 2006 and specializes in historic spirits and liqueurs popular in pre-Prohibition cocktails. The range includes a 28%-abv Gran Classico Bitter (retailing at $32.99), 44%-abv Fernet del Frate Angelico ($59.99), 24%-abv Crème de Cacao ($32.99), 18%-abv Kina L’Aéro d’Or ($27.99), 22%-abv Liqueur de Violettes ($29.99) and 65%-abv Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe Français Supérieure ($64.99), among others.

West Park, New York-based Coppersea Distilling has partnered with New York State’s U.S. Barrel Company to create what the company calls the first 100% New York-made Bourbon and rye whiskey made since Prohibition. Both whiskies, which are produced with Hudson Valley-sourced grains and traditional distilling methods, will be aged in New York State-grown white oak from U.S. Barrel Co. The two inaugural barrels of Coppersea’s New York Bourbon and rye have been filled, with the pair expected to hit the market by late 2015.

Diageo is extending Smirnoff Sorbet Light with two new offerings, Summer Strawberry and White Peach. Both have 78 calories per 1.5-ounce serving, which Diageo asserts is 25% less than leading dessert-flavored vodkas. Other flavors in the Smirnoff Sorbet Light line, which retails at $16 a 750-ml., include Pineapple Coconut, Raspberry Pomegranate, Lemon and Mango Passion Fruit.

All information courtesy of Shanken News Daily

Diageo North America is entering the low-calorie spirits segment with the introduction of Smirnoff Sorbet Light flavored vodka this month. At 78 calories per 1.5-ounce serving, the 30% alcohol-by-volume spirit is a blend of triple-distilled Smirnoff No. 21 vodka and natural fruit flavoring. Sorbet Light is available nationwide in three flavors: Raspberry Pomegranate, Mango Passion Fruit and Lemon, with a suggested retail price of $15.99 a 750-ml. bottle.

Beam Inc. has officially launched white whiskey Jim Beam Jacob’s Ghost into national distribution, retailing at $22 a bottle. Beam says the 40%-abv offering—news of which trickled out last fall—differentiates itself from other moonshines and white whiskies on the market by its one-year stint of aging in white oak barrels, creating a “hybrid spirit” that should appeal to both whiskey and white spirits drinkers. A combination of 70% rye, 18% corn and 12% malted barley, the new Jack extension is also 40% abv, but will sell at a hefty premium to Jacob’s Ghost, retailing around $50 a bottle.

Proximo Spirits has partnered with the estate of Marilyn Monroe to debut Three Olives vodka’s most recent extension, Marilyn Monroe Strawberry. The new flavor will launch nationwide this month, priced at $21 a 750-ml. Marilyn Monroe Strawberry joins a Three Olives brand portfolio that already includes more than 21 flavors, including S’mores, Cake, Loopy, Root Beer and Bubble, among others.

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Pernod Ricard USA will release a new small-batch Canadian whisky brand, Pike Creek, beginning next month in select markets including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, New York and New Hampshire. Aged in American oak Bourbon barrels and finished in vintage Port barrels, Pike Creek is 80 proof and will retail at $32 a 750-ml.

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Castle Brands is launching a new limited edition entry from the Jefferson’s small-batch Bourbon range, Jefferson’s Presidential Select 21-year-old Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The new expression, which is sourced from 15 lots of Bourbon, was aged in new oak for 21 to 24 years and bottled at 90 proof. Rolling out nationally on April 1, Jefferson’s Presidential Select 21-year-old will be priced at $120 a 750-ml., with a limited quantity of 2,000 cases available.

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Heaven Hill Distilleries will roll out a special bottling, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, this month. The limited edition release will begin shipping mid-March and will be offered in three-bottle cases to markets nationwide that currently offer Elijah Craig. Priced at $39.99 a 750-ml. bottle, the new Barrel Proof Bourbon is 67.1%-abv. It was aged for 12 years, is non-chill-filtered and is packaged in the traditional Elijah Craig flask-style bottle.

Peligroso Tequila is rolling out a new flavor extension to its range, Peligroso Cinnamon ($30 a 750-ml.). The variant will launch this month to key markets, including California and Nevada, with additional markets to follow. The 84-proof, 100%-agave Tequila is infused with real cinnamon and a blend of other ingredients. Peligroso’s range of Tequilas also includes Silver, Añejo and Reposado.

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Lucky Dog vodka has launched in California through San Francisco-based Bock Wine & Spirits. It is available now at restaurants, bars and stores throughout the state for a suggested retail price of $21.99 a 750-ml. Founder and president Greg Nichols, a former U.S. National Freestyle Ski Team member, launched the brand last May in Nantucket, Massachusetts. In addition to California, Lucky Dog is also currently available in the New York metro market and throughout Massachusetts. The brand is now in the process of expanding into Georgia, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Virginia.