GSN Spirited News: October 13th 2020 Edition

Lansdale, Pennsylvania-based Boardroom Spirits is introducing a new Vanilla vodka ($27 a 750-ml.), along with two vodka-based ready-to-drink bottled cocktails, the Blueberry Blush and the Spiced Vanilla Peartini (both $38 a 750-ml.). The Vanilla vodka is made with Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans and bottled at 32% abv, while the cocktails are at 21% abv. In addition to both bottled and canned cocktails, Boardroom’s range includes gin, Bourbon, rum, vodka, liqueurs, and flavored spirits.

William Grant & Sons has announced the latest release in the Balvenie Tun 1509 series, Batch 7. The 52.4% abv whisky is assembled from 21 casks—10 refill Sherry butts, 4 refill barrels, and 7 Sherry hogsheads—that were blended and left to marry for three months before bottling. Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 7 is now rolling out across the U.S. for around $410 a 750-ml.

Brooklyn-based Kings County Distillery is launching a 7-Year Single Barrel Bourbon. Distilled in July 2013 and bottled at 107 proof, this barrel was reduced by a 34% angel’s share and was matured in the “greenhouse-like upstairs aging room” in the company’s Brooklyn Navy Yard distillery. This release will be sold only at the distillery, but future offerings from Kings County’s Single Barrel series will be distributed to key accounts in New York and beyond.

Rumson, New Jersey-based Penelope Bourbon has launched Rosé Cask Finish, a new limited edition. The 47% abv whiskey is blended from three different mashbills using four grains before finishing in barrels previously used to mature French rosé made from Grenache grapes. Penelope Rosé Cask Finish joins a Straight Bourbon whiskey and a barrel proof offering in the brand’s portfolio. Penelope sources its whiskies from Lawrenceburg, Indiana’s MGP Ingredients. Only 2,400 bottles of the new whiskey will be released and it will retail for around $65 a 750-ml.

Diageo is launching a new line of limited whiskies from its Tullahoma, Tennessee-based Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. Cascade Moon Edition No. 1 is an 11-year-old whisky at 42% abv, which is being promoted via the tagline “Mellow as Moonlight.” It’s rolling out in Tennessee, California, and Texas, retailing at $90. Cascade Hollow general manager and distiller Nicole Austin blended the whisky to feature similar tasting notes to those found in a gose-style beer. A second release from the Cascade Moon series will follow later this fall.

Louisville, Kentucky-based Barrell Craft Spirits has introduced Barrell Armida, a blend of three straight Bourbon whiskies finished separately in Pear Brandy, Jamaican Rum, and Sicilian Amaro casks. Armida was bottled at 56.06% abv and is available at select retailers within the brand’s current 45 U.S. markets and online via the BCS website. A limited run of 3,700 750-ml. bottles is rolling out, retailing at $90. An independent blender and bottler of aged, cask-strength sourced whiskey and rum, Barrell Craft was founded by former marketing and tech entrepreneur Joe Beatrice in in 2013.

Portland, Oregon’s Freeland Spirits has introduced a new canned French 75 cocktail. The 15.5% abv cocktail is made with Freeland gin, lemon juice, and Inox Unoaked Chardonnay from Chehalem Winery. The combination is carbonated and packaged in 8.4-ounce cans. Four-packs are now available at Freeland’s tasting room and in retailers in Oregon, Washington, California, Florida, Illinois, and New York for around $17. Freeland’s French 75 joins American gin, Bourbon, Genever-inspired spirit Geneva, and a canned Gin and Tonic in the distillery’s portfolio.

Chopin Imports has launched a selection of spirits from Ireland’s Hinch Distillery in the U.S. For the initial rollout, Chopin has released Hinch Small Batch whiskey (matured in Bourbon casks and retailing for $30), Hinch 5 Year Old Double Wood (ex-Bourbon and new American oak, $40), Hinch 10 Year Old Sherry Cask ($55), and Ninth Wave gin ($30.) These spirits are now available in 11 states with national distribution (and an expanded lineup including Single Malt and Pot Still whiskies) to follow in February 2021.

Nashville, Tennessee’s Brown Water Spirits has launched O.H. Ingram River Aged Straight whiskey. The 46% abv whiskey matured in a floating rickhouse in the Mississippi River in Ballard County, Kentucky. This is the first release from Brown Water Spirits, and the company says the next offering in its River Aged series, a straight rye, will follow in November. O.H. Ingram River Aged Straight whiskey is now available in Tennessee with expansion into other markets coming as more of the whiskey becomes available.

Luxury Tequila brand PaQui has debuted across six U.S. states, including New York, California, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The new brand includes 100%-blue agave Silvera ($50 a 750-ml.), Reposado ($60), and Añejo ($70) expressions and is made by master Tequilero Gilberto Jasso in Jalisco, Mexico. PaQui means “to be happy” in the Aztec language, and its bottle design is inspired by an Aztec pyramid. Founder John Chappell is a veteran of Banfi, Boston Beer, and Labatt USA.

Edrington’s The Glenrothes has announced its oldest whisky so far, a 50-year-old single malt distilled in November 1968. The whisky matured in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks before bottling at 48% abv. Each bottle is sold in a lacquered black case and the whisky comes in a numbered crystal decanter. Only 50 bottles will be available globally, retailing at $35,000. Buyers will be invited to the Glenrothes estate (typically closed to the public) and enrolled in a 50-member club with the other buyers, offering the chance to purchase exclusive malts in the future.

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Review: The Glenrothes Soleo Collection

The Glenrothes recently unveiled a new range of whiskies. The Soleo Collection signals a departure from Vintages and Reserves to age statements and features five entirely new whiskies: 10 Years Old, 12 Years Old, Whisky Maker’s Cut, 18 Years Old and 25 Years Old. (note: the 25-year-old was not available as of press time)

The creation of a single-malt whisky goes through many stages. From the selection of the raw materials to the time taken to mature the spirit in oak casks, each step plays its part. Inspired by the most defining part of the journey, sherry seasoning, this collection follows the grape as it makes its way to becoming sherry and then onward to the seasoning of The Glenrothes’ oak casks.

The traditional soleo process has inspired and given its name to this collection, as it brings together time, nature and tradition. While the product range will change over the coming months, with these new expressions replacing the previous Vintage and Reserve portfolio, sherry-seasoned oak casks will continue to define The Glenrothes. Close to 90 percent of the casks currently maturing at the distillery have previously held sherry, with 70 percent of these being first-fill sherry casks.

Gordon Motion, master whisky maker, says, “The Glenrothes is a true craft single-malt. Taking things back to a vital yet simple natural process, this new collection allows us to tell a vital part of the story that hasn’t before been highlighted in this way. We believe in sharing the inspiring detail in how and why we create the whiskies we do. The Soleo Collection does exactly that; making these fantastic new whiskies is testament to our commitment to craftsmanship and quality.”

The Glenrothes 10 Year Old (80 proof)
Visual: Medium gold.
Nose: Slight peat and smoke with a floral overtone.
Taste: Mild honey, biscuit, along with a touch of peat. There is a touch of grape and apricot as well.
Finish: Medium long and easy.
Overall: A bit rough, but pleasant enough.
GSN Rating: A-

The Glenrothes 12 Year Old (80 proof)
Visual: Medium-dark gold.
Nose: Biscuit, along with caramel and slight oakiness.
Taste: Somewhat reminiscent of apple butter on toast with a slight tanginess. Very little smoke, and less sweetness than the 10 year old.
Finish: Medium long.
Overall: More character and with a touch more complexity.
GSN Rating: A-

The Glenrothes Whisky Maker’s Cut (97.6 proof)
Visual: Medium dark gold.
Nose: Heavy vanilla, caramel, toasted nuts and toast.
Taste: Laden with caramel and honey, this is a sweeter and more baking spice patinaed whiskey. The barrel is more apparent here as well, although leaning more toward the oak and char than the sherry.
Finish: Long and delicious.
Overall: The best of the bunch.
GSN Rating: A

The Glenrothes 18 Year Old (86 proof)
Visual: Medium dark gold.
Nose: More floral notes and  a stronger honeyed presence come through. The oak here is also more pronounced.
Taste: Again a fruitiness which is intriguing, but the extra years in the barrel have made this a drier experience similar to a fruit brandy.
Finish: Long, with some grass-like notes at the fade out.
Overall: Very nice and elegant.
GSN Rating: A

For more information go to: The Glenrothes

GSN Backbar Review: August 31-September 4, 2015

Rochester, New York-based Black Button Distilling is introducing Four Grain Bourbon, billed as the company’s “signature product.” Four Grain’s mashbill—comprised of 60% corn, 20% wheat, 9% rye and 11% barley—is sourced from grains grown exclusively on one farm in Groveland, New York. The whiskies in the blend are aged between 14-26 months. Four Grain (42% abv) will be available later this month at a suggested retail price of $49.99 a 750-ml. throughout New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan.

The Glenrothes has launched a new Reserve Collection of non-age-stated single malts nationwide. The Reserve Collection includes: Sherry Cask Reserve ($59.99), the Glenrothes’ first all first-fill Sherry cask offering; Bourbon Cask Reserve ($59.99), matured exclusively in American oak refill Bourbon casks; and Vintage Reserve ($54), a blend of 10 vintages from the last three decades.

Bacardi Ltd.’s John Dewar & Sons unit has unveiled The Deveron, a new range of single malt Scotches. Produced at the MacDuff distillery in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, The Deveron lineup includes 12-year-old and 18-year-old expressions rolling out in markets such as the U.S., U.K., Canada and Germany, among others.

Aiming to bolster its presence in the on-premise shot occasion, Diageo is extending Captain Morgan with a new offering called Cannon Blast. At 35% abv, Cannon Blast is billed as a blend of rum, Caribbean citrus and chipotle and jalepeño pepper and has a cannonball-shaped bottle that glows in black light. The newcomer will be priced at parity with Captain Morgan rum, and is said to deliver a citrus-sweet taste with a spark of heat.

In the super-premium Scotch category, Moet-Hennessy USA is planning to release a five-bottle pack of Glenmorangie single malt Scotch in its Glenmorangie 1970s Collection later this year. Each bottle will be sourced from a different vintage within that decade. The price will be $50,000, with only 10 of the packs available globally and two for the U.S. Moet is hinting that it may reserve the collections in the U.S. for public tasting events involving Glenmorangie loyalists.

Bowling Green, Kentucky-based Western Spirits Beverage Company has extended its Bird Dog Whiskey range with the launch of Jalapeño Honey and Spiced entries ($19.99 a 750-ml.). The pair are available nationwide this month, joining Bird Dog’s existing Apple, Chocolate, Hot Cinnamon, Maple Peach and Blackberry flavored whiskies. Concurrently, Western Spirits has added a new Peach flavor ($29.99) to its Twenty Grand Vodka.

All information courtesy of Shanken News Daily