GSN Spirited News: May 11th 2021 Edition

Spanish liqueur brand Licor 43 is releasing its first line extension in the U.S. The new spinoff is Licor 43 Horchata, a blend of Licor 43 Original and traditional horchata, made with tiger nut, sugar, cinnamon, and citrus. It’s at 16% abv and will be available nationwide for a suggested $28 a 750-ml.

Svedka vodka is introducing a new Cherry Limeade flavor. A blend of cherry and limeade flavors with a hint of citrus, the new entry is launching nationwide, retailing at $15 a 750-ml. and $16 a 1-liter. It joins Blue Raspberry, Strawberry Lemonade, Mango Pineapple, and others in the Svedka flavor portfolio.

Tia Maria has added a new liqueur to its U.S. portfolio: Tia Maria Matcha. The new release is made with Japanese matcha extract and is lightly caffeinated and bottled at 17% abv. The new liqueur is rolling out now across the U.S. with a suggested price of $25 a 750-ml. 

Intrepid Spirits is launching Cocalero Negro, a new botanical spirit, in the U.S. The 29% abv, South American-inspired offering is infused with a proprietary blend of botanicals and herbs, and is billed as a spicier take on the original Cocalero expression. It’s rolling out now in select markets, retailing at $30 a 700-ml.

Iowa’s Templeton Distillery has expanded its core lineup, adding a new 10-year-old whiskey. The new whiskey is an extra aged single barrel variant of the company’s standard rye, bottled at 52% abv and retailing for around $85. In addition to launching the new core offering, Templeton has refreshed the packaging for its entire line—including the 4- and 6-year old flagships—with the new packaging showing the whiskey’s age on the neck and a new label set low on an embossed bottle. 

Diageo is launching Johnnie Blonde Blended Scotch Whisky, billed as a sweeter, smoother expression of the Johnnie Walker brand aimed at introducing new audiences to Scotch whisky. Debuting initially in the Houston market, Johnnie Blonde is at 40% abv and retails at $25 a 750-ml. To support the launch, the brand has partnered with Houston-based public art consulting firm UP Art Studio on a Big Walls Big Dreams mural-painting festival that will refresh public art in Houston neighborhoods.

Beam Suntory has launched Old Overholt 114 nationally. The 57% abv rye whiskey is aged for four years and non-chill filtered. It joins the brand’s 43% abv release and more recent Old Overholt Bottled in Bond brand extension. Previously the high-proof variant was exclusive to Ohio and Pennsylvania but is now rolling out across the U.S. for around $33 a 750-ml. 

Heaven Hill Brands has expanded Carolans Irish Cream, adding a new cold brew coffee-flavored expression to brand’s lineup. The 17% abv liqueur blends coffee, chocolate, and the brand’s original Irish Cream for a new creation aimed at fans of both coffee and sweet liqueurs. Carolans Cold Brew is rolling out now across the U.S. for around $16 a 750-ml.

Angel’s Envy has announced a new, limited-edition whiskey hitting shelves in time for Father’s Day. For this special edition—the third in the distillery’s Cellar Collection—Angel’s Envy finished the whiskey in Madeira casks before bottling at 50% abv. Only 3,360 bottles are launching in all, with 400 bottles set aside for sale at the company’s distillery and 600 for sale to members of Angel’s Envy 500 Main club. The remainder will be available in select retailers in Kentucky, New York, California, Florida, Tennessee, Illinois, and Texas at a suggested price of $230 a 750-ml.

Actor Nick Offerman and Diageo-owned Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch Whisky have extended their partnership, with the distillery releasing a new Lagavulin Offerman Edition for Father’s Day 2021. The 11-year-old whisky spent four months finishing in Guinness barrels from Maryland’s Open Gate Brewery before bottling at 46% abv. Lagavulin Offerman Edition: Guinness Cask Finish will retail at around $80 a 750-ml. and will be available for a limited time nationwide. 

Texas distiller Still Austin has released a cask strength bottling of its Bourbon whiskey to retailers throughout the Lone Star State. The 59% abv whiskey—like the company’s lower-proof Bourbon—is made from a mash of 70% corn, 25% rye, and 5% wildfire-malted barley, with all grains sourced from Texas. The new whiskey is a limited release, with 1,100 cases available now and another 1,100 cases to be released in September. Still Austin Cask Strength Bourbon will retail at $65 a 750-ml.

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: February 23rd 2021 Edition

Diageo has launched a new, lower-calorie brand extension for Baileys Irish Cream. The release, Baileys Deliciously Light, comes in at 16.1% abv and has 40% fewer calories and 40% less sugar than the original Baileys. To kick off the launch, Diageo has partnered with Cocktail Courier, a home mixology-focused e-commerce platform, to create four cocktail kits showing off the new liqueur. Baileys Deliciously Light is now available nationwide for around $25 a 750-ml.

Chopin Vodka is partnering with fashion designer Vera Wang on a limited edition release. The vodka collaboration is called Vera Wang x Chopin and was distilled using a special variety of young potato that Wang personally selected, which is grown near Chopin’s distillery in Krzesk, Poland. Wang was also involved in designing the bottle, which maintains Chopin’s standard shape but features a matte black and white color scheme and a poem on the back written by Wang. The new edition will have select availability throughout the U.S., retailing at $100 a 750-ml.

Agave spirits brand Puntagave is introducing a new line of Tequila-based hard seltzers, including Grapefruit Peach, Meyer Lemon Ginger, and Blood Orange flavors. Made in Mexico, the range is at 5% abv and retails at $14 a 4-pack of cans. Concurrently, Puntagave is debuting an Artisanal Double Barrel Tequila retailing at $90. Artisanal Double Barrel is aged in used American oak for one year, then split between new American oak and new French oak for further maturation.

Edrington’s the Macallan has announced a new series of ultra-limited whiskies, celebrating British artist Peter Blake. The rarest whiskies, called Anecdotes of Ages, were all distilled in 1967 and are packaged in 13 handblown bottles with collages created by Blake. One bottle will be auctioned by Sotheby’s to support the Guggenheim museum’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. The distiller will also release 322 bottles of the same 1967 vintage whisky—called Anecdotes of Ages: Down to Work edition—that will be available globally for around $83,000. The collaboration also resulted in An Estate, A Community, and A Distillery, a more widely available (yet still limited) whisky that will retail for around $1,200.

MGP Ingredients has announced plans to roll out Green Hat gin throughout its distribution network over the next few months. Green Hat, created by Washington, D.C.’s New Columbia Distillers, was acquired by MGP in March 2020 and is the first commercially available gin from the Indiana-based contract distilling giant. The company will make four varieties—Green Hat’s original gin, a navy strength variant, Citrus Floral gin, and Summer Cup Cordial—available across the U.S. with suggested retail prices of $30 for the original and two flavored releases, and $33 for the navy strength release.

Saison Rum is introducing a new Sherry Cask expression, imported by the Craft Spirits Cooperative. Retailing at $45 a 750-ml., the new entry is a blend of 60% Trinidad and 40% Barbados rums, aged for five years in ex-Bourbon barrels. It is then transferred to ex-Cognac casks for a year before a final three-month finishing period in Pedro Ximenez barrels. Saison Sherry Cask (42% abv) is handled directly by Craft Spirits Cooperative in California and by Vintus NY in New York.

Tia Maria, part of the Disaronno International portfolio, has unveiled a new ready-to-drink cocktail, the Iced Coffee Frappé. The 4% abv offering is available nationwide in 200-ml. 4-packs retailing at $10, with single 200-ml. cans positioned at $2.30. Meanwhile, the core Tia Maria coffee liqueur ($28 a 750-ml.) has received a new bottle design that emphasizes its cold brew method and ingredients of 100% Arabica coffee beans and Madagascar vanilla.

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Review: Tia Maria

The story of Tia Maria “Aunt Mary” goes back to 1655 Oliver Cromwell’s sent military forces to take control of Jamaica from Spain.  During this period, so the story goes, a maid by the name of Mary saved her mistress’ jewelry box from being stolen by the British.  It contained a pair of black pearl earrings and the recipe for a family liqueur.  Yep, you guessed it.  Eventually, it gained the name of Tia Maria at some point in memory of the housekeeper.

Almost 300 years later, a Jamaican blood transfusion pioneer by the name of Dr. Kenneth Leigh Evans was served some of the beverage by the descendents of the family recipe.  He convinced them that it should be produced on a larger scale, and the local Booker Rum Group began producing it by 1958.

It’s a simple blend of vanilla bean, Blue Mountain coffee and Jamaican rum, but has gained a following in over 60 countries since being introduced.

Tia Maria (53 proof)
Visual: Cola brown.
Nose: Bittersweet coffee essence with a touch of chocolate caramel.
Taste: Very sweet coffee and sugar.
Finish: Sweet sugar goes on with a more subtle and dry coffee bean taste.
Overall: We’ve been using this in a few different ways around the GSN offices.  If you want to add some of this to your morning coffee, we won’t tell anyone.  At night, try this in your next Black or White Russian instead of the usual Mexican liqueur.
GSN Rating: B+

For more information go to: Tia Maria