GSN Spirited News: October 6th 2021 Edition

Wild Turkey has announced Master’s Keep One, the sixth release in the distillery’s limited edition Master’s Keep series. The latest release blends whiskies aged between eight and 10 years with an older, 14-year-old Bourbon, in a collaboration that blends the preferences of master distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell. Jimmy favors 8-10-year-old Bourbon, while Eddie prefers slightly older whiskies. Following the initial blending, the combined whiskies matured for a second period in new toasted and charred oak barrels. Master’s Keep One is bottled at 50.5% abv and is available for a limited time in select retailers across the U.S. for a suggested price of $175.

Westward whiskey, part of the Diageo-backed Distill Ventures portfolio, has introduced Westward American Single Malt Cask Strength. The 125-proof bottling retails at $100 a 750-ml. and is available across 30 states via Westward’s online store. The new cask strength entry joins the brand’s core Single Malt ($70), Stout Cask ($90), and Pinot Noir Cask ($90) in the portfolio.

Park City, Utah’s High West Distillery has announced the latest edition of A Midwinter Night’s Dram, its Port-finished rye whiskey. This year’s release, Act 9, is bottled at 49.3% abv and is blended from Rendezvous Rye finished in Tawny and Ruby Port barrels for one to two years. A Midwinter’s Night Dram Act 9 is now available for $100 at High West General Store in Old Town Park City and at the High West Distillery in Wanship, Utah.

Texas-based Garrison Brothers has introduced its limited edition 2021 Cowboy Bourbon. The liquid is bottled at cask-strength. This year’s batch clocks in at a stout 131.3 proof. Retailing at $230, Garrison Brothers 2021 Cowboy Bourbon is rolling out in a limited supply of 5,440 bottles across its 42-state footprint. It’s packaged in a custom-built solid wood gift box lined with a satin pillow and weighty medallion announcing the release year around the bottle’s neck.

Diageo has unveiled its annual collection of Special Releases, a selection of limited, highly sought-after single malt whiskies. Curated by Diageo master blender Craig Wilson once again, the collection includes the usual number of whiskies—eight in total. This year’s picks are a 13-year-old Mortlach, 19-year-old Singleton of Glendullan, 16-year-old Royal Lochnagar, 8-year-old Talisker, 14-year-old Cardhu, 12-year-old Oban, and two expressions from Lagavulin—a 26-year-old and a 12-year-old, the Lagavulin 12 being a perennial member of the group. 

Atomic Brands has debuted Kentucky Coffee, a new coffee-flavored spirit from the maker of the popular Monaco canned cocktails. The 33% abv flavored spirit blends coffee extract and Kentucky-distilled whiskey for a drink aimed at the shot occasion as well as cocktails. Atomic Brands is initially launching Kentucky Coffee in Ohio, Missouri, and Kentucky where it carries a suggested retail price of $20 a 750-ml. While the initial launch is focused on three markets, Atomic Brands plans to expand Kentucky Coffee’s distribution footprint in the coming months.

Information courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: July 14th 2020 Edition

Sweden-based Purity Distillery is launching Purity Spritz, a flavored spirit intended for use in Spritz cocktails. Purity Spritz uses the distillery’s Signature 34 Edition Organic Vodka as its base and augments it with natural flavors of bergamot, grapefruit, and orange. Consumers may combine it with their choice of sparkling wine to make a full Spritz cocktail. Signature 34 takes its name from distilling the heart of the vodka 34 times during production. Now in distribution, Purity Spritz is at 30% abv and retails for $25 a 750-ml.

Nikka, the Hotaling & Co.-imported Japanese whisky brand, has launched its most accessible whisky yet in the U.S. Nikka Days is a new 40% abv blend made from Coffey Grain Whisky, non-peated Miyagikyo malts, plus smaller amounts of Coffey Malt Whisky and Yoichi malts. Nikka Days is rolling out now in California, New York, Texas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Florida, and Tennessee for a suggested price of $50 a 750-ml.

Wild Turkey has launched Rare Breed Rye, the newest barrel proof whiskey to join the company’s permanent portfolio. The whiskey is a blend of 4-, 6-, and 8-year old non-chill-filtered rye whiskies and the first bottling comes in at 56.1% abv. Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye is rolling out to select retailers across the U.S. at around $60 a 750-ml.

Spokane, Washington’s Dry Fly Distilling has released Huckleberry Lemonade, the newest canned cocktail from the craft distillery. The 5.4% abv cocktail is made with Dry Fly’s vodka, sugar, carbonated lemonade, and huckleberry syrup. Dry Fly Huckleberry Lemonade is now available in 4-packs of 12-ounce cans for around $13 throughout the Northwest. It joins Moscow Mule, Spicy Lemonade, and Gin and Tonic in Dry Fly’s portfolio of canned cocktails. Dry Fly’s spirits are all made using grains sourced from family-owned farms within 30 miles of the distillery.

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Spirited News: June 2nd 2020 Edition

Louisville, Kentucky’s Barrell Craft Spirits has launched a Private Release Whiskey Series. Each batch in the series features a unique blend based around Barrell’s 18-year-old stocks of Kentucky whiskey, which were then finished in a secondary barrel or cask. Current selections include whiskies finished in Sauternes, Tokaji, Amaro, Port, Rum, Sherry, and Madeira barrels, among others. Each offering yields 150-180 750-ml. bottles, carrying a suggested retail of $109 apiece.

Wild Turkey has introduced Master’s Keep Bottled-in-Bond, a new limited edition offering. The 17-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey was aged in Wild Turkey’s Camp Nelson rickhouses and bottled at 50% abv. The new upscale entry is rolling out to select U.S. retailers in a supply of 14,400 750-ml. bottles (1,200 cases), retailing at $175 apiece.

Jack Daniel’s has debuted a line of whiskey-based canned cocktails. The new lineup includes Jack & Seltzer, Jack & Cola, and Jack, Honey & Lemonade offerings, all of which are made with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey. While the Jack & Cola and Jack, Honey & Lemonade cocktails are each canned at 7% abv, the 97-calorie Jack & Seltzer is at a slightly lower 5% abv. The new Jack Daniel’s Canned Cocktails are available across the U.S. at a retail price of $13 a 4-pack of 12-ounce cans.

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily