Pick of the Launches
Here is the pick of the launches from last month, as featured in Drinks International Magazine September edition.
Boomsma Dry Gin
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Brand owner Boomsma Distillery
RRP €28.95, £24
Markets Europe
Contact Chantoine Boomsma +31 5821 35135
Boomsma Dutch dry gin (45% abv) is made with the same herbs used in its traditional Frisian Boomsma Beerenburger, such as angelica, gentian, blessed thistle, liquorice, centaury and laurel.
The company says this gin is formed by combining years of experience in handling herbs and geneva with an advanced copper pot still.
CHAMPAGNE BRUNO PAILLARD NPU 2003
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Brand owner Champagne Bruno Paillard
RRP €190, US$200, £160
Markets UK, US, France, Italy, Asia: on-trade and high end retail
Contact Bibendum PLB group: bibendum-plb.com
This is only the fifth vintage of Bruno Paillard’s Prestige Cuvée, NPU – Nec Plus Ultra, which literally translates as “there is nothing beyond”. The concept of NPU is said to be to create an ultimate expression, producing the greatest possible champagne. It is a blend of 50:50 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, from four of champagne’s grand cru vineyards – Oger, Chouilly, Verzenay and Mailly.
It is both fermented and aged in old oak barriques for 10 months. The wines are then aged in bottle in the cellars for 12 years, including a long post-disgorgement rest before release. Dosage is very low – Extra Brut – at 3g/l. The 2003 vintage is known as particularly difficult, making this wine something of a survivor. The year was characterised by unusually harsh spring frosts, several hailstorms and a long heatwave. But the most difficult element was the preconceived notion that no great wine could result from this vintage.
THE DALMORE QUINTESSENCE
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Brand owner Whyte & Mackay
RRP £1,000, US$1,300, €1,160
Markets Global except US
Contact +44 (0) 141 248 5771
Master blender Richard Paterson said: “The Dalmore Quintessence has been a long-term project. It is a combination of two of my great passions, The Dalmore distillery and exceptional red wine.” Paterson went to California to search for five types of red wine cask in which to finish this whisky. Following an extensive maturation in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels, the spirit was split across the five hand-selected casks which had individually held: Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. These casks were then placed within Warehouse No 2 at the Dalmore distillery to ensure the perfect environment for the wine casks to impart their distinctive characteristics to the whisky.
DOMAINE LE GRAND CROS AURELIA
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Brand owner Julian Faulkner
RRP €34, £29, US$38
Markets Global
Contact Gilles Corre, Asset Wines – gilles@assetwines.com
Le Grand Cros from Provence, the home of rosé, comprises predominantly Mourvèdre, with small amounts of Grenache and Syrah. This is described as a textured and complex rosé, with ageing potential. Winemaker Julian Faulkner said: “2015 was the ideal vintage for Mourvèdre. Every four to five years we will have ideal conditions for ripening Mourvèdre. The cuvée will be made according to vintage, so depending on how 2016 turns out maybe we will do it again.” There are 6,000 bottles.
ZEO
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Brand owner Freedrinks
RRP £2.59
Markets UK
Contact drinkzeo.com Go2Grocery
Freedrinks says its goal is to disrupt the soft drinks category with Zeo, a low-sugar, healthy soft drink in Cloudy Lemon, Peach & Grapefruit and Mixed Berry flavours. Zeo is described as an all-natural premium adult soft drink, made with 98% spring water, natural stevia and 32 fruits and botanicals. It is said to contain a small amount of sugar.
Freedrinks says it provides consumers with a healthier option in the current anti-sugar climate. With just over half a teaspoon of sugar per 10cl, it gets a Food Standards Agency green traffic light, and makes the brand exempt from the sugar tax.
Zeo Cloudy Lemon 75cl is available in Tesco nationwide and Zeo Peach & Grapefruit 75cll and Mixed Berry 75cl is available in Tesco, Co-op and Ocado.
ARTESANO BARBADOS WHITE DRY RUM & JAMAICA DARK AGED RUM
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Brand owner Leomar
RRP Artesano Barbados White Dry Rum: €17.50, US$23. Artesano Jamaica Dark Aged Rum: €19.50, US$25
Markets Europe and US
Contact info@leomar.co.uk, Artesanorum.com
Leomar says Artesano is a series of distinctive rum expressions from selected rum-producing areas with an emphasis in the different characteristics of each area.
Currently available are the Barbados White Dry (37.5% abv) and the Jamaican Dark Aged (40% abv) expressions. There will be more, says the company.
The concept: Artesano is the ‘handicraftsman’, “creating art with your hands and your soul.”
Leomar says Artesano is a tribute to all those artisans – small batch producers – of rum all over the world, who elevated rum distilling into ‘art’.
TERRA DI MONTEVERRO
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Brand owner Georg Weber
RRP €18.50 (37.5cl, 12 bottles in wooden case: €222)
Markets Europe, US, Asia
Contact Bancroft Wines. T: +44 (0) 20 7232 5470
The Monteverro wines come from the Costa D’Argento area of Tuscany, halfway between the historic village of Capalbio and the sea. The company has released a miniature, 375ml bottle for its top four wines: Monteverro, Terra di Monteverro, Chardonnay and Tinata. The bottles are wrapped one by one in foil before being placed in a 12 bottles wooden case.
VIDDA TØRR GIN
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Brand owner Oslo Håndverksdestilleri
RRP £39.95, US$53, €48
Markets Global
Contact marcin@oslohd.no
Vidda Tørr (43% abv) is a potato-based spirit made with botanicals including juniper, heather, yarrow, chamomile flower, bilberry, angelica root, meadowsweet, sorrel, calamus root, elderflower and pine shoots.
Vidda means ‘mountain plateau’ and tørr means ‘dry’.
Crafted using mountain herbs and spices accentuating the flavours found on Norwegian mountain plains, Vidda is described as an interpretation of a traditional British dry gin infused with Nordic botanicals.
The Oslo Håndverksdestilleri aims to capture the culture and traditions of Norway – Scandinavian customs, foraging and the Nordic way of life all contribute to the philosophy of the distillery.
SPICE DROPS
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Brand owner Holy Lama
Markets Global, via website
RRP £3.50
Contact Gouri Kubair gouri@holylama.co.uk
Spice Drops is a range of 30 concentrated extracts of herbs and spices which claim to retain the aroma, flavour and natural goodness of the raw ingredients.
They are made in Kerala, India, in a factory said to be ‘manned’ by disadvantaged women who would otherwise be rejected by society.
The company says Spice Drops can be used in all forms of cooking and drinks, including cocktails. A single drop can transform a recipe with no mess or preparation required, it says.
They are natural with no artificial additives, preservatives or colourings and no added sugar or salt. They are gluten free and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. They come in 0.5cl bottles for retail or 10cl bottles for catering/bars.
PAPARUDA PINOT NOIR 2015
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Brand owner Philip Cox
RRP €7.80, US$8.70, £6.70
Markets UK Ireland, Australia, South Africa, US, Japan
Contact recaswine.de
Romania is the only country in the world that produces high quality Pinot Noir at a decent price, says the company. This wine is described as a modern, juicy version of the variety which respects the terroir of the region and over-delivers on price.