Pick of the Launches

Here is the pick of the launches from last month, as featured in Drinks International Magazine April edition

METHOD AND MADNESS IRISH WHISKEYS

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Brand owner Pernod Ricard/Irish Distillers

RRP Single Grain €49/£42, Single Malt €79/£68, Single Pot Still €69/£59, Single Grain 31-year-old €1,500/£1,300

Markets Ireland, UK, France, Irish travel retail

Contact Nathan@RTC.london

Irish Distillers has launched a range of whiskeys aimed at attracting non-whisk(e)y drinkers into the category.

The Method and Madness range comprises: Single Grain finished in virgin Spanish oak casks, Single Malt “enhanced” in Limousine oak casks, Single Pot Still finished in French chestnut barrels and Single Grain 31 Year Old limited edition single cask.

The Method represents the Midleton distillery’s master blenders and distillers who have been doing it for years. The Madness refers to young apprentices who are likely to ask potentially awkward and embarrassing questions.

BOWMORE NO.1, 12, 15, 18, 25 YEAR OLD

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Brand owner Beam Suntory

RRP: No.1 £32/ €36, 12 Year Old £36/€41, 15 Year Old £58/€66, 18 Year Old £80/€92, 25 Year Old £265/€305

Markets International

Contact bowmore.com/virtual-reality

Bowmore Islay Single Malt Whisky has announced the launch of new packaging across its core range, from Bowmore 12 Year Old to Bowmore 25 Year Old and the newly launched Bowmore No.1.

The company claims to have the world’s oldest scotch maturation warehouse at more than 230 years.

Each expression comes in a carton that is said to portray the wooden doors of the its No.1 Vaults, perched on Islay’s edge, and highlights the establishment with a signature from David Simpson, Bowmore’s founder.

Subtly embossed on each label is the Bowmore icon of a padlock – an illustration of the lock still used today on the No. 1 Vaults.

WILD ISLAND BOTANIC GIN

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Brand owner: Colonsay Beverages

RRP £39/€45

Markets: UK/export

Contact Keith Bonnington, keith@wildislandgin.com

Wild Island Botanic Gin (43.7% abv) is said to be a five-times distilled premium gin made from 100% British wheat, infused with 16 botanicals, six of which are hand-foraged on the remote Hebridean island of Colonsay.

The gin is said to be ultra-smooth and its emphasis on lemon citrus is enhanced by the use of one of the core botanicals – lemon balm.

The gin is made in collaboration with Langley Distillery in Hertfordshire.

DOM RUINART BLANC DE BLANCS 2006/DOM RUINART ROSÉ 2004

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Brand owner Moët Hennessy

RRP Blanc de Blancs £140/€160/$171, Rosé £200/€229/$244

Markets UK & Europe, US & Japan

Contact Moët Hennessy UK, mhuk.selection@moethennessy.com +44 90) 20 7808 4400)

Ruinart, established in 1729, is adding to its portfolio. Dom Ruinart 2006 and Dom Ruinart Rosé 2004 are the first releases since the Blanc de Blancs 2004 in July 2014. Dom Ruinart is aged for a minimum of 12 years, with manual grape-harvesting, all disgorged by hand and made from 100% Grand Cru grapes.

Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 2006 is 100% Chardonnay, from Grands Crus, 63% from Côte des Blancs (predominantly Chouilly, Le Mesnil and Avize), 37% from the northern slope of the Montagne de Reims (predominantly Sillery and Puisieux).

The rosé 2004 is a blend of 81% Grand Cru Chardonnay, 69% of which comes from the côtes des blancs (avize, cramant, le mesnil-sur-oger) and 31% from the montagne de reims (puisieulx, sillery), with the addition of 19% pinot noir made into red wine, coming only from the sillery cru.

MOZART WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM STRAWBERRY

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Brand owner Schlumberger

RRP £15/€17/$18 (50cl)

Markets European travel retail, UK, US, Australia, Asia

Contact Mangrove Global, mangroveuk.com

Austrian distiller Mozart, best known for its chocolate liqueur, is claiming the first bottled White Chocolate Cream Strawberry Liqueur (15% abv).

Mozart says the taste profile is created by combining natural aromas of strawberries and bourbon vanilla with the highest-quality distillate.

These are blended with fresh cream and cocoa butter to deliver the luxury liqueur maker’s trademark creaminess.

Mozart Distillery chief executive Florian Iro said: “We are truly excited to announce the launch of Mozart White Chocolate Cream Strawberry for this spring and summer. For the first time chocolate and natural strawberries are fused together in an easy to drink liqueur. The vibrant packaging – our iconic foil wrapped bottle – is a real crowd-stopper. With Mozart White Chocolate Cream Strawberry, we are opening a new season for chocolate lovers.”

LOCH LOMOND GTR SCOTCH WHISKY RANGE

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Brand owner Loch Lomond Group

Markets Global Travel Retail

RRP £25-£70 (1 Litre)

Contact Andre de Almeida, andre.dealmeida@lochlomondgroup.com

07843 247 871

This global travel range is said to showcase the variety of spirits produced at the Made at the Loch Lomond distillery in the Scottish Highlands.

Loch Lomond Signature is described as a deluxe single blend finished in a 100 cask solera system comprising first-fill bourbon, re-charred bourbon and Oloroso sherry.

Single Grain is made with malted barley in a coffey continuous still before being matured in bourbon barrels.

The 12 Year Old Single Malt has a long slow fermentation. The company says this gives fruity notes that balance with gentle hint of smoke/peat

For Inchmurrin Madeira Wood Finish, following fermentation the spirit is distilled in a pot still with rectifying head.

CONKER SPIRIT COLD BREW COFFEE LIQUEUR

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Brand owner Rupert Holloway

RRP £30

Markets UK

Contact trade@conkerspirit.co.uk

Conker Cold Brew (25% abv) is said to be the first of its kind in the UK, created using cold-brewed Ethiopian and Brazilian speciality coffee to create a tribute to the espresso.

The company says there are no additives, flavourings or thickeners.

Conker Spirit is Dorset’s first gin distillery and its first product was Conker Spirit Dorset Dry Gin, said to be made from British wheat spirit and New Forest spring water.

The Brazilian beans are said to be roasted darker and for longer to accentuate the cacao and caramel notes. The Ethiopian coffee is roasted faster and lighter to accentuate the sweetness and natural citrus character, so adding a zesty highlight to the blend.

LE BIJOU DE SOPHIE VALROSE ROUGE, 2015

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Brand owner Crush Wines

RRP £7.99-£8.99/ US $10/€9

Markets Global, Retail and Travel (Hong Kong, Far East, Continental Europe)

Contact emmalaval@bijouwine.com

A full-bodied red wine from Cabrières, France, made predominately from Syrah and Grenache. The company says it works with selected growers and itself has old vines with an average age of 30 years on volcanic soils, therefore low yields which are said to give Bijou its concentrated flavours.

CHÂTEAU FLEUR HAUT GAUSSENS MALBEC LA VIMINIÈRE 2015

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Brand owner Château Fleur Haut Gaussens

RRP £20.95/€25

Markets UK, domestic

Contact Berry Bros & Rudd

La Viminière is a small single plot situated in Vérac on the right bank of the river, near Fronsac.

The six-year-old Malbec vines are planted in a specific south-facing plot of clay soil. The terroir, specially chosen for its similarity to Burgundy climates, allows for early ripening.

Owner Hervé Lhuillier, of Château Fleur Haut Gaussens, wanted to give his customers something out of the ordinary, something they had not seen in Bordeaux before.

La Viminière was created with the help of consultant Olivier Dauga, departing from conventional Bordeaux winemaking techniques, such as 50% of the harvest going into fermentation as fully ripe whole bunches, the stems blond in colour and not at all dried out, to enhance the fruit and add complexity.

A slow winemaking process of approximately 25 days including a soft extraction and a short maceration resulted in typical Malbec fruit character but with no exaggeration.

OHD AKEVITT

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Brand owner OHD Oslo Håndverksdestilleri

RRP £42.95/€50/S$53

Markets Global

Contact Rubyna Sheikh, Rubyna@one-drinks.com

OHD says it wants to bring authenticity back to the akevitt category.

After a long history of state monopolies on alcohol production in Norway leading to total control of the market, it says it is dedicated to reviving traditional customs with the creation of high-quality artisanal spirits enriched with Nordic botanicals.

Distilled from a potato base spirit OHD Akevitt (41% abv) has been matured for 12 months and has a blend of caraway, meadowsweet, hyssop, yarrow, heather, sorrel, St John’s wort, chamomile, calamus root, dandelion, wormwood, angelica root and horehound.