BUSHMILLS RED BUSH

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RRP US$23

Markets US, others to follow

Contact bushmills@smartscommunicate.com

In 2014 Casa Cuervo, the family-owned company that has a long history of making tequila, bought the Bushmills brand from Diageo. The completion finalised the most important purchase made by Cuervo in its history and Bushmills Irish Whiskey is now one of the biggest brands in its portfolio.

Produced in Old Bushmills Distillery, Northern Ireland, Bushmills Red Bush (40% abv) was launched in the US in March 2017 in both the on and off-trades in time for St Patrick’s Day. Further global markets will follow.

Bushmills Red Bush is matured in American bourbon casks and is hoped to appeal to those new to Irish whiskey, particularly bourbon drinkers. The mellower taste of Bushmills Original is said to be achieved with whiskeys matured in both bourbon and sherry casks, whereas Bushmills Black Bush is matured in sherry butts with a high proportion of Bushmills single malt.

Bushmills Red Bush is a blend of triple-distilled single malt and Irish grain whiskey with a “delicate, smooth and balanced flavour”. It is seen as a way to introduce the range to the new generation of whiskey drinkers.

METAXA PRIVATE RESERVE LIMITED EDITION

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Brand owner Rémy Cointreau

RRP €65

Markets Europe

Contact herve.buzon@remy-cointreau.com

Metaxa is the blend of aged distillates and Muscat wines from Samos in Greece.

The 2017 release celebrates 25 years since the first Private Reserve was unveiled. Private Reserve is created by Metaxa master Constantinos Raptis once a year, in a single batch.

BACCHUS BLOCK

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Brand owner Lyme Bay Winery

RRP £15.89

Markets UK only

Contact Paul Williams, paul@lymebaywinery.co.uk, 07436 104127

Bacchus Block is a single vineyard designated white English still wine from Lyme Bay Winery. The Bacchus Block was developed using perfectly ripe grapes to create an aromatic white wine with clean, intense and powerful grapefruit freshness.

Made from 100% Bacchus grapes, it is said to have a long, citrus-dominated finish with a good mouthfeel.

Lyme Bay’s Bacchus Block has been crafted from carefully selected Bacchus grapes, grown in a plot of heavy clay soil and well-sheltered by surrounding forests.

These conditions give the grapes huge depth of character and contribute to the wine’s complexity of flavours.

COINTREAU BLOOD ORANGE

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Brand owner Rémy Cointreau UK Distribution

RRP £17/€20

Markets Global/Global Travel Retail-Duty Free

Contact cointreau.com

Described as the perfect balance between sweet, bitter and blood orange peels, Cointreau Blood Orange is said to be like tasting a ripe fruit, both tangy and rich in aromas.

To create Cointreau Blood Orange, La Maison Cointreau selects blood oranges of the most intensely aromatic character and distills their peels along with those of the signature sweet and bitter orange of Cointreau.

A combination of Mediterranean climate and the rugged Corsican soil gives the blood orange its vitality, intense aromas and exquisite taste. The blood oranges are harvested once a year between February and March when their peels contain high concentrations of the essential oils that are then captured by distillation.

Cointreau Blood Orange is described as having a fresh, slightly tangy and crisp taste, offering a bouquet of fruit head aromas that open to reveal more discreet zesty citrus notes.

The interplay of the orange varieties also “creates a profoundly rewarding complexity of taste”.

VEUVE CLICQUOT EXTRA BRUT EXTRA OLD

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Brand owner Moët Hennessy

RRP £69

Markets Global

Contact veuveclicquot.com

Extra Brut Extra Old is blended from reserve wines spanning three decades from 1988-2010. The champagne is a premium cuvée that is an exclusive expression of Yellow Label, said to draw the purest elements into a unique blend of the best reserve wines from Reims in France.

PENNY BLUE VSOP RUM

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Brand owner Berry Bros & Rudd

RRP £24.95/€29.60/$31.63

Markets Global

Contact (trade) jack.denley@bbr.com

This single estate VSOP rum was matured in ex-cognac (75%), bourbon (15%) and whisky (10%) barrels before it was blended by master distiller Jean-Francois Koenig and Berry Bros & Rudd spirit buyer Doug McIvor.

It was made in the Medine Distillery in Mauritius.

PERONI AMBRA

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Brand owner Peroni Nastro Azzurro

RRP £6

Markets UK

Contact thehouseofperoni.com

Peroni Ambra combines crisp and refreshing Peroni and the sharpness of Italian Chinotto – pronounced Kee-not-toe, a rare Italian citrus fruit, grown and harvested in Liguria, North West Italy – to offer a bitter and fragrant flavour for the early evening drinking occasion that sees continued growth among modern drinkers.

Peroni Ambra is served from its 25cl bottle into a bespoke tumbler glass, over ice, and garnished with an orange peel twist. Its flavour is said to leave the palate cleansed and refreshed, much like its Italian cocktail counterpart – the Negroni, which is now the second most popular cocktail in the UK and remains a top 10 classic in the world’s best bars.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro has been brewed in Italy since 1963 from one of three breweries across Italy; Padova, Rome and Bari.

MARAMA RUM

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Brand owner Beveland Distillers

RRP €28-€30/$35-$38

Markets Europe, then US and Asia.

Contact beveland.com

Distilled and aged in Fiji, bottled in Spain, Marama Spiced Fijian rum (40% abv) is classified as a light rum made by a process defined by two basic stages: fermentation & distillation and ageing.

Aged from three to five years, a final touch of ginger is added as an spiced ingredient. At the end it is put it in a barrel to achieve a good final integration.

The alcohols used are obtained from the fermentation of sugar cane from the Fiji islands. The distillates are mixed with water originating from volcanic substrates, whose springs have a high annual renewal rate due to the island’s heavy rainfall.

That water is is then purified with reverse osmosis systems.

The alcohol is aged in American oak barrels. Ron Marama is made by mixing the correct proportions of various rums. During the production process, extracts from exotic plants and fruits native to the island are added, to give the rum its unique, spiced vanilla and citrus notes.

TOMATIN FIVE VIRTUES

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Brand owner Takara Shuzo Corp

RRP £49.99

Markets Worldwide excluding US

Contact info@tomatin.com

Each of the Five Virtues malts comes with its own distinct complexity and character. Wood has been aged in French, American and Hungarian oak casks, while Fire is matured in heavily charred oak, simulating fresh vanilla flavours.

Five Virtues draws its inspiration from the nature’s elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water – and comes packaged in cartons adorned with contemporary Scottish art.

DARNLEY’S SPICED GIN NAVY STRENGTH

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Brand owner Darnley’s Gin

RRP £39.99

Markets Global

Contact darnleysgin.com

Darnley’s Spiced Gin Navy Strength is inspired by the career of Sir Rosslyn Wemyss, an ancestor of owners the Wemyss family, and an Admiral of the Fleet who commanded ships all over the world in the early part of the 20th century.

During their time at sea, ships’ officers used to enjoy a daily ration of gin which had to pass a gunpowder test to prove it was over 57% alcohol and therefore Navy Strength. This gin uses the same botanicals as Darnley’s Spiced Gin, with a touch more juniper and an increased proof for a bold gin with warming spice flavours. It is bottled at 57.1%.

One of the pioneers of the UK’s flourishing gin scene, the award-winning Darnley’s View Gin, has announced a raft of changes in advance of plans for ambitious growth in 2017.

Launched in 2010 by Edinburgh-based Wemyss Malts, the brand has undergone a major refresh, led by a new name – Darnley’s gin. New packaging also celebrates the spirit’s quality and craftsmanship, with a rich colour palette and hand-drawn illustrations to convey the different botanicals in each expression.