Pick of the Launches

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

Bushmills Steamship Collection

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Brand owner Jose Cuervo International

RRP €80, £65, $89 (I-litre)

Markets Global travel retail

Contact dphelan@josecuervo.com, vmarquet@josecuervo.com

Bushmills has announced its new range of limited-edition Irish whiskeys, the Steamship Collection – available only in travel retail. The first release, Sherry Cask Reserve, marks the 125th anniversary of the maiden voyage of SS Bushmills.

Glenmorangie/Finlay & Co scotch whisky sunglasses

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Brand owner LVMH/The Glenmorangie Company/Finlay & Co

RRP £300, €380, US$460

Markets Global

Contact finlayandco.com

Glenmorangie claims to have introduced the world’s first scotch whisky sunglasses.

The single malt whisky brand has partnered with British sunglass company Finlay & Co to create sunglasses made from the staves of whisky casks.

The LVMH-owned brand majors on its pioneering approach to cask and wood management, hence using first fill and second fill ex-bourbon barrels, which are the essence of the flagship Glenmorangie 10 Year Old. Apparently 1,843 pairs were made from the barrel staves. That ties in with the founding date of the distillery.

Each pair is said to be designed to display its unique grain and natural finish, is numbered and will have the option to be personally engraved for each customer.

Finlay managing director David Lochhead, said: “For this collaboration we were excited to give each cask a new step in its story. There is a real beauty to the American oak that Glenmorangie uses for its casks. It’s a thrill to strip this wood down and reveal the unique grain on every individual pair.”

Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve edition 2

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Brand owner Pernod Ricard/Chivas Brothers

RRP €55, £43, US$62

Markets UK and Spain, then globally from spring

Contact George Quiney: george@rt-com.com

Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve Edition 2 (43% abv) is described as a complex gin resulting from a production process that sees the classic Beefeater London Dry gin rested in hand-selected red and white Bordeaux wine casks. Released in very small batches, the length of resting is judged by Beefeater master distiller Desmond Payne.

The process results in an aromatic pale copper gin that is said to showcase the best qualities of both Beefeater gin and fine Bordeaux casks. The second edition follows the launch of Beefeater’s first ever cask-rested gin in 2013, which used Jean de Lillet casks.

Canella Bellini

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Brand owner Casa Vinicola Canella

RRP £10.99 (75cl), £3.50 (20cl)

Markets UK launch

Contact Bob Ratcliffe, The Bottle Drinks Company, bob@thebottle-drinkscompany.com, +44 (0)1623 883214, +44 7887 707496/robert.steel@fortheloveofwine.co.uk, +44 (0)1280 822500

Bellini by Canella is claimed to be Italy’s original bottled Bellini, available in 20cl or 75cl formats. It is described as a classic aperitif composed of two parts prosecco, one part fresh white peach juice and a few drops of wild raspberry. It is said to be 100% natural with no added sugar, colouring or preservative, and is low alcohol (5% abv) and low calorie.

Champagne de Castelnau Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2003

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Brand owner Champagne de Castelnau

Markets Europe, UK, US, Canada, Asia

RRP €48, £43, JPY 8,500, US$60, CAD 79, CHF 60

Contact Castelnau Wine Agencies – Keith Issa: keith@castelnau.co.uk +44 (0)207 7512490

Champagne de Castelnau’s vintage 2003 Blanc de Blancs Champagne is a limited release of 11,000 bottles.

De Castelnau says only very few champagne houses produced a vintage in 2003 as, due to the extreme summer heatwave, the average acidity of most base wines was very low.

Chef de cave Elisabeth Sarcelet felt she had enough premium quality still wines to be able to make a small quantity of blanc de blancs vintage champagne which would reflect the house style of “opulence and texture, while maintaining a superb freshness”.

It has been aged on the lees for 11 years and recently disgorged.

The majority of the fruit for de Castelnau’s Blanc de Blancs is grown on soils in the Montagne de Reims crus more usually associated with Pinot Noir production, giving richer, nuttier and more complex flavours to Chardonnay.

Havana Club Tributo Collection

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Brand owner Pernod Ricard

RRP US$350, €315, £245

Markets 10, including Cuba

Contact nathan@rt-com.com

The Havana Club Tributo Collection is said to be a new series of limited editions created with exceptional rum reserves set to be unveiled annually at the Cuban Habanos Festival.

Just 2,500 bottles of each Havana Club Tributo Collection rum is being released.

Tasting notes by Asbel Marales, Havana Club Maestro Ronero run as follows:

Colour – a deep amber glow, bright and clear;

Nose – a rich, balanced aroma. Dried fruits and raisins highlighted with subtle oak notes;

Taste – a long aftertaste. A powerful and full-bodied blend that brings to life years of natural ageing in white oak barrels.

Released annually, each edition of Havana Club Tributo showcases a different rum style. The 2016 release has a distinctive aroma and tropical dried fruit notes.

Bouvet rubis

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Brand owner Monmousseau family

RRP £13.49

Markets UK (Majestic)

Contact Mark Cooper, Majestic Wines, mcooper@majestic.co.uk

Loire sparkling wine house Bouvet Ladubay has launched Bouvet Rubis, an off-dry red sparkling wine, at Majestic. Bouvet Rubis is made using the Cabernet Franc grape for the house, which is the largest producer of traditional method sparkling wines in Saumur. Bouvet Rubis was selected from among a dozen wines from France, Italy and Australia to fit into Majestic’s new red sparkling category.

Cognac Frapin VIP XO

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Brand owner Cognac Frapin

RRP £170, US$245, €220

Markets Global

Contact info@cognac-frapin.com

Frapin says the new VIP XO writes another page in its history. It is a blend of aged cognacs from Grande Champagne.

The new decanter is said to have been inspired by VIP XO’s elegant aromas and Frapin’s love for the written word, represented by a perfume bottle and an inkpot. This appreciation was handed down by ancestor François Rabelais, a distinguished author and gourmand, apparently.

Frapin is responsible for the whole production process of its cognacs. It possesses its own vines, one of the largest estates in Grande Champagne, its own distillery and its own ageing cellars.

Deanston Organic 15 Year Old

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Brand owner Distell

RRP £80, €103, US$115

Markets Germany, global travel retail

Contact Clare MacDermott, trade marketing manager, +44 (0)208 614 2720

Certified organic by the Organic Food Federation, Deanston Organic 15 Year Old (46.3% abv) is said to have been handmade using the finest Scottish ingredients, including local barley and the soft water from the River Teith.

Hand-filled into new oak barrels and left for 15 years in the distillery’s vaulted warehouse, Deanston Organic is described as a “mellow, fruity single malt with sweet oak and vanilla flavours, combined with an abundance of Deanston’s signature honeyed richness”.

It is unchill filtered and has a natural colour.

Croft Pink

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Brand owner The Fladgate Partnership

RRP £10, €13, US$15

Markets Europe, US

Contact Mentzendorff +44 (0)20 7840 3600

Fladgate says the new 50cl bottle of Croft Pink, the first new port style for a generation, is aimed at sitting alongside other cocktail mixers in bars and restaurants.

It hopes the new size will appeal to shoppers in retail outlets.

It is made at Quinta da Roeda in the Douro Valley and is described as “fresh and vibrant with rich cherry and raspberry flavours”.