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Top 10
Top 10 spirit launches in July 2013
From 40-year-old Scotch to rosé Pastis and from London dry gin to pop star-created Tequila, July saw a diverse range of spirits burst into the marketplace
As a staple drink of the quintessential British summer, rivalled only by Pimms, gin found an enthusiastic, and somewhat parched, domestic market during the July heatwave.
The launch of a London Dry gin by Quintessential Brands endeavoured to tap into this consumer base and stand out from the established brands with its eastern edge.
July also saw the resurgence of fun summer spirits that lay seemingly dormant during the winter months – including the Pernod Ricard Rosé Pastis, Martini Gran Lusso Vermouth, and a premium cachaça by Global Premium Brands.
Yet the demand for dark spirits remained pertinent, and a plethora of innovations, limited editions, and small batch editions were released into the whisky world.
Bowmore, The Famous Grouse, and Glen Garioch are just a few names to release new and exciting products in this ever-popular category.
Click through the following pages to find out more about these and other spirit launches in July.
Stagg Jr.
A younger version of the award-winning George T. Stagg Bourbon, named Stagg Jr., was announced by Kentucky distillery, Buffalo Trace in July and was greeted with a warm reception.
With rich notes of sweet chocolate and brown sugar entwined with rye spiciness, the expression also hints at fresh cherry and warm clove flavours.
Aged for eight to nine years and bottled uncut and unfiltered at 67.2% abv, the younger expression will be released as a limited edition through staggered batches. Buffalo Trace were, however, quick to state that this edition would not impact on George T. Stagg supplies.
Stagg Jr. will be available from this month (August) in the US with an RRP of $49.99 for a 750ml bottle.
For more details about Buffalo Trace Stagg Jr., click here.
Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin
New industry players, Quintessential Brands, launched the London Dry Oriental spiced gin at the start of the month to offer UK consumers some brief respite from the relentless British heat wave.
Also launched in Spain, the product has been created in the classic London Dry Gin style, with spiced notes from Moroccan coriander, Indian black pepper, and Indonesian cubeb berries.
The 700ml bottled gin is said to have flavours that reflect the spice route between the Philippines to London and has an RRP of £23.
For more details about Quintessential Brands Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin, click here.
Bowmore 23 Year Old
Only 12,000 bottles have been released of this limited edition 23-year-old single malt Scotch that has been matured exclusively in port casks.
Islay distillery Bowmore created the non-chill filtered expression, described as having notes of smoke-infused blood orange, layered autumn fruits, winter spices and black truffles that is balanced by a sea-salt tang.
The 50.8% abv expression comes encased in a luxurious red-hinged box containing a handwritten certificate by Bowmore Distillery manager Eddie Macaffer.
The malt is limited to 120 cases in the UK, with an RRP of £380.
For more details about Bowmore 23 Year Old, click here.
Famous Grouse 40 Year Old
Whisky aficionados celebrated the announcement that Famous Grouse planned to launch its oldest and most exclusive edition to date – a 40-year-old blended Scotch whisky.
The exclusive 47.3% abv blend comes in a luxury wooden box containing hand-engraved decanters with silver stoppers.
Composed by a blend of whiskies from four Sherry casks, the Scotch is described as having an “intensely fruity, fragrant and slightly spicy” flavour with notes of “ripe mango, crushed coriander, cardamom and dill” on the nose with “banana and citrus along with gingerbread and a light peat smoke” on the palate.
Officially released this month, only 276 bottles are exclusively available in Schipol Airport and will be rolled out into the global travel retail sector in October this year.
For more information about The Famous Grouse 40 Year Old, click here.
51 Rose Pastis
Summer was clearly on the minds of those at Pernod Ricard when the company announced plans to launch the 51 Rose Pastis in the south of France this August.
The new anise-based spirit will accompany the traditional Pastis 51 in disruptive sampling at Marseille Provence Airport and Lyon-Saint Exupery Airport and will also merge with the Piscine 51 summer cocktail campaign.
Exclusively available to the travel retailers Aelia, the 35% abv pastis is pitched as an alternative to the traditional French summer aperitif of pastis and water and also targets younger female consumers.
With fruity notes of strawberry, pink grapefruit, blackcurrant and raspberry, the spirit is also recommended as the ideal base for the ‘piscine’ cocktail.
For more information about Pernod Ricard 51 Rosé Pastis, click here.
901 Tequila
July saw international pop sensation Justin Timberlake launch a new brand of Tequila in the UK.
The Cry Me A River singer launched 901 Tequila through distributor Hi-Spirits in the UK, four years after first launching in the US. He even dropped by a JD Wetherspoon to give staff a one-on-one lesson on how the mix the spirit.
901 Tequila is 40% abv and is produced by Destilleria Santa Lucia from a 60-year-old recipe of distilled 100% Blue Weber agave.
An avid Tequila fan, CEO Timberlake co-founded the company with president Kevin Ruder in 2009.
The Tequila will be available to both the on- and off-trade through Hi-Spirits for an RRP of £32.85.
It was recently announced the Palm Bay International is expanding the 901 Tequila brand in North America with the addition of 901 Reposado and 901 Anejo.
For more information about Destilleria Santa Lucia Tequila 901, click here.
Martini Gran Lusso Vermouth
With a name that translates as ‘grand luxury’, the Martini Gran Lusso Vermouth was created to mark the 150th anniversary of the Italian brand in style.
Limited to just 150,000 bottles globally, Gran Lusso is a single batch Vermouth made using a unique grape variety of Barbera red wine from the Piedmont region of Northern Italy and Trebbiano white wine from Emilia-Romagna.
It also combines two extracts – Moscato that is aged for a year in wood barrels and a secret 1904 recipe known mysteriously as ‘extract 94’ that is rested in small demijohns for eight years.
Described as “aromatically herbal and cleansing” with “honey softness”, the vermouth was intended to evoke the glamorous heyday of vintage Martini cocktails. It is now available internationally for €25.
For more information about Martini Gran Lusso Vermouth, click here.
Glen Garioch Virgin Oak
The virgin oak trend was boldly adopted by the highland single malt Scotch distillery with the release of its Glen Garioch Virgin Oak last month.
Described as ‘not for the faint hearted’, the limited edition whisky is aged in new American oak barrels and is bottled at 46% abv.
With sweet notes of chocolate cake, orange marmalade and treacle syrup, as well as a fusion of vanilla and caramelised wood sugar from the heavily carved 100-year-old oak, the malt is targeted towards whisky aficionados and collectors.
Just 120 cases have been made available in the UK at an RRP of £69.99 for a 700ml bottle.
For more information about Glen Garioch Virgin Oak, click here.
Kilchoman 100% Islay
With bursts of peat and soft fruits on the palate, the third instalment of the limited edition 100% Islay range was expected to sell out fast.
Created by the blending of four and five-year-old single malts aged in Bourbon barrels, only 10,000 bottles of this 50% abv limited edition were released into global markets.
Independent distillers Kilchoman said the 100% Islay range was unique as every stage of production – from growing the barley, to hand-bottling the finished malt – takes place at Kilchoman.
The limited edition is available in 700ml bottles at an RRP of £59.95.
For more information about Kilchoman 100% Islay, click here.
CapuCana
A new premium cachaça – called CapuCana – was launched across several markets last month by Global Premium Brands.
CapuCana, which means ‘the house of the sugarcanes’ in an indigenous Brazilian language, is handcrafted and distilled from local sugarcane in the heart of Brazil by Cachaçeria distillery – the oldest in Piracicabo.
The new release, which uses three different varieties of sugarcane blended together and aged for three years, is described as having aromas of apricot, biscuit, orange fudge and aloe vera and the flavour of stewed fruit, grass, honey blossom, vanilla and pear.
It was rolled out in the UK, Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Holland, Italy and Chile at an RRP of approximately €34 a bottle.
For more information about Global Premium Brands CapuCana, click here.