Top 10 spirit launches in October 2014

Hybrid spirits, special edition Scotch, prestige Cognac and spicy shots were among some of the most exciting spirit launches last month.

Click through the following pages to see the top 10 spirit launches in October 2014

As we head full steam into winter, the spirits category was dominated by dark variants, with a number of new liqueurs making an appearance in time for the festive season.

Category boundaries were blurred by Diageo with its much anticipated new gin-sake hybrid, while Woodford Reserve dipped a toe into the world of wine by ageing its latest offering in Pinot-Noir casks and Disaronno launched an ultra-premium Scotch-based variant.

Meanwhile, the no-age-statement Scotch segment was fully embraced by The Glenlivet as it unveiled its new core expression, a sentiment mirrored by The Dalmore’s new travel retail range.

Special editions were unveiled by Midelton Irish whiskey and Remy Martin Cognac, while over on the liqueurs and cocktail front, Pimm’s brought back a discontinued favourite and Havana Club launched its own range of cocktail flavourings.

Looking at those which were made available on the market, as well as those which were unveiled to be released at a later date, this is our roundup of the top 10 spirit launches in October 2014.

Click through the following pages to discover which brands made the cut.

The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve

In conjunction with revealing it had reached the milestone one million case sales last month, The Glenlivet also unveiled its latest single malt portfolio edition, the no-age-statement Founder’s Reserve.

Matured in a “medley of casks” including first-fill Bourbon casks, The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve will sit alongside the brand’s 12-year-old expression at around £30 per bottle.

With notes of “zesty fruit and toffee” typical of The Glenlivet profile, the new release is described an accessible “new modern classic” in the brand’s stable.

Disaronno Riserva

Amaretto liqueur Disaronno moved into the ultra-premium segment at the end of October with the launch of Disaronno Riserva, a Scotch based variant of the liqueur.

Price at €300, the liqueur uses a young blended Scotch malt whisky as its base. The resulting liquid is then left to marry in Sicily in Florio marsala wine casks for six months.

Described as delivering notes of vanilla, almonds and fruit with a peppery, dried fruit and madeira finish, the variant is available domestically and in global duty free.

The Dalmore Fortuna Merita Collection

Just like The Glenlivet, Whyte & Mackay’s The Dalmore Scotch whisky also moved further into the no-age-statement segment with a new range of travel retail exclusives, called The Fortuna Merita Collection, meaning Fortune Favours the Brave.

The collection will feature three expressions which aim to reflect the heritage of the distiller. Each has been aged in Sherry butts hand-selected from the Gonzalez Byass bodega.

It consists of The Dalmore Regalis (€75), The Dalmore Luceohas (€85) and The Dalore Dominim (€120).

Pimm’s No. 6 Vodka Cup

Having been discontinued only this year, Diageo decided to relaunch its Pimm’s No.6 Vodka Cup following a “flood” of consumer requests.

First launched in 1964, Pimm’s No.6 was originally known as a Vodka Sling, but was soon dubbed the Vodka Cup.

The expression, which now joins only the gin-based No.1 and brandy-based Blackberry & Elderflower in the range, will be available from summer 2015.

Jinzu

Last month Diageo also launched its much anticipated gin-sake hybrid Jinzu, which was named winner of a competition for bartenders to create a new spirit brand.

Created by Bristol bartender Dee Davis, Jinzu has been under intense product development by Diageo for 17 months but will now sit alongside the group’s Reserve brands.

Described as a “British gin” with distilled sake and cherry blossom, Jinzu carries an RRP of £30.5% of which will go to Diageo and another 5% towards other bartender initiatives.

Midelton Very Rare 30th Anniversary Pearl Edition

In celebration of the Midelton distillery’s 30th anniversary, its former master distiller Barry Crockett temporarily came out of retirement to create this special edition.

Crockett worked with new master distiller Brian Nation to create the expression, a blend of 1984 single pot still Irish whiskey and 1981 grain whiskey which has been aged in American oak barrels.

Now available for €6,000, the whiskey is presented in bottles handcrafted by the Leadbetter family of glassblowers.

Rémy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl Anniversary Edition

Cognac house Remy Martin also marked its anniversary with a special launch. In celebration of the 140th anniversary of the Louis XIII brand, Remy Martin released 775 decanters of Louis XII Black Pearl, one of its most exclusive and expensive expressions.

With an RRP of €10,000 (US$13,000), the variant has once again been crafted using 1,200 eaux-de-vie aged between 40 and 100-years-old from Grande Champagne.

The decanters have been drawn from the C-100-93 tierçon, which was crafted from Limousin oak over a century ago.

Woodford Reserve Sonoma-Cutrer Pinot Noir Finish

As part of its Master’s Collection, Woodford Reserve unveiled its latest offering, a Bourbon finished in Pinot Noir casks.

Master distiller Chris Morris used a Pinot Noir barrel from the Sonoma-Cutrer winery in California to finish a batch of original Woodford Reserve whiskey.

The barrels, which previously matured three unique vintages of Pinot Noir, are said to have given the whiskey a “refreshingly fruit forward” flavour.

Jim Beam Kentucky Fire

Jim Beam is the latest Bourbon brand to move further into the “firey” cinnamon-flavoured whiskey category with Kentucky Fire.

Following the launch of similar sounding Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire, the variant joins Jim Beam’s growing flavoured whiskey portfolio, which includes maple and honey bottlings, as well as a cinnamon-flavoured whiskey under its Red Stag label, Red Stag Spiced.

Last month Wild Turkey also capitalised on the growing spicy shot trend in the US with the launch of American Honey Sting, a combination of the Bourbon brand’s honey liqueur and ghost peppers.

Havana Club Essence of Cuba

To capitalise on the world’s world’s booming cocktail culture, Havana launched a range of cocktail flavourings in October, called Essence of Cuba.

Inspired by Havana’s Añejo 7 Años expression, the range includes four flavours: Island Fruit, Aromatic Leaf, Coffee and Honey.

each flavour is crafted using natural ingredients through a slow maceration process with Havana Club Añejo 7 Años as the base using a combination of traditional and modern production techniques.