Top 10 spirit launches in August 2015

A Scotch whisky inspired by Japan, asparagus-infused gin and spicy vodka that pays homage to the Northern Lights are among the spirits industry’s most interesting new products.

Which were your favourite new spirits launched in August 2015?

August is renowned as a quiet month in the world of spirits, however this list of the sector’s new launches shows that producers continued to keep their sights set on innovation.

As Bowmore Scotch whisky looked east for its latest edition, Australian whisky producer Sullivans Cove launched its most exclusive – and indeed its most expensive – expression to-date.

Creative new releases also stemmed from the Irish whiskey, vermouth and Bourbon sectors.

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 August 2015.

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

Bowmore Mizunara Cask Finish

The worlds of Japanese and Scotch whisky merged in the latest Bowmore release. Bowmore Mizunara Cask Finish – thought to be the first ever Islay single malt finished in Mizunara oak casks – is a no-age-statement limited edition and carries an RRP of £650. To create the expression, Bowmore selected ex-Sherry and ex-Bourbon cask whisky to finish for three years in traditional Japanese oak mizunara casks. This is thought that this is one of the first occasions the casks have left Japan for use in whisky production elsewhere.

For more information, click here.

Sullivans Cove Manifesto

Last month, Sullivans Cove released its most expensive whisky to-date – the AU$10,000 (£4,670) Sullivans Cove Manifesto. Made from highly awarded French oak casks, including HH0509, HH0525 and HH0390, the variant is contained in a decanter hand-blown by Tasmanian glass sculptors Anne Clifton and Peter Bowles, which in turn is packaged in a doeskin-lined Huon pine case. Just two decanters of the whisky were made available, and sold out in a matter of hours.

For more information, click here.

Portobello Road Gin The Directors’ Cut

Portobello Gin has unveiled what is thought to be the first London dry gin with asparagus. Portobello Gin Directors’ Cut includes British asparagus hand-foraged by the brand’s founders among its botanicals. The gin’s ingredients list also features gentian root, juniper berries, cassia bark, nutmeg, lemon and orange peel.

For more information, click here.

Crystal Head Aurora

Dan Aykroyd-owned Crystal Head Vodka has expanded its range with the edition of Aurora – a “drier, bolder spicier” version of the brand’s original variant made with Yorkshire wheat. Five times distilled and filtered seven times, with three of the filtrations passing through layers of diamonds, the variant is also presented in a limited edition “iridescent” bottle designed to evoke the Northern Lights.

For more information, click here.

Four Roses 2015 Limited Edition Small Batch

Four Roses revealed its 2015 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon last month, which is dedicated to the brand’s retiring master distiller Jim Rutledge. The variant is a blend of 16-year-old Bourbon from Four Roses’ OBSK recipe (a mashbill of 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley), a 15-year-old OESK recipe, a 14-year-old OESK and an 11-year-old OBSV recipe (all of which are made up of 70% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malt). With a profile of “spicy cinnamon and clove flavours”, 12,600 hand-numbered bottles of the whiskey will be released.

For more information, click here.

Tullamore Dew Trilogy

At 15-years-old Trilogy is Tullamore Dew’s oldest variant to-date. The whiskey is a blend of some of the brand’s oldest malt and grain whiskies that have been aged in three different types of wood – ex-Bourbon, ex-Sherry, and ex-rum casks. Triple distilled and triple blended, Trilogy marks the first time Tullamore Dew has used rum casks to finish ageing.

For more information, click here.

1827 Quinine Gin

Launched by independent drinks distributor Maverick Drinks last month, 1897 Quinine Gin is made with cinchona bark – a traditional source of quinine that has been used as an antimalarial for centuries. Officially unveiled on World Mosquito Day, the gin will donate half of its profits to the Malaria No More UK charity. The bark is vacuum-distilled, as are fellow botanicals pink and white grapefruit and lemon peels, for a “complex, citrusy lift”.

For more information, click here.

Wild Turkey Master’s Keep

Wild Turkey Master’s Keep is Wild Turkey’s oldest whiskey to date and is also the first release from the brand since Eddie Russell was appointed its master distiller, a role he shares with his father Jimmy. The 17-year-old variant has been aged in a number of warehouses across Kentucky, both stone and wooden, resulting in a lower proof of 86.8 proof (43.4% abv). It is described as “one of the finest sipping whiskeys to ever come out of the distillery”.

For more information, click here.

Regal Rogue Daring Dry and Wild Rosé

Australian vermouth brand Regal Rogue expanded its portfolio with two new flavours last month. Regal Rogue Daring Dry is made using a Sauvignon Blanc grape and combining it with native Australian herbs of anise myrtle, quandong and native thyme. Meanwhile, Regal Rogue Wild Rosé is a blend of Shiraz Rosé bush with native illawara plums, rosella, strawberry gum, rhubarb and kina.

For more information, click here.

Dalwhinnie’s Winter’s Gold

Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold has been created using only casks laid down during winter months at the brand’s distillery – the highest in the UK. Described as having a sweet aroma of fruit, caramel, apricot and orange zest, and a taste of spice, gingerbread, malt loaf molasses and mint, the whisky is designed to be sipped from frozen.

For more information, click here.