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Top 10 spirits launches in December 2016

Last month BrewDog crafted a single grain Scotch “hell-bent on being a Bourbon”, British Airways debuted its very own gin, and Sazerac unveiled three Tequilas aged in American whiskey barrels.

We reveal the top 10 spirits launches in December 2016

Yes, you read that right – the so-called “bastard love child” of Scotch and Bourbon is said to be inspired by American author Hunter S. Thompson.

Meanwhile, Gordon & MacPhail launched a collection of six “rare” Speyside single malts for £10,500, and Johnnie Walker commemorated its iconic ‘Striding Man’ logo with a limited edition design.

The gin category welcomed the “first“ Scottish gin distilled with hand-picked tea – and former Rangers footballer Thomas Buffel launched his very own brand.

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

Glenmorangie Grand Vintage Malt 1990

LVMH-owned single malt Scotch Glenmorangie launched the first expression in its new range of “vintage” whiskies, called Bond House No. 1.

The series takes its name from the largest of Glenmorangie’s 19th century bonded warehouses, Warehouse No.1, which was transformed into a still house in 1990.

The bottling has “heady floral and fruity notes“ with “sweet flavours of orange syrup, puff candy, honeycomb, and vanilla“.

For more information, click here.

British Airways Tailored Gin

British flag carrier British Airways partnered with The Cambridge Distillery to produce its own gin blend for first class customers.

The main botanicals used in the blend, which was underwent taste tests in the lounge, include basil, rosemary and thyme grown in the Cambridge Distillery garden.

Each bottle is labeled with the British Airways Speedmarque and wax sealed by hand in Cambridge.

For more information, click here.

Uncle Duke’s

Scottish brewer BrewDog has released its first Scotch whisky – a three-year-old single grain that is described as the “bastard love child” of Scotch and Bourbon.

Uncle Duke’s has been aged for three years in heavily charred American virgin oak casks, and is said to have “complex” notes of honey and fruits on the nose and vanilla, sticky toffee and “candy-ass fruits” on the palate.

Co-founders James Watt and Martin Dickie were inspired by American author Hunter S. Thompson ­– “a lone voice kicking against the machine of corporate and political America” – when conceptualising the whisky.

For more information, click here.

Expresiones del Corazón 2016

Sazerac expanded its limited edition Expresiones del Corazón Tequila line with the addition of not one, not two, but three new expressions aged in a variety of American whiskey barrels.

The range, new for 2016, includes: Buffalo Trace Reposado, aged 10 and a half months in Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels; Old Rip Van Winkle Añejo, aged for 23 months in Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon barrels; and Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Añejo, aged for 19 months in Thomas H. Handy Sazerac whiskey barrels – the most limited in the collection.

For more information, click here.

The Macallan 40 Years Old Sherry Oak

Edrington-owned single malt Scotch The Macallan expanded its Sherry Oak Range with The Macallan 40 Years Old, the second non-vintage 40-year-old expression to come from the Speyside distillery.

In early 2006 when whisky maker Bob Dalgarno married nine casks for The Macallan 30 Years Old Sherry Oak edition, he laid a tenth cask back down.

This cask was bottled in 2016 at 40 years of age to become The Macallan 40 Years Old Sherry Oak, and now just 500 bottles are available globally.

For more information, click here.

Martell NCF

Pernod Ricard-owned Cognac house Martell released a non-chill-filtered expression developed to target nightlife consumers.

Presented in a light-reflective metallic copper-coated bottle, Martell NCF is the “first” release from the brand to be filtered at room temperature with the specific aim of preserving mouthfeel and aromas when served over ice.

Given nosing and tasting notes include apricot jam, vanilla, mandarin, pink grapefruit, citrus peel and candied fruit.

For more information, click here.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Striding Man Edition

Diageo-owned blended Scotch Johnnie Walker unveiled a four-bottle limited release in commemoration of its ‘Striding Man’ logo.

The collector’s item features the brand logo’s evolution from 1908 to 2015. The Striding Man was first created by Tom Brown and has been refreshed a further three times in 1929, 1996 and 2015 by Leo Cheney, John Geary and Gary Redford respectively.

For more information, click here.

Buffel Gin

Former Rangers footballer Thomas Buffel made a foray into spirits with the launch of Buffel Gin.

The Belgium midfielder teamed up with a Belgian distillery to produce the 40% abv expression, initially created as a wedding present for his wife.

The gin contains 19 botanicals including pomegranate, lavender, citrus, juniper, coriander seeds.

For more information, click here.

Gordon & MacPhail’s Speyside Collection

Gordon & MacPhail launched a collection of six “rare” single malt Scotch whiskies from Speyside, costing £10,500 in total.

The range consists of Gordon & MacPhail Smith’s Glenlivet 1948, Gordon & MacPhail Glen Grant 1949, Gordon & MacPhail Strathisla 1953, Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach 1954, Gordon & MacPhail Longmorn 1967 and Gordon & MacPhail Linkwood 1972.

The whiskies in the collection are each labelled using the original distillery labels.

For more information, click here.

The Teasmith Gin

Husband and wife distilling team Nick and Emma Smalley created the “first” Scottish gin distilled with hand-picked tea.

The story of James Taylor, known as the ‘Father of Ceylon Tea’, inspired the couple. Hailing from Auchenblae, Aberdeenshire, Taylor founded the first tea plantation in Sri Lanka in 1867 and is said to have transformed the island into “one of the finest tea growing regions in the world”.

The tea is distilled in Perthshire’s Strathearn distillery and then blended with a gin recipe which includes juniper, coriander, and citrus peels.

For more information, click here.

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