Scotch dominated last month’s new releases, including a 40-year-old Dalmore, a 50-year-old blended grain from Angus Dundee and a French wine cask-finished Tullibardine.

Top 10 spirits launches in July 2017

While whisky was front and centre, there were many other noteworthy new products from other spirits categories unveiled in July.

In brandy, French producer Maison Monteru pushed innovation with what’s thought to be the ‘world’s first’ brandy aged in Japanese mizunara casks.

Meanwhile in Denmark, rum producer Anders Skotlander spied an opening for ‘non-alcoholic gin’ to cater for consumer trends of low-abv or alcohol-free products.

In the States, Louisville-based producer Copper & Kings launched a new line of liqueurs, while in the UK a new vodka distilled with English barley was brought to market. Oh, and let’s not forget that Martini created a complementary bitter for its range of vermouths.

Click through the following pages to explore our full round-up of top spirits launches in July.

Which new spirits products caught your eye last month? If you can’t spot your favourite in our list, let us know in the comments below.

Tullibardine The Murray Châteauneuf-du-Pape

In a bid to create a point of difference and push the boundaries of innovation, Scotch whisky brands are turning to ever-more unusual cask finishes for their products.

Last month, Perthshire-based distillery Tullibardine unveiled The Murray Châteauneuf-du-Pape, available exclusively in Germany via Whisky.de.

The 2004 vintage single malt Scotch was finished in French wine casks from the southern Rhône vineyards following an initial maturation period in first-fill Bourbon hogsheads.

It is the second release in the distillery’s Marquess Collection, which was named after Sir William Murray, the second marquess of Tullibardine.

For more information, click here.

Monteru Brandy Mizunara

Is this the world’s first brandy aged in Japanese mizunara oak casks? According to French producer Maison Monteru, yes, it is.

Distilled from Folle Blanche grapes – 90% of which were picked in 2014, the remaining 10% from 2012 – the brandy was first left to age in used French limousine oak casks before being finished in virgin mizunara oak casks for approximately 12 months.

Bottled at 43% abv, only a ‘confidential number’ of bottles will be available through select spirits retailers.

For more information, click here.

The Dalmore 40 Year Old

July was a busy month for Highland distillery Dalmore. At the start of the month, the distillery unveiled a Port-finished trio of whiskies, comprising The Vintage Port Collection. The following week, and it was time to reveal the 2017 limited edition distillery exclusive: a 2000 vintage.

But the crème de la crème of Dalmore releases in July had to be The Dalmore 40 Year Old.

Revealed at an exclusive media tasting at London’s luxury Claridge’s hotel, the 40-year-old was matured in American white oak ex-Bourbon barrels, before undergoing a second maturation in 30-year-old Gonzales Byass Matusalem oloroso Sherry butts. The whisky was then finished in first-fill Bourbon barrels.

Only 750 bottles have been released this year, priced at around £6,000 (US$7,900).

For more information, click here.

Martini Riserva Speciale Bitter

Bacardi’s portfolio expanded last month with the launch of a bitter designed to complement the brand’s Italian vermouth in a Negroni.

The Martini Riserva Speciale Bitter was inspired by the original 1872 Martini Bitter recipe, and includes the following botanicals: saffron, angostura and Columba.

The bitter has been left to rest in the same Tino cask used for the Riserva Speciale extracts, and also includes a common botanical in the form of Italian Artemisia.

Beppe Musso, Martini master blender, said: “The art of the bitter aperitivo is to create a complete and rounded sensation of bitterness in the mouth.

“This is achieved by our incredible master herbalist Ivano Tonutti slowly building up layers of different styles of bitter botanicals.”

For more information, click here.

Angus Dundee 50 Year Old Blended Grain Scotch

Scotch whisky producer Angus Dundee Distillers unveiled a 50-year-old blended grain Scotch whisky last month – its “first very mature blended grain”.

The limited edition blended grain has been created using wheat, un-malted cereals and malted barley, and distilled in classic column stills.

Five American white oak barrels were picked to create the whisky, which is said to have flavours of vanilla, toffee, prunes, plums, spicy tobacco, and mocha chocolate.

Bottled at 40.1% abv, the whisky will be available in travel retail and certain domestic markets, with a UK RRP of £899, and €1,000 in Europe (US$1,146).

For more information, click here.

Herbie Virgin

Danish rum producer Anders Skotlander has created a non-alcoholic ‘gin’, which it claims is a world-first.

Part of the Herbie gin range, Herbie Virgin is produced using the same production methods and equipment as the original expression – but without the alcoholic content. Its botanicals include juniper berries, Danish apples, lavender and orange peel.

Anders Skotlander and Herbie CEO Anders Bilgram said: “We believe there is a big market for alcohol-free alternatives for people who don’t drink or just want to drink less alcohol.”

For more information, click here.

The Last Drop 1971 Blended Scotch

Independent spirits bottler The Last Drop Distillers is renowned for its rare spirits offerings, and last month witnessed the launch of its 10^th bottling: a 1971 blended Scotch. Priced at £3,000 (US$3,900), only 1,352 bottles have been created.

The whisky started as a 12-year-old blend in 1983. The remainders of the liquid were then refilled into 11 ex-oloroso Sherry butts and matured for nine years, before some of the whisky was bottled as a 21-year-old blend.

The rest of the liquid was then poured into nine oak barrels, which were left to age in a dunnage warehouse for another 24 years.

The Last Drop Distillers bought the casks in June 2017 following a total of 45 years’ maturation.

For more information, click here.

Kuro Japanese-inspired London Dry Gin

There’s been a plethora of Japanese or Japanese-inspired gins flooding the spirits market this year – and last month Japanese-inspired Kuro was the latest expression to join the ranks.

Inspired by a skiing holiday in the Japanese Alps, the gin is distilled with botanicals including silver birch bark, spruce needles and bamboo-activated charcoal.

Kuro, which means ‘black’ in Japanese, was designed by Craig Fell and John Thomson, and distilled in a 300-litre copper pot still at Langley Distillery by master distiller Rob Dorsett.

Bottled at 43% abv, Kuro is available from the Kuro Gin website at an RRP of £38 per bottle, as well as Impossible Manchester in the UK and retailer Master of Malt.

For more information, click here.

Bimber Distillery English Barley Vodka

Bimber Distillery, based in London, released a small-batch, triple-distilled vodka last month, made with English barley.

Bottled at 40% abv, the vodka is distilled in the producer’s copper column still and carries an RRP of £35 per bottle.

The vodka is described as having aromas of barley sugar and nutty cereals on the nose. Meanwhile, the palate produces flavours of lemongrass, sweetness and a soft, creamy finish with honey and citrus flavours.

For more information, click here.

Destillaré Liqueurs, Copper & Kings

Image: Ron Jasin, Copper & Kings

Copper & Kings American Brandy Co, located in Louisville in the US, extended its spirits portfolio last month with the launch of a new line of liqueurs: Destillaré.

The first two products in the range include “intense” Destillaré Orange Curaçao (45% abv) and Destillaré Mistelle (30% abv).

Non-chill-filtered, the alembic-distilled liqueurs both have a brandy base and are made without added sugar or colourants.

Destillaré Intense Orange Curaçao will retail for US$35 per 750ml, while the Destillaré Mistelle will carry an RRP of US$40 per 750ml.

For more information, click here.