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Distell releases new whisky innovations in travel retail
Distell has launched a new expression from South African whisky Bain’s and a 10-year-old Deanston single malt Scotch, described as the brand’s “most intricate blending story to date”, exclusively in global travel retail.
The new innovations are exclusive to GTR
The limited edition Deanston Bordeaux Red Wine cask-finished single malt has been created by senior blender Dr Kirstie McCallum.
It has undergone a three-step blending process that in 2016 combined ex-Bourbon cask with Bordeaux casks. Then, in 2018, a fully matured 10-year-old Bordeaux red wine Deanston was added to the blend.
The expression has notes of bitter dark chocolate, syrupy treacle toffee, red wine along with Deanston’s classic “honeyed malt essence”.
The brand has also been relaunched with a new look to “reflect its community roots and handcrafted identity”. The design includes a bottle and capsule with etchings to mark its history as a cotton mill. The wooden cork features a recessed Deanston coin – the former currency used in the village.
Derek Scott, brand director at Distell, said: “At Deanston our focus is to be innovative and industrious at heart; we aren’t afraid to try new things and experiment with flavours.
“It was an interesting opportunity for Kirstie and the team, which has culminated in the most unique, and intricate, Deanston blending story to date.”
The 10-year-old Deanston Bordeaux Red Wine Cask Finish will be released this October at an RRP of £50 (US$65). It is limited to 1,000 cases.
The new limited edition Bain’s 15 Year Old Single Grain Whisky is the first in the Founder’s Collection, which aims to show the quality of South African grain whisky.
The expression pays homage to Andrew Geddes Bain, who built the Bain’s Kloof Pass, a mountain pass between Wellington and Ceres in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
It is thought to be the only whisky in the world to be made from 100% South African grain. It has been matured first for three years in ex-Bourbon casks before being revatted into a fresh set of ex-Bourbon casks.
The 15-year-old bottling has soft floral notes combined with spice, tropical fruits, and banana on the nose.
The palate is described as having hints of sweet butterscotch, raisins and banana loaf, followed by a “warm and spicy” finish.
Distell will release a number of limited edition single grain whiskies from the Founder’s Collection in the coming years.