A Swedish-Australian gin, a spirit containing the “shimmering tears of a dragon” and the first American whiskey from rock band Metallica are among our top product launches from August 2018.

We present our pick of top spirits launches from last month

Last month, American band Metallica became the latest celebrities to move into whiskey with the launch of a ‘sonic-aged’ expression, while Kingsbarn Distillery unveiled its inaugural single malt Scotch whisky.

Revered bar owner Tony Conigliaro launched a vodka distilled with pink rose petals and Captain Morgan extended its shot-inspired range with the launch of Apple Smash.

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

Which new spirits products caught your eye last month? If we’ve missed your favourite, let us know in the comments below.

Dry Island Gin

The latest collaborative expression from Australian distillery Four Pillars is Dry Island Gin, created in partnership with Swedish producer Hernö.

The London Dry-style gin is distilled with juniper, coriander, river mint, roasted wattleseed, strawberry gum, lemon myrtle, meadowsweet and fresh lemons.

Dry Island Gin is inspired by the hot, dry landscape of Australia and the thousands of islands that inhabit Sweden.

The expression is the second product in Four Pillars’ Distiller Series, following the launch of Cousin Vera’s Gin created in collaboration with Madrid-based Santamania Destileria Urbana.

For more information, click here.

Fistful of Bourbon

William Grant & Sons moved into American whiskey last month with the launch of Fistful of Bourbon.

The first in-house American whiskey release from the company is a blend of five straight Bourbons that have aged for at least two years.

Blended by William Grant & Sons’ master blender, Brian Kinsman, the expression is said to contain five distinct flavour groups – balanced and sweet; green, leafy floral; soft spices and hints of nutmeg; buttery toffee; and cinnamon and liquorice.

For more information, click here.

Woltz’s Rose Petal Vodka

Mixology maestro and 69 Colebrooke Row owner Tony Conigliaro has launched a new vodka, which has been distilled with pink rose petals.

Woltz’s Rose Petal Vodka is the first expression in a new range of flavoured vodkas that use English ingredients.

Conigliaro worked with his team at the east London-based Drink Factory lab to create the vodka.

The new bottling has been distilled with pink rose petals, resulting in a “soft floral” aroma, “clean, dry rose taste”, followed by a “peppery” finish.

For more information, click here.

The Macallan Masters of Photography: Magnum Edition

Last month saw the launch of the highly anticipated annual edition of The Macallan Masters of Photography.

Created in collaboration with photographic cooperative Magnum Photos, the Magnum Edition has been designed to celebrate the construction and opening of the new £140 million Macallan distillery and visitor centre through rare imagery and liquid.

Each pack comes with a collection of images taken by six photographers who have captured different aspects of the new Macallan distillery and visitor experience on film.

The photographers are: Steve McCurry, Martin Parr, Paolo Pellegrin, Mark Power, Gueorgui Pinkhassov and Alec Soth.

For more information, click here. 

Captain Morgan Apple Smash

Captain Morgan targeted the shot market last month with the launch of Apple Smash.

The expression is described as a blend of Caribbean rum with a green-apple flavour.

The 30% abv bottling is recommended served as a chilled shot, mixed with cinnamon whiskey or in a cocktail with ginger ale.

For more information, click here. 

Fettercairn single malts

Whyte & Mackay relaunched its Highland single malt whisky brand Fettercairn, announcing the first new releases from the brand in almost a decade.

Most of Fettercairn’s production has historically disappeared into blends, including the Whyte & Mackay brand, but it is now seeking to highlight its single malt liquid.

All four of the new expressions have been matured in ex-Bourbon barrels.

For more information, click here.

Deanston Bordeaux Red Wine Cask Finish and Bain’s 15 Year Old

Distell launched two new limited edition expressions exclusively in global travel retail last month.

Deanston Bordeaux Red Wine cask-finished single malt 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 new Bain’s 15 Year Old Single Grain Whisky 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.

For more information, click here. 

Dragon Tears Whisky

The latest expression from off-the-wall retailer Firebox is said to contain the “shimmering tears of a real-life dragon”.

Dragon Tears Whisky combines a “rich cinnamon flavour” with a “smoky” blended Scotch whisky.

Like the rest of the retailer’s Mythical Tears range, the bottling is said to contain tears from a magical creature.

For more information, click here. 

Blackened American Whiskey

The latest musician to join the spirits bandwagon is rock band Metallica, who last month launched Blackened American Whiskey.

Created in collaboration with WhistlePig master distiller Dave Pickerell, the whiskey is a blend of Bourbon, rye and other American whiskey that has been aged in black brandy barrels exposed to “low hertz sound waves”.

The vibration from the sounds waves is said to “enhance the molecular interaction” of the liquid inside the barrel.

For more information, click here.

Kingsbarns Founder’s Reserve Inaugural Release

Fife-based Kingsbarns Distillery revealed its inaugural single malt Scotch whisky last month, the first in a series of five annual bottlings.

The Founders’ Reserve Inaugural Release comprises several casks filled in 2015 using the wood policy set by the late Dr Jim Swan.

First-fill Bourbon barrels, provided by Kentucky’s Heaven Hill Distillery, were selected for having “succulent wood tannins that balance well with the complex Kingsbarns spirit”.

For more information, click here.