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Top 10 spirits launches in February 2019
A 39-year-old Port Ellen, a Compass Box whisky inspired by a 15th-century painting and a low-abv spirits range from Glen’s Vodka are among the top new products to launch last month.
SB presents the top spirits to launch last month
In February, a number of line extensions were revealed, including a midsummer solstice-inspired Hendrick’s gin, a peach-flavoured Crown Royal whisky and a rum from Bacardi infused with ‘natural’ flavours and spices.
Meanwhile, Diageo’s Port Ellen distillery released its oldest global bottling, and The GlenDronach unveiled a Sherry cask-matured 25-year-old whisky.
Irish Distillers’ experimental Irish whiskey range Method and Madness moved into gin and Glen’s vodka capitalised on demand for lower alcohol alternatives.
Click through the following pages to explore our full round-up of exciting spirits launched in February.
Which new products caught your eye last month? If we’ve missed your favourite, let us know in the comments box below.
Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice
Last month, Hendrick’s gin expanded its portfolio with the launch of Midsummer Solstice.
The limited edition expression has been inspired by the “mysterious and ephemeral delights” of floral blooms during the summer solstice.
The gin is infused with floral essences and flavours that capture the “aromatic intensity of a midsummer day”.
For more information, click here.
The GlenDronach Master Vintage 1993 Aged 25 Years
The GlenDronach Master Vintage 1993 Aged 25 Years has been matured in Pedro Ximénez and oloroso Sherry casks from Andalucia in Spain.
The limited edition whisky is said to have flavours of sultana brioche, baked orange rind and prune oil.
Bottled at 48.2% abv without chill filtration or caramel colouring, the whisky will be available from non-US specialist retailers globally from February, ahead of its US launch in October.
For more information, click here.
Bacardi Spiced
Bacardi tapped into the demand for flavoured rum with its latest offering: Bacardi Spiced.
The expression has been infused with ‘natural’ flavours and spices and is described as having “a hint of smokiness” and a “bold, yet smooth taste”.
Bacardi Spiced rum will roll out to all major UK retailers from April 2019.
For more information, click here.
The Dalmore L’Anima Aged 49 Years
The Dalmore L’Anima Aged 49 Years is the result of a collaboration between master distiller Richard Paterson and Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura.
Bottled at 41.5% abv, the single malt Scotch has been made from whiskies matured in small-batch Bourbon barrels, González Byass casks that once held 40-year-old Pedro Ximénez Sherry, and Graham’s vintage Port pipes.
Only one bottle of the 49-year-old whisky has been created and will be auctioned for charity.
For more information, click here.
Method and Madness Micro Distilled Gin
The makers of Jameson Irish whiskey, Irish Distillers, added a gin to its experimental Method and Madness range.
Method and Madness Irish Micro Distilled Gin was inspired by historic gin recipes dating back to 1798, which have been preserved at the Midleton Distillery.
Bottled at 43%abv, the gin is made with a mix of 16 botanicals, with black lemon and Irish gorse flower at the fore.
For more information, click here.
Crown Royal Peach Flavoured Whisky
Diageo-owned Canadian whisky brand Crown Royal has added a peach-flavoured variant to its range for a limited time only.
Crown Royal Peach Flavoured Whisky is a combination of the brand’s “signature smoothness” with Georgia peaches.
The “easy-sipping” expression is recommended served on the rocks or mixed with ice tea and is targeted at outdoor occasions.
For more information, click here.
Four Roses Small Batch Select
Bourbon brand Four Roses unveiled its first permanent line extension in more than 12 years, called Small Batch Select.
The 52% abv expression is a blend of six of the distillery’s 10 Bourbon recipes.
The Bourbon will launch this spring in Kentucky, New York, California, Texas and Georgia. It will become available in additional locations in the future.
For more information, click here.
Port Ellen: Untold Stories The Spirit Safe
Port Ellen: Untold Stories The Spirit Safe has been matured in a mix of ex-Bourbon and ex-European Sherry refill casks. The 39-year-old single malt is the oldest expression from the Islay distillery to launch globally.
The bottling marks the first release in the new Port Ellen Untold Stories Series, which will feature some of the last remaining stocks from the distillery, which closed in 1983.
There are plans to release further expressions in the series.
For more information, click here.
Compass Box Tobias & the Angel
The new expression from independent Scotch bottler Compass Box is a blend of 24-year-old malt whisky from Highland distillery Clynelish, which was aged in American oak hogsheads, and peaty whisky from Islay distillery Caol Ila “of a considerably older age”.
The label design and name of the whisky take inspiration from the Tobias and the Angel painting from the workshop of Italian Renaissance artist Andrea del Verrochio.
The expression, which is a “culmination of almost two decades of whisky-making”, is limited to 2,634 bottles worldwide.
For more information, click here.
Glen’s Flavours
The 20% abv expressions – Glen’s Peach and Passionfruit and Glen’s Strawberry and Apple – are based on Glen’s Vodka with added fruit flavours.
The brand hopes the new range, called Glen’s Flavours, will offer consumers a “simple solution” to making drinks without the need to “have dozens of ingredients”.
For more information, click here.