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Top 10 spirits launches in June 2019

William Grant & Sons’ move into low-alcohol, Johnnie Walker’s Game of Thrones bottlings and a new whiskey from American band Slipknot topped our list of headline-grabbing spirits launched in June.

SB presents the top spirits to launch last month

Last month saw a number of drinks producers move into new categories, including Scottish group William Grant & Sons with its low-alcohol Atopia, and The House of Botanicals with its debut in the pink gin market.

Meanwhile, American rock band Slipknot teamed up with the Cedar Ridge Distillery to launch a new whiskey, and Bacardi released a coconut-flavoured rum.

Click through the following pages to explore our full round-up of exciting spirits launched in June.

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

A Song of Ice and A Song of Fire

The two limited edition Game of Thrones-themed Scotch whiskies from Johnnie Walker are called A Song of Ice and A Song of Fire. The expressions have been released as part of Diageo’s partnership with the show’s network HBO.

Available to pre-order in the US, the new blended Scotch whiskies will launch stateside this August and globally in October.

Details of the new whiskies “will be released in the coming months” and are available on a first come, first served basis.

For more information, click here.

Atopia

Scottish spirits group William Grant & Sons became the latest drinks producer to tap into the low- and no-alcohol trend with the launch of Atopia.

The 0.5% abv ‘spirit’ is made from “natural” distillates, flavours and extracts, and is available in two variants: Spiced Citrus and Wild Blossom.

Atopia’s flavour is attained through natural distillation and botanical extraction to “build layers of taste complexity and sophistication”.

For more information, click here.

The Circle

 

The Circle is named after Compass Box’s bartender programme, which was formed last year “to connect the creative processes of the blending room with those of the bar trade”.

The winner of the programme, bartender Rosey Mitchell from London’s Three Sheets, was prized with the opportunity to create her own limited edition Compass Box whisky.

The Circle is a blend of Scotch malt whiskies, including a base of single malt from Speyside’s Tamdhu Distillery, which was matured in ex-Bourbon barrels. It also features malt whisky from Brora in the Highlands aged in refill Sherry butts, a lightly peated single malt from Orkney, aged in recharred hogsheads, and a small proportion of a Highland malt blend finished in French oak casks.

For more information, click here.

Bacardi Coconut

Exclusively available in Asda stores in the UK, Bacardi Coconut is a blend of Bacardi’s classic Carta rum and coconut flavours.

The new rum follows the release of Bacardi Spiced earlier this year, and Bacardi Ginger in 2018. According to the brand, “global demand for flavoured rums continues to rise”.

Tine Van Nevel, brand director – Europe, Bacardi rum, said: “The response to our previous flavoured rums has been overwhelmingly positive and we are certain that Bacardi Coconut will be a welcome addition to the ever-growing Carta portfolio.”

For more information, click here.

Oto CBD Bitters

Oto CBD Bitters are made with cannabidiol and botanicals including liquorice, cardamom and cacao. Produced by UK-based cannabidiol (CBD) specialist Oto, the product is thought to be “Europe’s first” CBD cocktail bitters.

A single measure of the bitters delivers an “effective” daily serving of 50mg of CBD, which is a non-psychoactive extract from the hemp plant. CBD is renowned for its stress and anxiety relieving properties.

Oto’s CBD Bitters are alcohol-free and were developed by a team of industry experts, including food scientist Dr Ketan Joshi, former Sipsmith founding director Antonia Jamison, Oto managing director Gemma Colao and DMD Ventures CEO James Bagley.

For more information, click here.

No 9 Iowa Whiskey

The latest star to move into booze is American rock band Slipknot, which has partnered with Cedar Ridge Distillery to create No 9 Iowa Whiskey.

Slipknot and the Iowa-based distillery have launched the “farm-to-table” whiskey ahead of the release of the band’s latest album, We Are Not Your Kind.

Made with a mash bill of 56% corn, 36% rye and 9% malted barley, the expression uses corn grown on the Cedar Ridge family farm.

For more information, click here.

Eights Lands gin and vodka

Last month saw the launch of two expressions from the Glerinnes Distillery in Speyside, Scotland – Eight Lands Organic Speyside Gin and Eight Lands Organic Speyside Vodka.

The distillery is located at the foot of the Ben Rinnes mountain in Speyside. The name ‘Eight Lands’ was inspired by the eight counties that can be seen from the top of Ben Rinnes on a clear day.

Eight Lands spirits are made using organic ingredients, including some botanicals that are sourced from the Glenrinnes estate.

For more information, click here.

Echo Falls White Wine and Coconut Rum Infusion

Part of the Echo Falls Fusions range, the new product is a blend of Echo Falls white wine and a ‘rum fusion’, with coconut and pineapple flavours.

It is bottled at 9% abv and targets two key audiences: 30-plus females juggling work and family life, and under-30 ‘experiencers’ who “value new and exciting products”.

Echo Falls White Wine and Coconut Rum Fusion follows the release of Echo Falls Rosé Wine and Gin Fusion in March this year.

For more information, click here.

House of Botanicals Old Tom Gin

The latest producer to tap into the pink gin boom is Scotland’s The House of Botanicals.

Made with the addition of seasonal Scottish raspberries, House of Botanicals Raspberry Old Tom Gin was developed to “bring some balance” to the pink gin category.

The gin was created following the “bastardisation of true pink gin” and out of a desire to “show that gin can still be true to its origin whilst possessing a subtle hint of natural raspberry flavour”.

For more information, click here.

Villa Massa Limoncello Basilico

Villa Massa Limoncello Basilico is made from Sorrento lemons and infused with fresh Mediterranean basil. The combination of citrus and herbal flavours is said to offer a “fresh aroma that evokes the atmosphere of their shared terroir in the Mediterranean”.

Described as a “perfectly balanced after dinner experience”, the new 30% abv expression is best served very cold, directly from the freezer “to enhance the aromas”.

For more information, click here.

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