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Top 10 spirits launches in July 2019

While the no- and low-alcohol category dominates our latest list of new releases, July also saw exciting whisky launches from Diageo and a liqueur range created by bartender Marian Beke.

SB presents the top spirits to launch last month

Last month, a number of brands, including Don Julio and St Rémy, furthered their experimentation with cask finishes, while a new whisky aimed at mixing was released by Halewood Wines & Spirits.

July also saw gin brands Portobello Road and Hayman’s enter the low-abv market, while Jameson owner Pernod Ricard expanded its portfolio of zero-abv ‘spirits’.

Click through the following pages to explore our full round-up of eye-catching spirits launched in July.

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

Casoni Savoury Liqueurs

Marian Beke, of London’s The Gibson cocktail bar, partnered with Italian spirits producer Casoni to create a new range of liqueurs that are said to “add a savoury note” to cocktails.

The new liqueur range was in development over a two year period consists of three expressions: Amarotto; Wild Berries and Balsamic Vinegar of Modena; and Figs and Cherries and Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

The city’s balsamic vinegar “plays a strong role” in the new liqueurs, which will be available to buy soon from Master of Malt for an RRP of £18 (US$21.90) per 500ml bottle.

Don Julio Reposado Double Cask Lagavulin Aged Edition

Diageo-owned Don Julio released its second Scotch-influenced expression ­– a reposado Tequila finished in casks that previously held Lagavulin single malt.

The new limited edition whisky is the result of a collaboration between Don Julio master distiller Enrique de Colsa and Colin Gordon, manager of the Lagavulin Distillery in Islay. Don Julio Reposado Double Cask Lagavulin Aged Edition has been finished for two weeks in the whisky casks.

Don Julio Reposado Double Cask Lagavulin Aged Edition is available in the US this summer “while supplies last”. It has an RRP of US$64.99.

Crabbie’s Yardhead

Halewood Wines & Spirits-owned John Crabbie & Co has released Yardhead, a single malt Scotch whisky designed for mixing.

Named in honour of the company’s original maturation warehouse in Leith, Edinburgh, Yardhead is aimed towards young spirits drinkers who are looking to experiment with mixing whisky.

Crabbie’s Yardhead is bottled at 40% abv and has been priced at RRP £26 (US$32) per bottle.

Isle of Raasay Hebridean Gin

Isle of Raasay Distillery released a Hebridean gin last month. Isle of Raasay Gin has been distilled in a Frilli copper pot still following a recipe developed with help from local botanist Dr Stephen Bungard and Fiona Williamson, MSc scholar at Herriot-Watt University.

The gin uses 10 botanicals, including juniper berries, rhubarb root, lemon peel, orange peel and cubeb pepper. Bottled at 46% abv, the gin has been priced at RRP £35 (US$43) per 700ml bottle and is available to purchase form the distillery shop and online at raasaydistillery.com.

Forager’s Keep

Last month, Diageo released the first Scotch in its Orphan Barrel series of “rare” whiskies: a 26-year-old single malt from the now-demolished Pittyvaich distillery.

Forager’s Keep is the first Scotch whisky in the range, which previously focused on whisk(e)y from North America.

It is a 26-year-old single malt from Pittyvaich, a Dufftown distillery that operated for 18 years until it was closed in 1993 and was later demolished. Bottled at 48% abv, the expression is said to have an aroma of freshly cut apple, vanilla and orange, a “warming taste with a hint of wood” and a sweet finish.

Portobello Road Temperance

London-based Portobello Road became the latest marque to enter the low-abv category with the release a 4.2% abv ‘spirit’, called Temperance.

Distilled using the same nine botanicals as Portobello Road’s London Dry Gin, Temperance was created by founder Jake F. Burger, who developed “bespoke” techniques and added extra ingredients, such as naturally high-mineral-content water, botanical hydrosols and “one or two secret ingredients”.

The resulting liquid is described as “instantly weighty, with viscosity and a pleasant acidic sharpness” on the palate. Temperance carries an RRP of £23 (US$29).

St Rémy Finished in…

French brandy producer St-Rémy added three expressions to its limited edition Cask Finish Collection, which have been aged in rum, Islay Scotch and Cabernet Sauvignon casks.

The three new brandies are: Finished in Barbados Dark Rum Casks, Finished in Islay Scotch Whisky Casks, and Finished in Cabernet Sauvignon Casks.

Created by Cécile Roudaut, St-Rémy master blender, each expression is a “distinctive exploration into the encounter between French brandies and wood”.

Celtic Soul

In July, Jameson owner Pernod Ricard unveiled a Celtic Soul, an alcohol-free ‘dark spirit’ created by Ceder’s founder Craig Hutchison.

The new brand is described as a “non-alcoholic blend of carefully distilled dark spirits”, with a flavour of “sweet vanilla, spices and oak”.

Celtic Soul is available exclusively from Sainsbury’s where it carries an RRP of £25 (US$31.30).

Following its range of Game of Thrones-inspired Scotch whiskies, Diageo this month announced it has partnered with the creators of The Walking Dead to release The Walking Dead Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

Unveiled at the San Diego’s Comic Con convention, the new whisky has been launched under Spirits of the Apocalypse – a “strategic alliance” between Diageo and Skybound Entertainment, the firm behind The Walking Dead comic series.

The limited edition release will be available in the US from select retailers this autumn. Bottled at 47% abv, the whiskey has an RRP between US$31.99 and US$36.99 per 750ml.

London-based gin brand Hayman’s also tapped into the low-alcohol trend this month but in an alternative way. The brand released an expression said to be “so rich in botanical character” that only 5ml is needed to create a gin and tonic.

The brand’s new Small Gin is described as a “first for the gin category” and the spirits sector as a whole. Bottled at 43% abv, it has been made using a “traditional approach and natural botanicals”.

Hayman’s is selling its Small Gin in a 200ml gift carton (£26/US$33) with a 5ml measuring thimble, which the brand says will produce 40 gin and tonics with an alcohol content that is 80% less than a standard G&T.

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