Top 10 spirits launches in February

There were innovations in nearly every spirit category in February, from bold age-statement whiskies to big-name ready-to-drink (RTD) serves.

Some brands chose to embrace technology to introduce their releases, while others stuck to centuries-old traditions.

Here are our top 10 spirits launches from February.

The Glenlivet: The Twelve Elements

Chivas Brothers-owned The Glenlivet brought some very old whiskies into the present day with its Twelve Elements collection. The 12 one-off bottles have been maturing since 1974 and will be available to purchase exclusively on blockchain-enabled marketplace The Whisky Exchange Cabinet.

The platform is designed to facilitate secure and traceable collecting of rare spirits, so we’ll be expecting to hear more from it soon.

The Lost Explorer Tequila

The Lost Explorer has built a name for itself making mezcals, but it’s now partnered with maestro Tequilero Enrique de Colsa to expand its range of agave spirits.

The Tequila range will launch with a blanco expression, which will be available from early April.

Brugal Maestro Reserva

Premiumisation in the rum category continued last month, with Dominican rum brand Brugal releasing a rum aged in American Sherry oak casks, which are then emptied and toasted before being refilled and allowed to further mature in the sun.

Bulleit American Single Malt

The American single malt is still without a formal definition, but Bourbon producers are increasingly entering the category. The most recent is Bulleit, which uses a mash bill of 100% malted barley and is aged in charred new American white oak barrels.

The new release also builds on the brand’s sustainability credentials, from a fully recycled bottle to an oak restoration scheme.

Absolut Vodka and Sprite

Gin in a tin? Not today. Pernod Ricard and The Coca-Cola Company teamed up to create an RTD vodka and lemonade, available in 250ml cans.

It launched first in the UK, with European markets to follow.

Clase Azul México San Luis Potosí

The third edition in Clase Azul’s mezcal line-up is inspired by San Luis Potosí in Mexico’s Central Plateau, which has agave traditions dating centuries back.

It is created using the region’s native agave and produced in Estación Ipiña, a tiny community where 20% of the population works in mezcal production.

Bushmills Hill Street Edition

Bushmills launched its oldest and rarest expression last month, which is aged for 36 years and limited to 208 bottles.

Distilled in 1986, the whiskey was recasked in a Sherry hogshead in March 2001 and will set you back £5,000 (US$6,330), though you’ll have to make your way to Belfast whiskey shop The Friend at Hand on Hill Street to grab one.

Gin & Juice

A win for the Chiefs wasn’t the only thing to come out of this year’s Super Bowl, with rappers Snoop Dogg and Dre announcing their new spirits venture at the event’s afterparty.

The Gin & Juice RTD line is inspired by their single from 1994 and comes in four flavours: citrus, melon, passionfruit and apricot.

Port Ellen Gemini

After being dormant for more than 40 years, Islay producer Port Ellen made a triumphant return in February by releasing two launches in one.

Port Ellen Gemini is a two-bottle set featuring Gemini Original and Gemini Remnant, and has launched to celebrate the distillery’s upcoming reopening in spring.

The Botanist Islay Cask Matured Gin

Whisky, Tequila and rum, step aside – there’s a new aged spirit in town. The Botanist gin, which is produced at Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay, has leaned on the Scotch brand’s wide cask selection to create both an aged and a ‘rested’ expression.

The rested gin combines 16 different cask types and has been aged for at least six months, while the aged gin combines six cask types and has been aged for a minimum of three years.