Top 10 spirits launches in April

From a super-cool premium vodka to a spicy Tequila, there was something for everyone in April.

Two whisky brands released their debut expressions last month, while others dug deep into their stores for single malts with extreme age statements.

Here are our top 10 spirits launches from April.

The Feering Early Harvest

Usually a brand needs to have its distillery up and running before it releases a product, but The Cabrach Trust is getting ahead with its first expression. The Feering Early Harvest is a blend of whiskies from four local Speyside distilleries, which has been released in advance of distillation beginning in August.

Grey Goose Altius

The weather might be hotting up, but the spirits are getting colder… Bacardi-owned Grey Goose released a new expression in April that is filtered at subfreezing temperatures. The process supposedly makes the vodka, which is created from Alpine spring water and French wheat, extra smooth.

The Last Drop Distillers Release No. 36

Big price tags and big age statements always grab our attention (rightly or wrongly), and rare spirits bottler The Last Drop Distillers delivered on both in April. Its 2024 collection features three bottlings, with the standout being Release No. 36, a 55-year-old single malt Scotch from Tomintoul Distillery in Speyside. Priced at £6,600 (US$8,263), the expression is the brand’s oldest single malt release to date and is limited to 582 bottles.

Bardinet and Ginger Ale

The brandy sector is often seen as old-fashioned, but French company Bardinet bucked that trend by releasing a ready-to-drink (RTD) serve last month. Bardinet Brandy and Ginger Ale sits at 5% ABV and will retail for £2.25 (US$2.80) per 250ml can. The brand hopes the new format will encourage a new generation of brandy drinkers to enjoy the serve in myriad settings.

In The Welsh Wind Limited Edition Whisky #1

Wales’ newest distillery, Ceredigion-based In the Welsh Wind, released its first whisky in April, after gaining planning permission for its expanded distillery in 2021. Only 674 bottles are available, with the single malt distilled in a ‘state-of-the-art’ iStill.

Casamigas Jalapeño Tequila

Star-powered Casamigos Tequila, co-founded by George Clooney, upped the ante by adding another star – Cindy Crawford. Crawford’s spicy expression, named Casamigas, is naturally flavoured with jalapeños and designed for spicy Margaritas.

Crown Royal Blackberry

As the seasons change, so do our go-to flavours – and Canadian whisky brand Crown Royal is hopeful that blackberry will be this summer’s top flavour. News of the launch was our top-read story last month, so it’s looking like it could be right.

The flavoured whisky is a limited edition, with the brand suggesting serves like Blackberry and lemonade, Bramble, Collins and Mojito.

Burnt Faith Bourbon Cask Brandy

We’re all used to cask finishes for whisky – but brandy finished in whisky casks is less usual. As the first dedicated brandy distillery on the British Isles, Burnt Faith has made a name for itself by shaking things up, and its Cask Series looks to be no different. The first expression in the collection is made with four different grapes and was matured in Bourbon barrels from Kentucky’s Heaven Hill distillery for three years.

The Kohinoor Reserve Indian Dark Rum

The world will soon be getting a taste of India, with Rampur rolling out its newest rum to several markets. The Kohinoor Reserve Indian Dark Rum is made in small batches from fresh cane juice during the north Indian winter. It’s aged in ex-Indian single malt, American oak barrels, followed by time in ex-Cognac XO casks and ex-vermouth casks.

Chapter Five of the Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection

We’re back to super-aged whisky with this next release which, at 49 years old, is the oldest expression ever produced at Midleton. The single pot still whiskey was matured in ex-Bourbon barrels, which were then married for six months in cask number 52969, which also previously held Bourbon.