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Top 50 innovative spirits of 2024: 30-21
Sometimes looking to the past is the best way to move forward, as a few bottlings from the middle of our innovative spirits launches list demonstrate.
As we reach the halfway mark in our countdown of the most innovative spirits launches of 2024, we can see a pattern starting to emerge. Interesting blends make a few appearances, while recipes and production techniques of days gone by prove to have been a popular approach last year.
Keep scrolling to find out which products made it to positions 21 to 30, and find out what bottles landed at 31 to 40, and 41 to 50 here.
30. Copenhagen Distillery x Harvey Nichols Rare Aquavit Cask Whisky
Denmark’s Copenhagen Distillery teamed up with luxury department store Harvey Nichols to release a whisky aged in aquavit casks. Örn Ólason, co‐founder of the self‐described ‘rebellious’ distillery, said the brand used aquavit casks for maturation to create a distinctive, specialised taste, which includes Scandinavian caraway and fennel.
29. Sipsmith Origin 1639
Sipsmith turned back the clock in September when it replicated the first gin recipe from 1639. Using for reference the 1639 manual The Distiller of London, which gave birth to modern gin, the brand stayed true to the original secret recipe of juniper berry, citrus and spice, all while emulating traditional 17th‐century production methods.
28. The Glenlivet: The Twelve Elements
Chivas Brothers‐owned The Glenlivet turned to blockchain technology to release this 12‐strong range of one‐off bottles, each 50 years old, matured since 1974. The launch was the first on The Whisky Exchange Cabinet, the digital marketplace set up by its namesake UK retailer.
27. Chica~Chida
Launched in collaboration with US media personality Caleb Pressley, Chica~Chida is a peanut butter‐flavoured agave spirit, made with an allergen‐free peanut butter extract.
26. James Eadie’s Project 1927
Independent bottler and blender James Eadie partnered with six Scottish distilleries to recreate the whisky of 100 years ago. Each exclusively used locally grown barley or varieties grown in the 1920s, alongside distilling techniques of the era.
25. Sapling Regenerative Vodka
Sapling Spirits partnered with chef and farmer Julius Roberts to create its Regenerative Vodka. The wheat for the vodka is grown in Kent, UK. Regenerative farming focuses on rebuilding soil health, enhancing biodiversity, and capturing carbon from the atmosphere.
24. Takamaka Le Clos Napa Laz
This Seychelles‐born rum is made with non‐hybrid sugarcane varieties sourced from local farmers. Around 16.5% of the rum blend is taken from the heart of the distillate, while the heads and tails from the 2023 and 2022 harvests are redistilled to create a ‘third heart’.
23. Mijenta Maestra Selection No.1
Tequilera Ana María Romero went where no Tequila brand has gone before. Mijenta Maestra Selection No.1 is made from 100% agave de 22 semilla, or seed agave, which needs two extra years to grow compared with the usual agave growth time.
22. Monarch Legacy Edition
India’s Tilaknagar Industries introduced Monarch Legacy Edition as its first luxury brandy. The group said it was the only luxury 100% pure grape brandy that blends French grape spirits with Indian grape spirits from the Sahyadri region of Maharashtra. It sits at 42.8% ABV.
21. Hogsworth Batch 1 Blend #9
Designed to disrupt the Bourbon category, the first release from the Hogsworth brand is a blend of 52% Bourbon and 48% Armagnac. The spirit comprises 42% four‐years‐and‐five‐months‐old Tennessee Bourbon, 10% four‐year‐old Minnesota Bourbon, 22% 11‐year‐old Armagnac, 21% 13‐year‐old Armagnac, and 5% 42‐year‐old Armagnac.
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