Top 10 spirits launches in October 2025
October supplied us with all manner of new spirits launches, covering every category from whisky to rum, vodka and Cognac.
October is always a bountiful month and we’re not just talking about those autumn leaves.
For new spirits, a vintage Cognac from Frapin caught our attention, as did vodkas from Ukraine and Portugal, plus the latest batch of rums from Mount Gay’s single estate series.
Continue on for the rest of the best new products that launched in October.
And if you’re curious as to what hit the market in previous months, check out out roundups from August and September.
Frapin in vintage form
Cognac house Frapin released its 1997 vintage: Millésime 1997 – 27 Years Old.
The Cognac’s production was carried entirely on Château Fontpinot, Frapin’s estate, for 27 years and took on a traditional approach with ‘meticulous’ harvesting, distillation on lees and prolonged maturation in humid cellars. The year 1997 also reflected contrasting climatic conditions, with an early flowering and sunnier August, which saw a balanced ripening of the grapes.
Sporting an orange-yellow hue, the Cognac has aromas of lime blossom with fruity notes of orange and peach compôte. The palate then invites orange and a hint of spice, while the finish features nutmeg and liquorice.
De Kuyper taps into cocktail trends
Dutch Distiller De Kuyper Royal Distillers bolstered its draught and alcohol-free cocktail lines with new additions.
At Bar Convent Berlin 2025, the company unveiled two new expressions to its Draught Cocktails line: Amaretto Sour and Piña Colada. Through the Key Kegs formats, the premixed cocktails can be served ‘fast and consistently – ideal for hospitality venues seeking quality with efficiency’. De Kuyper has also expanded its ready-to-serve range with two alcohol-free products: 0.0% Passionfruit Martini Cocktail, and 0.0% Sex on the Beach Cocktail. De Kuyper’s zero-ABV serves are presented in 500ml bottles.
Godelief van Erve, global marketing director at De Kuyper, said: “We’re targeting consumers who want to participate in cocktail culture without drinking alcohol.”
Spy X eyes global success with its latest vodka bottling
Portugese company Spy Manor launched Spy X Vodka, which is distilled and bottled in Poland.
Sky X is made with a ‘secret blend’ of spelt and wheat. The spelt base is aged for more than 30 days after distillation, which is an uncommon practice in vodka production. The process gives Spy X an ultra-neutral character. A traditional two-stage rectification process is then said to enhance the vodka’s purity and organoleptic quality.
Vanda Everke, co-founder of the Spy Manor and Spy X brands, said: “Developed in Portugal, produced in Poland, and destined for the world, Spy X embodies refinement at every stage, from grain to glass.”
It is available in Portugal, with international markets to follow.
La Martiniquaise-Bardinet’s Beehive sees red to give its XO brandy the golden touch
La Martiniquaise-Bardinet-owned Beehive released XO Gold Edition, a brandy that combines aged eauxdevie with a Red Muscadel grape distillate.
The use of Red Muscadel grapes – rarely used in the brandy making process – are said to bring honeyed notes and delicate pastry undertones to the French brandy’s signature style, along with flavours of toasted oak and figs.
The 40% ABV brandy is presented in a reflective golden bottle and is available exclusively in the Middle East, China, and India.
Léna Rusek, international senior brand manager of Beehive, said: “From its delicate, honeyed flavours to its gleaming, golden bottle, this exclusive limited edition is an extraordinary brandy.”
HKWhisky celebrates Hong Kong icons
Independent bottler Hong Kong Whisky (HKWhisky) released its Old Master Q X HKW series.
The range includes whiskies from Scottish distilleries such as a single cask 1997 Bowmore, a North British 1991 single grain whisky, and Blair Athol 2010 single malt. The whiskies are all bottled at cask strength. The bottles are complemented by designs inspired by the Hong Kong comic series Old Master Q, which was created by Alfonso Wong in 1962. The comic series is known for its humorous characters and witty satire on social change.
The brand said the design approach “showcases each collection as a piece of cultural storytelling. Our mission is not only to showcase the extraordinary depth, craft, and heritage of Scottish distilleries, but also to infuse each release with an identity that resonates with the culture and artistry of Hong Kong.”
Mount Gay’s single estate series yields new rums
Rum brand Mount Gay released the latest editions in its Single Estate Series: 25_03_Vt24CF and 25_04_Vt19dp.
The rums are made from sugarcane solely from the distillery’s estate in St Lucy, Barbados, and explore harvests dating back to when Mount Gay acquired the estate in 2015. For 25_03 (£80/US$107, 48% ABV), master blender Trudiann Branker captured for the 2024 harvest, while 25_04 (£290/55% ABV) is from the 2019 harvest.
Branker said: “25_03 is the first unaged rum of the series, while 25_04 is matured for five years in American oak ex-Bourbon barrels. Moreover, 25_03 is a 100% Coffey still-distilled rum, while 25_04 is a 100% double pot-distilled rum.”
Witchmark works its magic with new-make unveiling
English distillery Witchmark released a new-make spirit as a preview of its future single malt release.
Single Origin New Make Spirit Distiller’s Cut is bottled at 60% ABV, and is made entirely on site from barley grown in the fields of the 3,642-hectare Fonthill Estate in Wiltshire. The distillery uses a slow fermentation process with controlled temperatures, along with generous cut points during distillation in copper pot stills to a spirit that is described as light, fruity, and elegant.
The release is limited to 300 bottles, and is available from the distillery’s website for £54 (US$73). Witchmark’s first single malt is slated for a 2027 release.
Heaven Hill stays on top of Grain to Glass line
Kentucky-based Heaven Hill Distillery has launched a trio of whiskeys matured in chinquapin oak barrels.
The whiskeys are the first part of a Specialty Barrel Series, which is an extension of the distillery’s Grain to Glass line. Each year, the distillery partners with Beck’s Hybrids, a family-owned seed company in Indiana, to find a variety of corn suited for central Kentucky soils. The 2025 whiskeys are made with Beck’s 6225 corn.
The trio features Bourbon, rye, and wheat whiskies, each aged for six years in chinquapin oak barrels. The 2025 series is an allocated release, available in the US for US$129.99.
Turntable mixes Scottish single malts in latest blend
Independent whisky blender Turntable Spirits has released a limited edition expression inspired by Steppenwolf’s 1968 anthem Born to Be Wild.
The blend, named Track 7: Born to Be Wild, mixes a combination of modern Scottish single malts with a small amount of grain whisky. It features 37% peated Ardnamurchan single malt aged in a Sherry butt; 16% Lochlea matured in a first-fill Bourbon barrel; 15% Nc’nean from a first-fill Bourbon barrel; 18% Raasay peated aged in a chinquapin oak barrel; and 14% grain whisky from the closed Port Dundas Distillery, matured in a refill Bourbon barrel.
The whisky is offered at 53% ABV, priced at £80 (US$107). Gordon Stevenson, co-founder of Turntable Spirits, said: “It’s a privilege to be the first to feature these excellent malts and brands in a blended Scotch. Finding the perfect balance was a lot of fun.”
Organic: Single Farm 2.0 is a natural next step for Mikolasch Vodka
OrigenX Group has launched Mikolasch Organic: Single Farm 2.0 – a certified-organic vodka distilled from Ukrainian wheat.
Farmer Roman Kovalchuk, of the Agrowest Group in Smoldyriv, Ukraine, grew the vodka’s wheat using regenerative farming methods. It was sown in September 2023, harvested the following July, and distilled in December 2024 by master distiller Svetlana Krechkovskaya. The vodka is said to open with soft floral notes and subtle spice, leading to a creamy, peppery palate, with hints of vanilla and almond. It is bottled at 40% ABV, and has an RRP of £35 (US$47) per 700ml bottle.
Zak Oganian, CEO of Origen X, said: “Single Farm 2.0 captures land, climate and cultivation. It shows vodka can speak – of soil, sky, and the farmer’s hand. This is the first Ukrainian vodka to give terroir a voice.”
Related news
Top 10 new products for National Tequila Day
