Top 10 spirits launches in October
From a gin-agave hybrid to Michael Bublé’s blend of Bourbon and Canadian whisky, October was a great month for spirits launches.
The celebrities pulled out all the stops last month, with both Bublé and Lewis Hamilton entering the sector. The racing driver became the latest star to partner with Mexican spirits group Casa Lumbre on an alcohol-free bottling. Here are our top 10 spirits launches from October.Jameson Remixed Caribbean Beats
Jameson set out to make you forget everything you knew about its brand with a 21-year-old limited edition whiskey.
The latest expression to join The Jameson Anthology series is a blend of pot still and grain whiskey, which was laid down in rum casks before being finished in a different style of rum cask.
“We could have kept it in the Foursquare casks from Barbados, but we wanted to see what would happen if we gave it a double-rum finish,” explained master distiller Kevin O’Gorman. “We really wanted to add another layer of rum contribution, and I think it came off really, really well.”
Żubrówka Fresh Żu
Festival season might be over, but if you’re ‘young in spirit and hungry for unique experiences’, Polish vodka brand Żubrówka’s new range might be for you.
The line debuted at Poland’s music festivals such as Open’er, Orange Warsaw Festival and Audioriver this summer.
The new 30% ABV range features four variants: Sour Apple, Refreshing Mint, Sour Lemon and Sour Sea Buckthorn.
Almave Non-Alcoholic Blue Agave Spirit
Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton is setting out to prove that agave spirits aren’t just for the nights you don’t remember.
He has partnered with Mexican spirits group Casa Lumbre to create an alcohol-free alternative to Tequila.
Almave has been made in a similar way to Tequila, using the same raw materials, but the fermentation process has been skipped.
Diageo Cocktail Collection
Diageo has created a range of ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails featuring its spirits brands.
There’s a Ketel One Vodka Espresso Martini, a Ketel One Vodka Cosmopolitan and a Tanqueray Gin Negroni. The classic cocktails join Bulleit Bourbon’s bottled Manhattan and Old Fashioned cocktails, which launched last year.
Glenmorangie The Nectar
Glenmorangie’s Nectar d’Or will now be known as The Nectar. The original whisky was previously finished in Sauternes casks and carried no age statement, while the new version is finished in a variety of wine casks and bears a 16-year-old age statement.
The whisky was aged for 14 years in ex-Bourbon barrels and finished for an additional two years in a range of sweet white wine casks, making it the brand’s sweetest whisky yet.
Brockmans Agave Cut
English brand Brockmans Gin has expanded its range with an expression that blends gin and agave spirit, infused with pink grapefruit.
It takes inspiration from bartenders in New York, who would cut gin cocktails with agave spirits.
Produced in small batches, only 9,000 bottles are available.
Eminente Gran Reserva Edition N°1
Cuban rum brand Eminente has added a 10-year-old rum to its portfolio.
The expression is made from a selection of aguardientes that are aged in white oak barrels that previously held whisky. It’s then blended with light Cuban rum and matured further, before being finished in French oak barrels.
Fraser & Thompson whiskey
Singer-songwriter Michael Bublé has collaborated with master distiller and blender Paul Cirka to create a new whiskey that blends both Canadian whisky and Kentucky Bourbon.
Fraser & Thompson has fig and blood orange on the nose, with a subtle finish of caramel, vanilla and a hint of spice.
Altos Infusionado
Pernod Ricard-owned Altos has dipped its toes into the world of infused Tequilas, offering two new flavours: Cítricos and Café Natural.
Cítricos features mandarin and lemon, while Café Natural has ‘delicate’ notes of coffee, cinnamon and Mexican piloncillo – a raw form of pure cane sugar.
The launch will be accompanied by a marketing campaign that the brand says is its biggest investment in a Mexican Tequila campaign.
The Dalmore Cask Collection
The Dalmore has released a trio of Sherry cask-finished whiskies as part of a new collection highlighting the brand’s cask suppliers.
The Sherry Edition comprises 26-, 28- and 43-year-old whiskies finished in rare González Byass casks from Jerez de la Frontera in Spain, celebrating the brand’s century-old partnership with the supplier.
