The monthly round-up of what's new in low/no, beer, cider, wine, spirits, RTDs and mixers.
Heart of Suffolk’s Betty’s Oak-Aged Gin
USP: The gin is created by barrel-resting the distiller’s flagship Betty’s Gin for six months, resulting in notes of oak that are “reminiscent of whisky”.
USP: 2000 bottles of the single malt, which was created by spirits industry veteran Billy Walker, have been released as part of GlenAllachie’s second annual batch-release. The flavour profile includes “layers of Seville orange, coffee beans, desiccated coconut and Medjool dates”.
Urchin Spirits Lucky Sod Irish whiskey liqueur and Scorch Scotch whisky liqueur
USP: Inspired by “on-trend flavours”, Lucky Sod is a toffee, caramel and vanilla liqueur, while Scorch is infused with blood orange and chilli. The liqueurs offer “a smoother taste and lower percentage ABV” designed to appeal to younger whisky drinkers.
Manatii Hope Town dark rum
USP: The rum is from the new distiller’s first batch. Manatii was established to help Hurricane Dorian relief efforts, and 5% of each sale will be donated to the charity IDEA Relief - a Bahamian-based marine disaster response and preparation organisation.
USP: This release is “set to become the pinnacle of The Dalmore Principal Collection”. The single malt is a new annual release, limited to 8,000 bottles. The expression rests for an initial period in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels. The whisky is then matured in casks that were previously used within the solera system to produce Gonzalez Byass’ 30 Year Old Matusalem oloroso sherry.
Rock Rose Gin Summer Edition
£39 for a 70cl bottle or £32 for a fully recyclable refill pouch
USP: Claire Murray, co-founder and co-director of Dunnet Bay Distillers, said: "The chosen botanicals include lemon balm, clover, lemon thyme, pineapple sage, meadow-sweet, and elderflowers. It's a light, bright, citrusy and herbal spirit that captures the essence of our summer garden."
USP: Oro Strawberry Gin is the first of three new product launches that will form the brand’s Nitro Collection. Oro’s pressurised extraction method involves passing nitrogen into a pressure-stable vessel that contains Oro Gin, Madagascan vanilla, Sri Lankan cracked black pepper and British strawberries. The company said that “under conditions exceeding three times atmospheric pressure, the alcohol rapidly penetrates the surface of the strawberries. On removing the nitrogen, the key flavour compounds – as well as a vivid, natural red colour – are extracted and stabilised”.
USP: This is Glenfiddich’s fifth expression in its The Experimental Series. The new variant sees Glenfiddich collaborate with the Temperley family, founders and owners of The Somerset Cider Brandy Company, to create a single malt finished in Somerset pomona spirit casks.
Interflora x Manchester Gin Chamomile and Echinacea Gin
USP: Manchester Gin has partnered with florists Interflora to create a gin designed to be enjoyed both warm and cold. The Chamomile and Echinacea Gin features botanicals including echinacea, chamomile, nutmeg, lemon verbena and cassia bark. 100% of the profits will go to The Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
Five Rivers Indian Spiced Rum
USP: The Sanghera Rum Company has released Five Rivers, which it claims is “the world’s first dry white spiced rum”.
“Refined from five generations of family rum production near Jalandhar in Northern Punjab and made with sugarcane traditionally grown on the Sanghera family’s farm, the liquid is re-distilled with Indian spices to create a unique flavour best served over ice, with tonic.”
Nusa Caña Batavia Arrack 'Godfather'
USP: The Indonesian product takes its name from Batavia Arrack, dubbed “the godfather to the rum world”. Standing alongside Nusa Caña’s Spiced Rum and Tropical Island Rum, the Godfather Rum is aged for 24 months with notes of “tropical fruits, cane, molasses funk and sweet spices”.
Greenall’s Tropical Fruits Flavoured Gin
USP: Blending mango, passion fruit, pineapple and orange, the new gin contains no artificial sweeteners or added sugar.
USP: The range celebrates the brand’s ‘Six Pillars' - Natural Colour, Mastery, Curiously Small Spirit Stills, The Estate, Exceptional Oak Casks and Sherry Seasoning. The first three expressions are the 2022 editions of M and M Black and the new M Copper.
Wire Works Whisky Small Batch
USP: “A lightly-peated single malt whisky from a small batch vatting of American and French oak casks, the spirit has been fully matured in predominantly STR casks (re-conditioned casks that have been shaved, toasted and re-charred) with a significant element of ex-bourbon. The use of these casks compliment the White Peak house style of fruit forward new make,” the company said.
Brighton Gin Cheers Queers bottles
USP: Brighton Gin has collaborated with Brighton-based artist Dave Pop! to create three labels in celebration Brighton’s queer scene. The bottles go on sale during Pride month and throughout Brighton’s Summer season.
USP: Fine wine and spirits company Biggar and Leith has added a new expression to their Stambecco range. Stambecco Tiramisu Liqueur was created at the Vergnano family distillery, Torino Distillati in Piemonte, North-Eastern Italy and is made with natural ingredients including espresso coffee extracts from local suppliers in the Torino area.
Douglas Laing & Co Strathearn’s “The Heart” Single Malt New Make Spirit
USP: “Strathearn’s New Make Spirit is named “The Heart”, owing to the eponymous middle cut in the distillation process; the spirit that is collected and destined to later become Strathearn’s Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky.”
Beavertown Brewery Lunar Haze IPA
USP: Brewed with “summertime BBQs” in mind, Lunar Haze will be stocked in 2000 Tesco stores in the UK. It is said to have a “light, cloudy lemon finish and tropical aroma” with notes of passionfruit and peach.
USP: Sunlight is the brewery’s “first-ever lite lager” with a lower abv than regular lager. Brewed with summer in mind, the lager is said to be “light, mega sessionable, and easy-drinking” with a blend of wheat, flaked torrefied maize and lager malt.
Vocation’s Day Trip and Sunset Overdrive
USP: Day Trip is brewed using Mosaic and Galaxy hops to produce a “hop-forward, full-bodied beer with a hint of citrus, peach and passionfruit flavours”. The vegan-friendly beer is available as a four-pack of 44cl cans, with an RRP of £8 per pack.
Sunset Overdrive is a Piña Colada sour beer which provides the “perfect cocktail of bold fruity flavours with its notes of pineapple, coconut and tangerine”. It is available in a four-pack, with an RRP of £3.50 per 44cl can. Both beers have launched in Sainsbury’s.
USP: The new cider takes its name in tribute to the apple trees that once grew in what is now the extended brewery yard at the Theakston’s Red Lane brewery site, then known as Paradise Fields. It is also inspired by the first and only cider the company produced between the late 1970s and the 1990s, known then as Theakston Dry Vintage Cider.
Salcombe Brewery’s Atlas Session IPA
USP: Atlas is a session IPA created from a combination of British, US and Australian hop varieties. The result is a “fruity ale with flavours of peach, blueberry and papaya. These tropical notes are complemented by a hoppy citrus finish and balanced bitterness”.
USP: Genius IPA brings together Mosaic, Simcoe, and Citra hops. At 79 calories and 3% abv, each can is one unit of alcohol and features calorie, units, and nutrition labelling.
Top Cuvée House Vermouth
USP: The vermouth is the latest addition to Top Cuvée’s natural wine range, and uses its Castelao as a base wine. The company describes it as a “light” lower abv aperitif, which can also be used to make cocktails.
USP: Wines from the Tauxières terroir make up the majority of the Champagne blend, with Pinot Noir grapes at its core. It features tasting notes of apricot, peach and exotic fruit, alongside acacia honey and spices.
The Uncommon Alfie English White Wine Spritzer and Peggy English Rosé Wine Spritzer
USP: Tapping into the demand for RTDs, the canned spritzers are made by blending The Uncommon’s white and rosé wines with sparkling water and botanical extracts, resulting in a lower-abv and lower-calorie alternative to wine.
Maison Mirabeau’s Nude Pink Rosé
USP: This is the company’s first certified organic and vegan Côtes de Provence rosé. Nude Pink, which is bottled in 100% recycled wild flint glass, is stoppered with local cork and finished with a paper collar instead of a tin capsule. The new release “reflects Mirabeau’s consumer-centric strategy and is in line with the brand’s pending B-Corp status”.
Laurent-Perrier’s limited edition Cuvée Rosé Butterfly Tin
USP: Laurent-Perrier’s limited edition Cuvée Rosé Butterfly Tin comes with a message of the buyer’s choice, of up to 15 characters and is available from November in Selfridges. Personalisation is available in store and online.
USP: Pink Diesel is a blend of the Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah grape varieties, “all hand-picked from a family-run vineyard in Bandol”. The wine is described as a light, crisp and dry with notes of honey, peach and citrus undertones.
Crosstown X Madame F Wine limited edition Doughnut & Wine Box
USP: Between June 20 and July 3, Madame F Rosé will be featured in a collaborative box with doughnut company Crosstown, alongside six sourdough doughnuts. For every box sold, Crosstown will donate £5 to Queer Britain, a charity that is currently opening the UK’s first LGBTQI+ museum in King’s Cross. The Madame F brand was created in collaboration with Queer Britain.
Wild Steps by Hatch Mansfield
USP: Hatch Mansfield’s new wine in cans range comprises Wild Steps Organic Chardonnay 2021, Wild Steps Organic Malbec Rosé 2021 and Wild Steps Organic Malbec 2021, all from Mendoza, Argentina.
Charles Heidsieck’s Champagne Charlie
USP: This is the first Champagne Charlie release in 37 years, and only the sixth release in the history of the cuvée, following 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1985. The new Champagne Charlie cuvée comprises around 80% reserve wines. A blend of 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir, the assemblage also includes 20% of wine from the 2016 vintage.
Wolf Blass Fire & Blood Cabernet Shiraz
USP: HBO’s House of the Dragon is the prequel to Game of Thrones and Treasury Wine Estates’ Wolf Blass brand has partnered with Warner Bros Consumer Products to launch Fire & Blood Cabernet Shiraz - a limited-edition wine that will be available in August.
USP: Majestic celebrated English Wine Week 2022 with the launch of a new Definition Bacchus - the first still English wine to join the company’s own label range. It is made for the retailer by Henners in East Sussex.
19 Crimes Revolutionary Rosé 1.5l bag-in-box
USP: Treasury Wine Estates will be supporting the launch of 19 Crimes Revolutionary Rosé 1.5l bag-in-box with an integrated marketing campaign, which will include in store activity, social and influencer engagement and PR over the summer period.
Champagne Palmer & Co’s Grand Terroirs
USP: Champagne Palmer & Co has released Grands Terroirs 2015 in 75cl bottle (RRP £74.90) and Grands Terroirs 2012 in magnum (RRP £189.90). The 2015 is 50% Chardonnay, 38% Pinot Noir and 12% Meunier. The 2012 is 49% Pinot Noir, 46% Chardonnay and 5% Meunier. Both feature grapes from Grand Cru vineyards Mailly and Verzenay as well as Premier Crus Trépail, Villers-Marmery, Ludes, Chigny-les-Roses and Rilly-la-Montagne.
USP: Following success in the US, six BuzzBallz SKUs have launched in the UK via exclusive distributor, Hammonds of Knutsford. Choc Tease, Tequila ‘Rita, Strawberry ‘Rita, Lotta Colada, Chili Mango and Espresso Martini all come in 20cl packs.
Longbottom & Co Tomato Juice (Gently Spiced) and Longbottom & Co Virgin Mary
£24 for 12 x 25cl and £18 for 12 x 15cl, respectively
USP: Longbottom & Co Tomato Juice (Gently Spiced) is made with tomatoes, a dash of Longbottom & Co Hot Sauce, and vegan Worcester sauce.
Longbottom & Co Virgin Mary has the same fresh and spicy ingredients as a Bloody Mary cocktail but without the booze.
White Claw Hard Seltzer Refreshr Lemonade
USP: As RTDs enjoy their moment in the sun, the Refreshr Lemonade is the brand’s latest addition to its canned range. With four fruit flavours on offer, White Claw describes the drinks as a “new take on a summer classic”.
Watermelon and Raspberry Fountain Hard Seltzer
USP: Adding to Fountain’s Passionfruit and Mango options, the two new flavours were brewed using “clean fermented alcohol” with no additional wines or spirits. The drinks are also vegan and use “natural fruit”.
USP: As alcoholic tea grows in the US, Broadland Drinks has created its own version of the drink. Twistea is an alcoholic, semi-sparkling cold brew tea available in four flavours. It is vegan-friendly and 89 calories per can.
Dead Man’s Fingers RTDs
USP: Dead Man’s Fingers has announced that it is expanding into the RTDs category with three new launches – Spiced Rum & Cola, Spiced Rum & Ginger Beer and Passion Fruit Rum & Lemonade.
Batch & Bottle’s Reyka Vodka Passionfruit Martini
“The Reyka Vodka Passionfruit Martini is best served ice cold, adorned with half a passionfruit (squeezed for good measure), and with an optional measured 50ml shot of prosecco to accompany,” the company said.
USP: Combined with its 12.5%abv, EasyMixt “replicates the creation of bar cocktails by mixing natural citrus distillates – lemon, lime, pink, grapefruit and clementine – with a blend of acids and sugars for a full mouth taste normally only achievable by bar professionals using multiple ingredients”.
EasyMixt is the brainchild of Stu Bale, founder of innovative London based Drinks Lab, Crucible. It can be used to create 29 of the top 50 selling cocktails by mixing equal parts of spirit and EasyMixt before finishing off with the relevant garnishes.
USP: Bobby’s, the Dutch-Indonesian gin and jenever company, has launched its first ever RTDs - a gin and tonic and a gin and pink lemonade. The pink lemonade comes from lemonade syrups company Pinkyrose.
The London Essence Co Crafted Lemonade mixer
USP: “Crafted Lemonade combines the citric bite of lemon with an exhilarating hit of zesty lime. The flavour is further elevated by the juicy roundness of kumquat and a slight twist of orange,” the company said. Suggested serves include with vodka, gin, whisky, white wine or Pimms.
Slingsby Solo Vodka, Lime & Soda can
USP: In a first for the brand, the combination of vodka with lime and soda will join the Slingsby Solo range which consists of six gin and mixer combinations, launched last year.
USP: Created as a “healthier” alcohol alternative, Punchy has added three new flavours to its vegan soft drink range, and has revamped its recipe so that the drinks include vitamin D. In addition, the drinks will now be available in a “plastic free” canned format.
Thomson & Scott’s Noughty Rouge dealcoholised red wine
USP: The wine is produced with Syrah grapes from dryland farmed vineyards in Darling, South Africa and dealcoholised to 0.5% abv “using a gently spun cone technology under vacuum and at low temperature to ensure that the wine retains its distinctive body, colour and flavour”.
Bax Botanics Non Alcoholic Cocktails
USP: Bax Botanics has launched two alcohol-free RTDs. Smooth Sea Buckthorn & Tonic, and Zingy Lemon Verbena & Tonic are described as “perfect for picnics and on-the-go enjoyment”. They are 48 calories per can.
The latest digital edition can be found here.
© Agile Media Ltd 2022. All rights reserved. Registered Office: 56-58 Church Walk, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9AN. Registered in England No. 6646125.VAT No. 938 4452 95