The monthly round-up of what’s new in low/no, beer, cider, wine, spirits, RTDs and mixers.
RTDs & MIXERS
Malibu Pineapple RTD price-marked pack
5% abv
£2.19 per can
USP: Malibu Pineapple PMP RTD is available in 12x25cl cases and throughout February will be rolling out to national wholesalers including Dhamecha, HT Drinks, Imperial and Parfetts. It joins the wider Malibu RTD range which includes Malibu Piña Colada and Malibu Cola.
WINE
Lyme Bay Winery’s single vineyard wines
£35 (Chardonnay)
£40 (Pinot Noirs)
USP: Lyme Bay Martin’s Lane Pinot Noir, Lyme Bay Martin’s Lane Chardonnay and Lyme Bay Crows Lane Pinot Noir are all from the 2020 vintage. The wines are sourced from the Martin’s Lane Estate and Crows Lane Vineyard in Essex. The release is limited to around 2000 bottles.
Adnams Carmenère, Central Valley, Chile
£8.99
USP: The Carmenère is part of Adnams’ new ‘countries’ range. The new range explores “different styles that are on the rise” and Adnams describes the Carmenère as a “medium bodied red which sets itself apart through its fruit-driven character and herbaceous notes”.
SPIRITS & LIQUEURS
Matugga Distillery’s private rum cask ownership
£3,300
USP: Scottish rum distiller Matugga has released a limited number of casks for investment. The result will be circa 350 bottles of 3-year-old rum per ex-Bourbon cask.
1423 SBS x Harvey Nichols Barbados cask strength rum
64.7% abv
£160
USP: The SBS Barbados 2006 comes from a single ex-Bourbon cask of rum distilled at Foursquare. According to Harvey Nichols, rum maker Richard Seale “never releases official single casks from Foursquare, but sometimes he does sell them to respected blenders and bottlers in Denmark and Holland, such as 1423”.
Bimber and Selfridges Gonzalez Byass Matusalem sherry finished single malt whisky
51.4% abv
£84.99
USP: London’s Bimber Distillery has partnered with Selfridges to release an upcoming single malt London whisky that has been finished in Matusalem sherry. Originally matured for around four years in American oak ex-bourbon casks, the whisky was transferred for an additional maturation in Matusalem sherry sourced from Gonzalez Byass.
MacNair’s Lum Reek 10-Year-Old Cask Strength Batch 2
55.8% abv
£62.99
USP: MacNair’s Boutique House of Spirits, a brand curated by blender Billy Walker, has released the next iteration of its decade-old blended malt Scotch whisky. Lum Reek 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 2 gets its name from the old Scottish toast to a long and healthy life, ‘lang may yer lum reek’, literally meaning ‘long may your chimney smoke’. The second instalment combines single malt whiskies from Speyside and Islay.
Flävar Blueberry & Lemon and Flävar Lemon Pie
25% abv
£19.99 (70cl)
USP: Swedish vodka-based schnapps brand Flävar has added two new flavours to its existing line up. Blueberry & Lemon and Lemon Pie join Flävar Salted Caramel, Flävar Strawberry and Lime and Flävar Raspberry & Liquorice, all at 25% abv.
Caroni Angels
48.8% abv
£105
USP: Calvados producer Christian Drouin has launched the sixth instalment of its Expérimental range: Caroni Angels. Aimed at both calvados and rum fans, the new limited-edition is exclusively distributed in the UK by Speciality Brands. “For this edition, Guillaume Drouin sourced from Luca Gargano six barrels of Caroni which previously housed the highly coveted Caroni 1996 rum,” the distributor said. “Caroni Angels is a 17-year-old Calvados Pays d’Auge aged for eight months in barrels in the Daniel Flambard cellar in Pont L’Evêque.”
Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers’ Old Perth PX
56.2% abv
£58
USP: Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers, creators of Old Perth blended malt, have announced the release of Old Perth PX. The liquid has spent its life in a combination of Oloroso and PX Sherry hogsheads and butts; and for the past 15 months has been mellowing in first-fill Pedro Ximenez casks from Bodega José y Miguel Martin, Spain.
Hoxton London Spritz, Hoxton Spiced Whisky and Hoxton London Dry Gin
From 20% abv
From £28.95
USP: The development of the new range is a “key part of the business strategy, aiming to provide consumers with the opportunity to enjoy Hoxton Spirits on any occasion. The design of the liquids has been forged with the mindset of the at home consumer and bars alike”, the company said. The products join the existing line up which includes Hoxton Tropical Gin and Hoxton Pink Gin.
The Irishman Vintage Cask 2023
55.3% abv
£130
USP: The 2023 vintage is the 15th annual release since 2008. The Irishman 2023 Vintage Cask is a marriage of triple distilled aged single malt and aged single pot still whiskey.
The Epicurean Amarone Wine Cask Finish Limited Edition
48% abv
£65
USP: Douglas Laing & Co has released an Amarone wine cask finished Lowland malt Scotch whisky, as part of The Epicurean Wood Series. The seventh single cask release sits alongside the Tawny Port Finish and a White Port Finish.
Tullibardine Custodian 1973
41.5% abv
£1,990
USP: Tullibardine has added a fifth edition to its Custodian’s Collection. The 49-year-old single malt was produced from a sherry butt that was re-casked in 2014. The release is limited to 300 bottles.
Loch Lomond Group’s Nobel Rebel
46% abv
£40
Loch Lomond Group has launched a new blended Scotch malt whisky brand called Nobel Rebel. The launch includes three expressions: Orchard Outburst, Smoke Symphony and Hazelnut Harmony.
Captain Morgan redesign
Diageo has revamped the Captain Morgan pack design across the entire portfolio. The re-brand will begin its global rollout from March onwards across both the on and off-trade, and it builds on the ‘Spice On’ campaign launched last year.
Glengoyne 15-Year-Old
43% abv
£90
USP: Ian Macleod Distillers has called on consumers to pledge one volunteering day with Glengoyne partner the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) to receive a free bottle of the Highland distiller’s new 15 Year Old Single Malt and an invitation to visit Glengoyne for a tour. Alternatively, the whisky can be purchased for £90.
Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2014
50% abv
£75
USP: Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2014 is the latest vintage in the island provenance series. “Conceived, distilled, matured and bottled on Islay, this single malt uses barley exclusively grown on the island from eight separate farms”. The whisky is peated to 40 PPM, the maturation profile consists of 84% in first fill bourbon casks, 8% in second fill virgin oak and 8% in second fill Bordeaux wine casks.
Egg Royale chocolate cream liqueur
15% abv
£29
USP: Gravity Spirits’ Egg Royale is a chocolate cream liqueur made from cocoa and vanilla, blended with real cream, and packaged inside a glass egg. It will be stocked in Harvey Nichols and on Amazon, among other retailers.
Sapling Spirits refill pouches
40% abv
From £26
USP: Sapling Spirits has launched refill pouches for its vodka (£26) and gin (£28). Both pouches are cheaper than their glass bottle equivalent and the company said the packs help cut Sapling’s carbon production by 25%.
The Glenrothes The 42
43% abv
£6,750
USP: Available from March 15 in the UK, from Fortnum & Mason, Harrods and The Whisky Shop, The 42 is the first of its age to be released by The Glenrothes. The spirit features casks of The Glenrothes single malt that have matured for more than four decades on The Glenrothes Estate. The release is limited to 1,134 bottles.
BEER & CIDER
Showerings Triple Vintage Cider
6.8% abv
£45 (12×37.5cl bottles)
USP: Showerings has launched “a new category defining luxury cider”. For its debut launch, “the youthfully light and fresh 2021 vintage has been blended with 2017 and 2018 vintages, then slowly fermented for a mature depth and character”. The apples, predominantly the Dabinett variety, are from a single orchard.
LOW & NO
Sky Wave Zero
0%
£20 (50cl)
USP: Bicester-based Sky Wave has launched Sky Wave Zero, an alcohol-free spirit distilled with the “same innovation and passion you’ve come to expect from the premium spirits Sky Wave Gin range”. This distilled botanical expression can be served as an alcohol-free alternative to a gin with a tonic.
Nuisance Drinks’ Pink Grapefruit & Basil and Rhubarb & Ginger
£19.99 (12x25cl cans)
USP: Nuisance’s Drinks are all “low in calories, contain no artificial sweeteners and are suitable for vegans”. Nuisance, which aims to tap into the alcohol-free trend, has committed to donating 1% of sales to Rewilding Britain – a charity “dedicated to rewilding the countryside to enhance ecosystems and encourage biodiversity”.
