WINE

Cafayate Estate Malbec

£11

USP: Cafayate Estate Malbec is made entirely from grapes grown at 1,750m above sea level. An intense violet red, Cafayate Estate Malbec joins Rutas de Cafayate Malbec, which launched in October 2020.

Leaps & Bounds Sauvignon Blanc

£9

USP: Leaps & Bounds is a range of Australian wines that celebrates the heroic stories of everyday dogs on each bottle. Leaps & Bounds Sauvignon Blanc joins Shiraz and Chardonnay in the range.

Champagne Bollinger La Grande Année 2014

£125

USP: The wine is vinified in 20-year-old oak barrels allowing it to develop complex aromas and, thanks to micro-oxygenation, lends “an extraordinary ageing potential”. The 2014 vintage made for a wine that is “precise, refined, and complex, both in its minerality and its exceptional intensity”.

The Hidden Sea Red Blend

£9

USP: The new-to-market Red Blend joins The Hidden Sea’s existing line up of vegan wines, including Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Rosé and Shiraz. Red Blend will debut in selected Co-op stores this month and joins the wider range in “actively removing plastic from the world’s oceans”, distributor Kingsland Drinks said. 

Barefoot Buttery Chardonnay

£7

USP: “Barefoot is all about creating wines that are fun, approachable and flavourful, and Barefoot Buttery Chardonnay ticks all those boxes”, said Olga Senkina, marketing director EMEA at parent company E&J Gallo Winery. “Buttery is an approachable and easy to understand term that nicely expresses the creamy notes of the wine.”

Taylor’s Golden Age 50 Year Very Old Tawny Port

£180

USP: “Since we launched the first 50-year-old Taylor’s Single Harvest ports nearly a decade ago, we’ve seen growing interest in exceptional wines that are half a century old.” said Adrian Bridge, managing director of Taylor’s, adding: Taylor’s Golden Age, is a wonderful wine, which is the perfect gift for a special occasion, which will deliver incredible pleasure when enjoyed with close friends.”

B.Ink Red Blend

£9

USP: Grant Burge Wines, part of Accolade Wines, is extending its Ink portfolio with the introduction of B.Ink, offering a new range of “full-bodied, contemporary wines”. Available in all channels from February, B.Ink will tap into the “impressive growth of red blend varietals” with its first product launch, the South Australian Red Blend.

Casillero del Diablo Reserva Especial Sauvignon Blanc 

£9

USP: The Reserva Especial Sauvignon Blanc is the first new wine launched by Casillero since the Spanish Tempranillo in March 2021. The fruit for the Reserva Especial Sauvignon Blanc was sourced from Concha y Toro’s Ucuquer vineyard, high above the Rapel river, near to the coast and benefiting from its influences.

SPIRITS

Cotswolds Distillery’s Single Madeira Cask

59.5% abv

£94.95

USP: Cotswolds Distillery founder, Dan Szor, said: “For this release, we have aged our spirit for full term maturation in a single first-fill cask which has previously held the Portuguese fortified wine of Madeira, resulting in a deliciously sweet single malt whisky.”

The GlenAllachie 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 7

56.8% abv

£62.99

USP: Batch 7 was aged in a combination of Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry puncheons, Rioja barriques and virgin oak casks, all personally selected and blended by master distiller Billy Walker.

Doghouse Distillery’s Doppelgänger

20% abv

£21.50

USP: The latest innovation from Doghouse Distillery is a British take on Italian Aperitivo. Doppelgänger’s profile of citrus, hibiscus, mountain roots and herbs creates a bitter-sweet flavour.

Whitley Neill Oriental Spiced Gin

43% abv

£26

USP: The white bottle shows imagery of the exotic botanicals and spices used in the gin, including coriander, turmeric, ginger, chilli, cumin, grains of paradise, saffron and star anise.

Crabbie’s 22 Years Old Orkney Single Malt Whisky

47.5% abv

£175

USP: After spending 21 years in ex-bourbon casks, this peated Orkney single malt was transferred to a Palo Cortado sherry cask, before being left to rest for a final six months at Crabbie’s warehouse in Edinburgh’s port of Leith area. The release is limited to 253 bottles.

Irishman Caribbean Cask Finish

46% abv

£54

USP: The Irishman Caribbean Cask Finish is a vatting of single malt and single pot still whiskeys finished for six months in Chairman’s Reserve Rum casks from the Caribbean island of St Lucia.

Gordon’s Tropical Passionfruit and Gordon’s Morello Cherry Distilled Gins

37.5% abv

£16.50 each

USP: “We know that gin variants such as Morello Cherry and Tropical Passionfruit tap into the growing consumer demand for flavours, which is growing at a rapid rate. With this in mind, these variants are well placed to engage consumers as we approach the spring and summer seasons,” said Jessica Lace, head of Gordon’s GB.

BrewDog’s LoneWolf Dear Mum Gin

40% abv

£25

USP: Dear Mum Gin, which is limited to 1,000 bottles, includes fresh blood orange peel and sweet orange peel as well as all spice, ginger and cinnamon.

Copper Rivet’s Masthouse Grain – Pot & Column Distilled whisky

42% abv

£42 (50cl)

USP: Copper Rivet co-founder and commercial director, Stephen Russell, said: “We believe that Masthouse Grain – Pot and Column Distilled should help to redefine grain whisky and give it a much-enhanced reputation which we believe it deserves, if handled with due process as we do here at Copper Rivet. Made from locally grown raw wheat, barley and rye with a touch of malt, Masthouse Grain is bursting with flavour from each of the grains with richness, nuttiness, creaminess and a touch of spice. It is matured exclusively in ex-bourbon casks.”

BrewDog Distilling Co’s 500 Cuts Spiced Rum

40% abv

£24

USP: 500 Cuts Spiced features fresh orange zest, Madagascan vanilla and ripe fig “which give it its natural sweetness, then it’s balanced with spicy ginger, citrusy lime and kola nut to give it that final kick of spice”.

The Stoli Group’s Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Bourbon

45.4% abv

£60

USP: The bourbon is a blend of Kentucky Owl 4-year-old wheat and high-rye bourbons, along with 5.5-year and 8.5-year-old Kentucky-sourced bourbons. Kentucky Owl The Wiseman is the latest addition to the Kentucky Owl portfolio, with its last blended bourbon, Confiscated, released in 2019.

Ellers Farm Distillery’s Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka

40% abv

£29

USP: North Yorkshire-based Ellers Farm Distillery has launched a vodka made from apples and potatoes. The vodka is packaged in a brown bottle and it is carbon neutral.

BEER AND CIDER

Brothers Cherry Bakewell cider

4%

£TBC

USP: Cherry Bakewell will be rolled out across both on and off trade as well as via the Brothers website from the end of March. The cider is “full of cherry flavours and a hint of frangipane”. It will be made available in 33cl and 50cl bottles.

Vocation’s Lower Altitude and Big Squeeze

2.8% and 4%, respectively

£2.50, £3

USP: Lower Altitude and is a 2.8% abv table beer which is made from a blend of Simcoe, Sabro and Talus hops. Big Squeeze is a 4% abv Mango Pale Ale. 

Vault City’s Fruits of the Forest Triple-stacked Breakfast Waffle Beer 

10.3% abv

£7.85

USP: The beer is full of blackberries, rhubarb, strawberries, apples and raspberries which combine with the flavours of maple and vanilla. 

Strongbow Ultra Dark Fruit

4% abv

£2 

USP: Rolling out to grocery and convenience stores across the UK from March 1 as single 33cl cans and packs of 4 and 10, Strongbow Ultra Dark Fruit will be backed by a £12 million marketing campaign, as well as a 500,000 mini sampling can campaign. Each 33cl slimline can contains 95 calories.  

Rekorderlig Blood Orange Cider

4% abv

£TBC

USP: Rekorderlig Blood Orange Cider, which will roll out in the off-trade this month, aims to help retailers drive excitement and interest in the category, with blood orange deemed to be “the next big trend”, the company said. The launch will be supported as part of a multi-million-pound campaign.

RTDS

Moore House Cocktails and Rick Stein’s RTD range  

From 19% abv

From £17

USP: The three Moore House cocktails – Old Fashioned, Margarita and Espresso Martini – have been chosen specifically by Charlie Stein, director of the Rick Stein Group, to be served across Rick Stein restaurants and hotels and for purchase via Stein’s at Home online shop, which offers nationwide delivery.

Pimentae Drinks’ Cucumber & Elderflower Eclipse

15% abv

£29.95 (50cl)

USP: Cucumber & Elderflower Eclipse is a blend of El Tequileno blanco, cucumber, mint, and elderflower, designed to be poured over ice. A 50cl bottle contains five serves.

Absolut Passionfruit Martini RTD

5% abv

£2.20

USP: The sparkling Absolut Passionfruit Martini RTD has rolled out to Waitrose, before being available to other retailers from next month. The launch aims to capitalise on both the trends towards Passionfruit Martinis and RTD cocktails. The launch is supported by social media, influencer activity, PR and in-store activity.

NIO’s Bruichladdich and The Botanist Cocktail Box

From 24.9% abv

£29

USP: The limited-edition Bruichladdich and The Botanist Cocktail Box, in partnership with Remy Cointreau, celebrates B-Corp month throughout March 2022. It features four cocktails designed by NIO Cocktails mixologist Patrick Pistolesi, using The Botanist Gin and Bruichladdich Whisky, both distilled at Bruichladdich Distillery.

Smirnoff Raspberry Crush and Lemonade premix can 

4.5% abv

£1.95

USP: Camisha Zinke, Smirnoff brand manager, said: “Following the launch of Smirnoff Raspberry Crush, we were keen to find more ways for people to enjoy the spirit as well as recruit new drinkers to the category – the launch Smirnoff Raspberry Crush and Lemonade premix RTD does exactly that.”

Riddles Tequila Ice Tea 

4% abv

£10 (4x25cl)

USP: Riddles Tequila Ice Tea is a blend of Tequila, agave nectar and Moringa tea leaves. The company said the drink is gluten-free, vegan and contains fewer than 99 calories per can.

MIXERS

Schweppes Grapefruit Slimline Tonic

£1.60

USP: “Schweppes Slimline Grapefruit Tonic is a refreshingly dry and crisp tonic with a deep citrus taste. It takes inspiration from the growing trend amongst bars to garnish drinks with grapefruit, as an alternative to lemon.”

The London Essence Co Pink Grapefruit Soda

USP: Britvic’s The London Essence Co has released a “flavourful soda that elevates any premium Tequila, vodka or rum to provide a light yet elegant take on the popular Paloma, vodka soda or Mojito”. The soda will roll out from April 8.

LOW/NO ALCOHOL

Big Drop’s Paradiso Citra IPA 4 packs

0.5% abv

£5

USP: “The first of Big Drop’s beers to be packaged in this new 4x330ml can format is its 0.5% abv Paradiso Citra IPA – which will be available in Sainsbury’s from April 4 and in Tesco stores from  April 18.”