Liquid assets: the latest drinks launches for July

The Macallan range celebrates its 'six pillars'

The Macallan has unveiled a range of limited release single malt whiskies that celebrates the brand’s foundations. The Macallan M Collection showcases the company’s six pillars of ‘natural colour, mastery, curiously small spirit stills, the estate, exceptional oak casks, and sherry seasoning’ that makes its whiskies distinctive in taste and features three initial expressions - 2022 editions of M and M Black and a new M Copper, which pays tribute to the copper stills used by The Macallan since it was founded in 1824. Each comes in a 70cl decanter with The Macallan M 2022 Release having a price tag of £5,000, The Macallan M Black 2022 priced at £5,700, and The Macallan M Copper 2022 Release priced at £6,250.

Fever-Tree shows its passion (fruit)

Mixer brand Fever-Tree has launched a limited edition Passionfruit & Lime tonic water for the summer. The seasonal mixer blends spring water with extracts of Ecuadorian yellow passionfruit - said to be sweeter than the more common purple variety - Tahitian Lime and quinine from central Africa. The passionfruit also provides an orange hue to the tonic. The new launch is the second in Fever-Tree’s range of seasonal mixers, and follows its Damson & Sloe variant that it launched for autumn and winter.

Sweet endings from Stambecco

Wine and spirits company Biggar and Leith has added a new expression to its Stambecco range that has a distinctly dessert-focused disposition. Stambecco Tiramisu Liqueur is made at the Vergnano family distillery, Torino Distillati in Piemonte, North-Eastern Italy and is made using espresso coffee extracts from local suppliers in the Torino area, which is known as the capital of Italian coffee. The 24% abv drink has flavours of mascarpone, amaretti biscuits, cocoa and coffee and is designed to be served over ice or in a cocktail such as a tiramisu espresso martini or to give an Irish coffee an Italian twist.

Warner's celebrates the British pub garden

Warner’s Gin is highlighting the importance of outdoor spaces with the launch of Nature Marque, an initiative designed to educate and enable people to do their bit for nature through the transformation of spaces. Created with the support of its charity partner The Wildlife Trust BCN, the distiller has launched an accreditation scheme that will be awarded to pubs that have taken steps to make their outdoor spaces welcoming for people and animals. Actions that can be taken will include, planting wildflowers and pollen-rich flowers, installing bird boxes, bug hotels, and hedgehog highways. To receive accreditation, pubs will be guided through a review of the space they have, then will be shown different ways they can help nature have the best chance of thriving in their outdoor space. The process has been built as a points-based system to enable pubs of all sizes and locations to participate, from those with large outdoor spaces in the countryside, to smaller urban settings.

Lanson gets fruity with new limited edition

Champagne Lanson has unveiled its limited edition 'Le Rosé Fruit Market' gift package in time for the summer season. The new release contains a bottle of Champagne Lanson Le Rosé packaged in a wooden crate box. Le Rosé is described as having scents of strawberry, raspberry,
blackberry and blueberry balanced by citrus undertones. "Le Rosé Fruit Market is a perfect addition to your summer picnic," says the champagne house. "It is the perfect way to enjoy a glass of champagne with your loved one."

Courvoisier gets some Japanese flourish

Cognac house Maison Courvoisier has released a new premium blend that is the collaboration of two spirit makers. Courvoisier Mizunara has been created in partnership between Courvoisier’s sixth chief blender Patrice Pinet and fifth-generation chief blender of the House of Suntory, Shinji Fukuyo and celebrates commonalities in the process of oak selection and aging in both cognac and Japanese whisky. It is made using Grand Champagne that is aged in French oak barrels before being transferred to one of House of Suntory’s Mizunara casks made of Japanese Mizunara wood for a second maturation. The  resulting liquid is described as being an ‘exceptionally harmonious and aromatic’ cognac that is limited to a release of 500 bottles released globally but launched in the UK this month. “I knew the Mizunara cask was an unconventional choice for Courvoisier and together with Shinji, we saw the potential for the notoriously temperamental wood to enhance the unique characteristics of the exceptional cognac and complement the Maison’s signature floral House style,” says Pinet.

Batch number two for Filey Bay

Yorkshire single malt whisky brand Filey Bay has released a second batch of its Peated Finish whisky this summer. Filey Bay Peated Finish Batch #2 uses a combination of the company’s two distillate styles from a small selection of bourbon casks, which undergoes a secondary maturation in peated casks. The result is a whisky that is ‘light, sweet and coastal’ with flavours of vanilla, caramel, a subtle peat smoke and citrus. It is made with 100% home-grown barley from the distillery’s farm, and is one of only a handful of ‘field to bottle’ whiskies in the world, according to distiller Spirit of Yorkshire. The whisky has an abv of 46% and a price tag of £60.

Mermaid shows its zest

The Isle of Wight Distillery has added as limited-edition expression to its Mermaid Gin brand. Mermaid Zest Gin is made with grapefruit and cascade hops and infused with bergamot, lemon zest and wild-foraged coastal rosemary for a gin with ‘a zesty tone with a subtle sweetness and herbal notes’. It is the fourth addition to the company’s range, which also includes pink gin and salt vodka. It is designed to be served as a gin and Mediterranean tonic or in a more complex cocktail.

When the whisky and sake worlds collide

Edinburgh based distillery Holyrood has released a Japanese sake yeast new make spirit as an alternative to traditional whiskies. The spirit, made before a single malt develops, was developed by distiller Conor O’Keeffe who was inspired by his comparisons between sake and whisky production and looked into some of the yeasts used in sake making. The new spirit sits alongside Holyrood’s Brewer’s Series, which is inspired by Edinburgh’s brewing history and plays with different elements of the brewing process, from yeast selections to specialty malt ratios.

When life gives you lemons...

Luxury mixer brand The London Essence Co. has launched added a lemonade to its portfolio. Crafted Lemonade mixer is billed as ‘refreshingly light and perfectly balanced’ and combines ‘the citric bite of lemon with an exhilarating hit of zesty lime’. The flavour is further elevated by kumquat and a little orange ‘for a beautifully balanced aftertaste’. “Our Crafted Lemonade is a fresh take on the traditional drink and encapsulates the essence of what a mixer should be: light, fresh, zesty and perfectly balanced,” says co-founder Ounal Bailey. London Essence says its latest product is designed to partner with any premium vodka, gin or whisky.

Things get hazy for Beavertown

Things are looking hazy for Beavertown Brewery, which has launched a hazy IPA in time for summer. Lunar Haze is a tropical 4.5% abv IPA that has flavours of sticky, ripe pineapple as well as sweet passionfruit and hints of peach to soften the beer. The beer also has a light, cloudy lemon finish and a tropical aroma, which Beavertown says makes it ‘effortlessly drinkable’ and ideal for the summer months. The new beer follows on from recent launches from Beavertown that include Solar Flare, an 8% abv hazy double IPA, and 6% New England IPA Space Hulk.

A musical launch from Big Drop

Alcohol-free brewery Big Drop has created a beer that nods to its founders’ musical roots. By The River 0.5% abv black IPA that takes its inspiration from The Clash and is described as a fusion of flavours that combines contrasting beer styles resulting in a brew with chocolatey aromas and a hint of oakiness, complemented by pineapple. Black IPA is an established favourite among craft beer fans but rarely seen as an alcohol-free option, according to Big Drop. Sales of the beer will support Big Drop’s charity partner Backup Tech, which provides support to industry technical professionals working in live events, theatre, TV and film.

Wednesday’s Domaine launches pair of non-alcoholic wines

Launching later this month, non-alcoholic wine brand Wednesday’s Domaine blends dealcoholized wine from Spain’s vast La Mancha region with natural flavours to ‘maintain body, flavour, aroma and complexity’. Two wines are available. Made with the Airen Blanco grape, Piquant is pale lemon in appearance and is described as crisp, clean and perfectly balanced while Sanguine is made with Tempranillo and has ‘noticeable depth and complexity’ with hints of plums and blackcurrants. The wines are wax sealed and feature eye-catching labels, illustrated and designed by London-based artist Alec Doherty.

These Days creates RTD aperitivo

Bartender Oli Man and branding and design whizz Alex Beausire have teamed up to create a bottled product that aims to ‘simplify the joy of the spritz’. These Days come in two flavours. Both recipes ‘honour the identity and style of traditional aperitivo but in a modern way’ and are made using organic white wine Chateau St Cyrgues (the southernmost vineyard in the Côte du Rhône) mixed with natural flavours and soda. The Venetian Spritz is a reimagining of the Bellini while the red-hued The Sundown pays homage to the aperitivo drinks of northern Italy.

Three new Champagne producers arrive in UK courtesy of Sip

Artisan bubbles specialist Sip Champagnes has brought a trio of new producers to the UK. The line up comprises Guenin, William Saintot and the recently launched Oudiette X Filles. Sip Champagnes - which sells wine to the public as well as the on trade - says it offers the largest collection of Champagne in the UK with 50 producers and over 120 individual cuvées from across 25 villages in its range. “This is the first time ever that these three new producers are being made available outside France,” says Sip Champagnes co-founder Daniel Blatchford.

The perfect vermouth for Martinis? 

Cucielo Vermouth has expanded its collection with the launch of a Dry Vermouth di Torino that has been ‘crafted to capture the essence of Italian aperitivo culture’. The new expression has been created with the Martini in mind with crisp notes of fresh Sicilian citrus, complemented by a light herbal bitterness. Cucielo was founded by Artisan Spirits CEO Andy Holmes in 2018 with an aim to bring vermouth to a new generation of drinkers. Dry Vermouth di Torino is the third product in the brand’s portfolio joining Cucielo Rosso and Bianco.