Liquid assets: the latest drinks launches for September

Black Lines Rum Punch 

Pre-bottled cocktail specialist Black Lines has launched a bottled Rum Punch to celebrate Notting Hill Carnival (main image). The drink has been part of the Tottenham-based producer’s on tap portfolio since its inception and is made with Two Drifters Rum, pineapple, passion fruit, ginger and bitters. Each bottle is 750ml and contains five 150ml servings. The drink is described as ‘bold, smooth and finished with a fiery kick’. 

Kyrö Distillery Company whiskies

Finnish whisky, gin and cream liqueur brand Kyrö Distillery Company has launched its core rye whisky range in the UK. Made using the Finnish staple ingredient of rye, the range of 47.2% abv whiskies includes ‘the whisky that started it all’, Kyrö Malt; and alder smoked Kyrö Wood Smoke; as well as a new sweet and nutty Kyrö Oloroso; and a new earthy Kyrö Peat Smoke. Kyrö Malt is a single batch rye whisky made from 100% malted rye that is double pot distilled and aged in new American white oak casks for at least a three year period. Kyrö Wood Smoke is made from 100% Finnish rye and is double pot-distilled and matured in ex-bourbon, French oak, and new American white oak barrels, resulting in intense pepperiness and sweet notes of caramel and vanilla lifted by crisp alder smoke. Kyrö Malt Oloroso is the first Finnish single batch rye whisky, made from 100% malted Finnish wholegrain rye. The whisky is aged in three barrel types: Spanish Oloroso sherry, new American oak and ex-bourbon; while Kyrö Peat Smoke uses 100% Finnish Malted Rye that is smoked using Finnish freshwater peat. Vatted together using mainly Kyrö Peat Smoke New American oak and ex-bourbon barrels, the malt is peat smoked in a barn for a 24-hours. The whiskies are priced between £50 and £60.

Rathfinny 2019 wines

East Sussex-based sparkling wine producer Rathfinny has launched its Blanc de Noirs 2019 and Rosé 2019. The 2019 growing season experienced an early start due to record-breaking warm temperatures during late July and August, coupled with a wet end to September and October. Despite the soggy picking conditions, the fruit ‘flourished’ and produced ‘elegant wines’. Rathfinny’s signature wine, Blanc de Noirs 2019 is billed as a wonderfully complex blend of predominantly Pinot Noir with a small quantity of Pinot Meunier. The Pinot Noir evokes a rose gold hue and delivers a nose of sweet Russet apple and a mouth-filling palate of summer fruits, with a long, zesty, saline, plum compôte finish. Rosé 2019 is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir, 22% Chardonnay and 18% Pinot Meunier, with the barrel-aged red Pinot Noir allowing for its ‘unique complexity and deep rose gold colour’. The delicate wine offers a creamy palate of clementines and kumquats, emitting notes of raspberries and strawberries, with a cleaning quince finish. 

Wednesday’s Domaine Summer Cuvée

Alcohol-free wine producer Wednesday’s Domaine has launched a limited edition rosé. Starting with a blend of de-alcoholised Airen Blanco and Tempranillo from the La Mancha region of Spain, the Summer Cuvée combines natural flavours and ingredients to maintain the body, flavours, aromas and complexity. Expect citrus notes overlaid with hints of red fruits. Wednesday’s Domaine launched one premium red wine and one premium white wine last year and says it has been ‘inundated’ with requests for rosé. 

Zonin Limoneto Spritz and Cuvée Zero

Italian wine producer Zonin has launched two products targeted initially at the on-trade sector - Limoneto Spritz and Cuvée Zero. Limoneto Spritz is a 11% abv aromatised sparkling wine-based drink that brings an Amalfi-style lemon twist to the summer aperitivo spritz moment. It is a blend of white grapes that are lightly pressed and fermented under a controlled temperature with the resulting base wine made sparkling via the Charmat method, undergoing a secondary fermentation in a pressurised tank, or ‘autoclave’. It is then blended with natural lemon juice. Cuvée Zero is a zero-alcohol sparkling grape-based drink made using the Spinning Cone Column Distillation dealcoholisation method and has been developed for the 25–45-year-old drinker.

Goldtooth vermouths

A range of small batch vermouths blended from wine made with Spanish Parellada and Xarello white grapes, and aromatized by botanicals from Ibiza, is launching in the UK this autumn. Goldtooth Original and Goldtooth Springtime, both 15% abv, are being joined by a new limited edition third style specially for the UK will be released by the end of the year. Goldtooth Original is an amber-pink vermouth that contains 23 herbs and botanicals including hibiscus, saffron, rose, damiana, passionflower, rosemary, and wormwood. Goldtooth Springtime is a paler vermouth, reflecting its infusion of jasmine, dandelion, orange blossom and lemon rind among its 13 herbals. They are designed to be served neat on the rocks or mixed with soda water or cava.

Devil’s Botany London Absinthe

Devil’s Botany, the UK’s first dedicated absinthe distillery, is ‘pushing the boundaries of the spirit category’ with the launch of its new recipe London Absinthe, creating an absinthe that doesn’t cloud. Adopting the regulations that define a London Dry Gin, Devil’s Botany says it has created a new style in the spirit category that is ‘fundamentally British’ and ‘distilled for the adventurous drinkers of today’. The new recipe London Absinthe does not cloud when diluted with water, setting it apart from the traditional French and Swiss styles of absinthes. Instead, it maintains ‘a clarity of both appearance and flavour’.

Marquis de Montesquiou Armagnac

A new ‘rock n roll’ armagnac is being launched in the UK by the founder of Monkey 47 gin. Alex Stein’s Marquis de Montesquiou armagnac is available in VS, VSOP and XO expressions. The VS is described as being ‘full bodies, fresh and fruity with a slight hint of black pepper’, while the VSOP is said to have a slight hint of ginger. The XO expression has aromas of apricot, caramel, cocoa, tobacco, and leather.

Turntable whisky trio

Small-batch whisky blender Turntable has officially launched its core range of whiskies following a limited edition run. The range comprises three whiskies that retain the musical theme of their predecessors - Paradise Funk, Smokin’ Riff, and Bittersweet Symphony. Paradise Funk is a blend of 30% unnamed Speyside virgin oak barrel, 20% Benrinnes Chinkapin barrel, 18% Invergordon ex-cognac Bbrrel, 13% Knockdhu virgin oak barrel, 11% North British virgin oak barrel, and 8% Blair Athol bourbon barrel, while Bittersweet Symphony contains 22% Craigellachie PX Puncheon, 21% Balmenach PX Puncheon, 21% Craigellachie oloroso butt, 19% North British virgin oak barrel, and 17% Blair Athol virgin oak barrel and is described as having a fiery sweetness and bold malt character. Smokin’ Riff is 28% North British virgin oak barrel, 24% Craigellachie Ee-puncheon, 21% Knockdhu PX Puncheon, 18% Caol Ila bourbon barrel, and 9% Caol Ila ex-red wine barrel and is said to have an explosive camp fire smoke. The whiskies have a price tag of £53.

Ueshima Coffee Company

Ueshima Coffee Company, Japan’s no.1 coffee brand, has announced new products, including a Fairtrade decaf and three new speciality coffee beans. The new product line-up continues the brand’s ‘commitment to delivering exceptional tasting coffee’. The trio of specialty beans, sourced from Kenya and Mexico through the NKG Bloom initiative, promise to ‘excite coffee lovers with refined tastes’. “We are thrilled to unveil our latest specialty and decaf coffees, crafted with the same passion and dedication that has made Ueshima Coffee Company a beloved brand in Japan and beyond,” says marketing controller for Ueshima at UCC Kirsty Pavely. 

Steam and Fire whisky

Independent distiller Loch Lomond Whiskies has added Steam & Fire to its portfolio of whiskies. The single malt whisky is finished in heavily charred American oak casks, flamed at Loch Lomond Whiskies’ own traditional cooperage an is distilled in a combination of straight neck and traditional swan neck pot stills before being matured in first fill bourbon barrels and refill American oak casks. It is then finished in heavily charred American oak casks for 10 months.

BRCGS accreditation for Lanchester Wines

Lanchester Wines has become only the third UK wine business to achieve BRC accreditation for Storage and Distribution.  The County Durham-based business, which operates over 1m sq t of bonded warehouse across five sites, has received AA rating from the BRCGS (Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standard, formerly the British Retail Consortium). This accreditation ensures the quality and safety of products during their storage and distribution throughout the supply chain. Lanchester Wines’ warehouses hold in excess of 37,000,000 bottles and manage 1,800 wine pallet movements per day across both its own brands and that of its bonded warehouse customers. These warehouses also hold all wine bottled at sister business Greencroft Bottling, which is also BRCGS AA+ rated (‘+’ signifies an unannounced audit). The BRCGS accreditation also stipulates all Lanchester Wines’ logistical suppliers must conform to BRCGS standard processes, which provides further peace of mind for customers who entrust their wine to the two businesses.