Liquid assets: the latest drinks launches

BrewDog’s Wonderland Cocktails

BrewDog Distilling Co has launched a range of ‘bar-grade’ canned cocktails (pictured above). The Wonderland selection includes Classic Mojito, Classic Margarita, Espresso Martini, Cantarito Paloma and Passionfruit Martini. Each ready-to-drink can ‘ensures an exceptional pour, unlocking bar-quality serves every time’. The spirits used for the products are all made by BrewDog Distilling Co and include its LoneWolf gin, Abstrakt vodka and DUO rum. The Classic Margarita, Espresso and Passionfruit Martinis are billed as ‘shake’ cocktails that have  a little extra space at the top of the can for a ‘long-lasting créme’ on the drink, and a higher alcohol content. The Classic Mojito and Cantarito Paloma are ‘chill’ cocktails, ready to serve from the can as a longer drink. 

Tipplemill gin

The Lincolnshire-based Tipplemill Distillery has launched its debut product - a London Dry Gin. Tipplemill is made with wheat grown ‘in harmony with nature’ on a family farm which is ground between the millstones of the tallest working windmill in the country. Tipplemill says this makes it the UK’s – and possibly the world’s – only windmill-made gin. The 44% ABV gin is made with botanicals including juniper, elderflowers, fennel seeds, orange peel, angelica and coriander seed. “I am extremely proud to be launching Tipplemill to the market, the result of a two-year journey,” says founder Lily Craven. “I set out to create the best possible gin using wheat grown in harmony with nature on our family farm, taking inspiration from our milling heritage and all that the British countryside has to offer. Dedicated to quality, sustainability and traceability, this meant starting at the very beginning with the core ingredient, the base alcohol spirit.” 

LECAP low ABV wine

Billed as a part of a new generation of low alcohol wines, LECAP is a 5% ABV rosé made with cold-pressed Merlot grapes grown in South Africa’s Western Cape. Because of its low alcohol content, LECAP has juts 56 calories per 125ml glass. The wine is described as having a crisp and refreshing palate full of red berries, floral undertones and a citrus summer twist with refreshing acidity and a full, robust flavour. “We’re delighted to be launching LECAP to the UK, in a category we predict will have huge future growth,” says LECAP co-founder Kieran Gandhi. “Low and no alcohol options have soared in previous years, and as the mindful drinking continues, it’s important for us to provide a moderate option for consumers that isn’t all or nothing, yet still delivers on taste and mouthfeel. LECAP has all the benefits, flavours and social rituals of wine, just with a lighter level of alcohol.” LECAP rosé is produced by Vondeling Wines near Cape Town and is distributed in the UK by Liberty Wines.

Holy Grass Vodka

Dunnet Bay Distillers, the most northerly distillery in mainland Britain, has revealed a ‘bold’ new look for its Holy Grass Vodka. The new design, which has been created by Pocket Rocket Creative, aims to give the craft Vodka its own brand identity. Setting it apart from the rest of the Dunnet Bay portfolio, Holy Grass Vodka is now packaged in a premium glass bottle that shows the pale golden hue of the liquid and also has been sprayed with colour for better stand out on the bar. The label, which boasts a new font, has been designed to reinforce the hand-crafted nature and provenance of the spirit, which is a celebration of local produce and botanicals. To create a ‘truly unique’ flavour profile, the vodka is infused with vapour of Highland apples and apple juice, to complement the sweetness of the Holy Grass. 

Hibiki Japanese whisky 

House of Suntory has launched two centennial release - a Hibiki 21-Year-Old and a limited-edition bottle design of Hibiki Japanese Harmony. The two limited releases mark the latest centennial whisky offerings from the House of Suntory’s anniversary celebration, honouring a century since founder Shinjiro Torii established Japan’s first malt whisky distillery in 1923. Originally making its debut in 1989, Hibiki has become one of the most sought-after Japanese blended whiskies. The whisky is blended from various malt and grain whiskies from Suntory’s Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita distilleries. The limited-edition Hibiki 21-Year-Old is a 'delicate' marriage of malt and grain whiskies that are blended to create 'an orchestra of flavours and aromas'. For this  centennial edition, Mizunara oak is ‘placed at the forefront, profoundly influencing the blend whilst still maintaining Hibiki’s character and essence’.

Plenish plant-based milk

Britvic-owned plant-based drinks brand Plenish is expanding its dairy alternatives range with the launch of three organic Barista M*lks – Oat, Almond and Soya. The three new products are billed as the only milk alternative range aimed at baristas that is free from added oils and additives. Available in hospitality channels now, the Plenish Barista M*lks can help ‘outlets cater to those customers looking for milk alternatives in cafés and coffee shops, without any compromise on the quality or taste of the final coffee serve’. Plenish says it is going from strength to strength, with its current range of M*lks growing at +60%, primarily driven by consumers moving to more clean ingredients. 

Michter’s Bourbon 

Top American whiskey producer Michter’s has released two ‘highly-anticipated’ limited edition products into the UK market: 10 Year Kentucky Straight Rye and 10 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon. The two whiskies are the result of over a decade of ‘patient ageing’ in new fire-charred American white oak barrels, developing layers of rich flavour and character. The Rye showcases deep notes of vanilla and toffee, toasted almonds and cinnamon with a kick of crushed pepper, brightened by a hint of orange citrus. The Bourbon boasts a robust flavour profile, with dominant notes of dark toffee, caramel, and charred oak, rounded off beautifully with a touch of maple syrup and vanilla. “I thought that the 10 Year Old Bourbon we are now releasing was drinking beautifully last year, but our master distiller Dan McKee and our master of maturation Andrea Wilson told me that with one more year of maturation it would be extraordinary – and our patience certainly paid off,” says Michter’s president Joseph J. Magliocco.

Port Askaig

Islay-based distillery Port Askaig has unveiled a new range of whiskies that aims to embody ‘the island’s rich heritage and distinctive flavours’. The brand refresh is accompanied by a new positioning and tagline: The Gateway to Islay, highlighting owner Elixir Distillers’ ambition to grow the premium brand in the UK and internationally. At the heart of the relaunch is the revitalised Port Askaig 8 Year Old, boasting a new recipe. The ‘herbaceous’ whisky features notes of seaweed salt, pinewood, and a ‘blanket of warming smoke’. The first three years of maturation take place in American oak barrels, followed by an extended ageing period of over five years in a selection of Bourbon barrels, toasted American oak barrels, PX Sherry Butts, and refill hogsheads. Port Askaig is also introducing two new limited expressions: a Port Askaig Cask Strength and Port Askaig 17 Year Old. 

Kinsbrook’s KIN brand

West Sussex vineyard Kinsbrook has released two new sparkling wines under its recently created Kin brand. The new KIN Sparkling White and KIN Sparkling Rose variants, both 2019, are the latest addition to the Kinsbrook Farmhouse cellar, and the first of Kinsbrook’s sparkling wine bottles produced using the vineyard’s own grapes. “We’re so proud to announce these two new sparkling wines made using grapes from our first harvest at Kinsbrook in 2017, and that we believe stands up against the world’s best sparkling pours,” says co-founder Rebecca Dancer. “Our first sparkling wine release back in 2014 was titled ‘Vintage Cuvee’, in an attempt to align with our French neighbours. However, now with more experience under our belts, we have the confidence to create these two new sparkling wines that we are super proud of, and feel much more authentically Kinsbrook, and carve out an identity without the pressure we used to feel to replicate our European counterparts.”