Top 10 New Products

Château Brown Rosé 2012

Château Brown: +33 5 56 87 08 10

Château Brown in Pessac-Léognan has branched out into rosé, releasing its inaugural 2012 vintage in the UK market this month.

Small parcels of the estate’s 29-hectare vineyard were singled out to be hand-harvested specifically for the rosé, a classic Bordeaux blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, grown on deep gravel soils.

Under the guidance of rosé specialist consultant Philippe Dulong, the grapes are gently pressed, left on their lees then aged in French oak for four months in order to give the wine added body and texture.

Château Brown’s owner Jean-Christophe Mau describes the result as a “gourmet” wine with a “fruity expression” ideal for enjoying with food. Just seven barrels were made of the 2012 vintage, meaning less than 2,000 bottles will go on sale.

RRP: £20.

Johnnie Walker Explorers’ Club Collection

Diageo: +44 (0) 20 8978 2749

Johnnie Walker has unveiled a new addition to its Explorers’ Club collection – The Gold Route.

A sister blend to The Spice Road, created exclusively for duty free, the whisky is inspired by journeys across Latin America taking in the Andean mountains, Inca pyramids and the coast of the Pacific Ocean, undertaken by John Walker & Sons agents in search of both new business and new experiences.

Crafted from aged whiskies picked for their “smoothness” and “vibrant” flavour, the blend has been matured in old American oak casks.

“We took inspiration from the flavours and sights of Latin America to help us select the most precious liquids for this blend,” said Johnnie Walker’s master blender Jim Beveridge, adding, “on the nose there’s a wave of bananas, mango and pitaya, complemented by subtle vanilla sweetness, with hints of pineapples, guava and passion fruit on the palate. Balanced peaty notes.”

RRP: £60.

Perrier-Jouët The Enchanting Tree

Pernod Ricard: +44 (0) 20 8538 4484

Perrier-Jouët has collaborated with Dutch designer Tord Boontje on a “flute tree” aimed at high-end UK restaurants and bars, and prestige retail accounts.

The Champagne house has commissioned Boontje to produce an initial run of 100 trees, with a potential second run in the pipeline if they prove popular. “I visited the Perrier-Jouët vineyards in Epernay and got my inspiration for the design from there, moved by the way the vines need all the elements to thrive: earth, air, fire in the form of sun, and water,” Boontje told the drinks business.

“I wanted the piece to have a sense of movement, and incorporated Emile Gallé’s anemone flowers both as a hat tip to the Belle Epoque bottle and as a nod to one of my favourite artists,” he added. The Enchanting Tree includes an ice bucket and six frosted flutes, which hang from its gold branches, featuring Gallé’s famous anemone flower design.

RRP: £300.

Smirnoff Sorbet Light

Diageo: +44 (0) 20 8978 2749

Diageo is cleverly capitalising on the demand for “skinny” spirits by launching a range of low-calorie sorbet-inspired vodkas.

The three-strong Smirnoff Sorbet Light range, which is debuting in the US, is comprised of raspberry and pomegranate; mango and passion fruit; and lemon.

Diageo claims each drink contains 78 calories per serving – 25% less than other dessert-inspired flavoured vodkas on the market.

“Smirnoff Sorbet Light is the next flavour experience for women who strive to lead a balanced lifestyle, but never at the expense of delicious cocktails,” said Sandhya Padmanabhan, brand manager for Smirnoff.

“Today’s multifaceted woman inspired Smirnoff to create a product that would make guilt-free drinks that embody the refreshing taste of sorbet,” she added.

The trio are available across the US for $15.99 per 750ml bottle.

Crabbie’s Raspberry Alcoholic Ginger Beer

Halewood International: +44 (0)151 480 8800

Independent drinks manufacturer Halewood International has launched two new Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer flavours onto the UK market – raspberry, and strawberry and lime, across a wide range of on- and off-trade outlets.

The new duo join the original and a spiced orange version.

With the launch of these two fruit flavours, Crabbie’s is seeking to recruit new consumers to the brand in the 25-35 year-old age bracket.

“There was an appetite for new flavours to be added to the range to further drive brand and category growth,” said Al Cross, marketing controller for Crabbie’s at Halewood International.

RRP: £2.09.

Buddy’s Bourbon Flavoured Beer –

Global Brands: +44 (0) 1246 216 000

Global Brands has released a Bourbon-flavoured beer onto the market – Buddy’s Bourbon Flavoured Beer – which contains a small amount of real honey.

Brewed to a recipe under licence from Buddy’s Brewhouse in Michigan using a combination of modern and traditional techniques, the beer combines premium malt and hops, which are blended with honey and sugar to achieve a “delicate sweetness, balanced with Bourbon flavour to give soft tones of oak in the finish”. The 5.1% abv beer is aimed at 18-24 year olds.

“Buddy’s Bourbon Flavoured Beer is exciting because the liquid, the look and the legend come together to create something genuinely unique,” said Global Brands’ sales and marketing director Simon
Green. RRP: £3.00.

Quintessentially Vodka

Quintessentially Spirits: +44 (0)7714 107 749

Quintessentially Spirits, an arm of luxury lifestyle group Quintessentially, has launched an “ultra-premium” vodka into the UK market.

Quintessentially Vodka, a partnership between Quintessentially and distillers G&J Greenall, is being targeted at high-end on-trade venues in the UK, with the brand being launched at the same time in Asia and Europe.

Made from organic wheat, the vodka is distilled multiple times to ensure a “pure” liquid with a “smooth, silky mouthfeel” and “subtle sweetness” on the palate.

“Quintessentially Vodka combines British heritage, slick design and a superior quality liquid to offer a product that meets increasing consumer demand for luxury goods with steadfast credentials,” said Quintessentially Spirits’ CEO Rowland Hill. RRP: £50.

Dodd’s Gin

The London Distillery Company+44 (0) 20 8133 8729

The London Distillery Company (LDC) in Battersea, which opened for business this spring, has released its first product onto the market:

Dodd’s Gin, named in honour of the 18th century founder of The Intended London Distillery Company, Ralph Dodd. Distilled using organic botanicals including juniper, angelica, lime peel, bay laurel, cardamom, red raspberry leaf and London honey, the craft gin is non-chill filtered and bottled at 49.9% abv.

The more delicate botanicals are distilled separately in a cold vacuum still named Little Albion before being married with the spirit distilled from the rest of the botanicals for several weeks prior to bottling.

RRP: £36.95.

Rémy Martin Louis XIII Rare Cask 42.6

Rémy Cointreau: +33 1 44 13 46 43

Rémy Cointreau has launched a limited edition “rare cask” of its Louis XIII Cognac. Just 738 numbered decanters will be released onto the global market.

The cask, a blend of 1,200 eaux-de-vie, takes its name from its 42.6% abv, and is only the second expression to join Rémy’s Rare Cask collection. Bottled from a rare single barrel among hundreds of century-old tierçonsthat will one day be used for making Louis XIII, the Cognac was launched in Udaipur in India last month by Rémy Martin cellar master Pierrette Trichet and deputy cellar master Baptiste Loiseau. According to Trichet, Rare Cask 42.6 offers “notes of plum and dates, mingling with flavours of gingerbread, prune stone and ginger, punctuated by a final touch of tobacco leaf”.

It has gone on sale in selected travel retail outlets, hotels and restaurants in London, Amsterdam, Paris, Los Angeles and Singapore. RRP: £15,000.

Château Brownin Pessac-Léognan has branched out into rosé, releasing its inaugural 2012 vintage in the UK market this month.

Small parcels of the estate’s 29-hectare vineyard were singled out to be hand-harvested specifically for the rosé, a classic Bordeaux blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, grown on deep gravel soils.

Under the guidance of rosé specialist consultant Philippe Dulong, the grapes are gently pressed, left on their lees then aged in French oak for four months in order to give the wine added body and texture. Château Brown’s owner Jean-Christophe Mau describes the result as a “gourmet” wine with a “fruity expression” ideal for enjoying with food.

Just seven barrels were made of the 2012 vintage, meaning less than 2,000 bottles will go on sale. RRP: £20.

Pernod Ricard’s Absolut Craft.

The new range of flavoured vodkas have been created in partnership with master bartender Nick Strangeway.

The collection will be exclusively available for bartenders and features three expressions, each of which contains “at least 12 macerates, infusions and/or distillates”.

The first flavour, Herbaceous Lemon, will be available in selected markets this April and is made with a blend of lemon verbena, lemon thyme and lemon myrtle.

Strengeway, who spent two years, said: “There were no rules I needed to stick to.” Strangeway also used 2,500 samples, combining flavours, distillation and maceration in coming up with the three flavours. Smokey Tea and Bitter Cherry will be launched later in 2013.

Smokey Tea comes with a “gentle, smokey flavour” that comes from an infusion of Lapsang Souchong tea, with hints of “orange peel, clove and ginger.”

The third flavour, Bitter Cherry, has “an authentic cherry flavour, which is countered by notes of bitter, dark chocolate.”

Absolut’s marketing vice president said: “With the immense amount of new flavoured vodkas available today, it was important that we create flavours that bartenders could trust when crafting cocktails.”