Top new products: January

Bodega Argento Artesano de Argento

Argentine wine producer Bodega Argento has unveiled a new brand called Artesano de Argento for the UK off-trade. Its first release, an organic Malbec-Cabernet Franc blend from 2018, will be available in Sainsbury’s from this month. Composed of 70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Franc, and sourced from the producer’s organic vineyard in Alto Agrelo in Luján de Cuyo, the wine is certified both organic and Fairtrade. Bodega Argento claims to be the largest producer of organic wine in Mendoza, with 305 hectares of certified vineyards. It aims to move to full organic certification in the future.

RRP: £10.

Contact: Sainsbury’s, +44 (0)20 7695 6000

Benromach 50-Year-Old

Benromach Distillery in Speyside has unveiled one of its rarest whiskies to date, with the launch of its 50-year-old single cask. With only 125 bottles produced, the whisky was laid down in 1969, before spending half a century maturing in an ex-Sherry hogshead. Bottled at 44.6% ABV, according to the distiller the whisky has aromas of “prune syrup, butterscotch, ginger and candied fruits”, and flavours of “pepper, tobacco leaf, smoke and orange”. The distillery, located in Forres, is one of only a few to operate without using automated machinery.

RRP: £8,000.

Contact: Benromach, info@benromach.com

Bolney Estate Gin

Sussex-based Bolney Wine Estate has entered the gin category with an expression flavoured with hawthorn leaves and fennel, and created using grape distillate produced from press juice that was too phenolic to make wine. Other botanicals include juniper, bay leaf, caraway, cubeb, lemon peel, grain of paradise, and coriander seed. A portion of the base spirit was made from grape distillate from juice from the later press fractions that contained too many polyphenols (including tannins and anthocyanins) to be used in the production of Bolney’s sparkling and still wines.

RRP: £35.

Contact: Bolney Wine Estate, trade@bolneywineestate.com

Fourpure Nightcap Stout

Bermondsey-based Fourpure Brewing Co. has joined forces with Jameson Irish Whiskey to create a limited edition barrel-aged Irish coffee Imperial stout called Nightcap. The 9% ABV brew follows the launch of the Jameson Caskmates Fourpure edition whiskey last year. Fourpure aged the beer in ex-Jameson whiskey barrels before blending and adding fresh coffee beans to the Imperial stout. The beer contains six types of malt, and according to the brewer, has flavours of “rich coffee and cocoa”.

RRP: £5.

Contact: Fourpure, orders@fourpure.com

William Hinton Moot Vermouth

Madeira importer Bovey Wines has launched a rum and a vermouth produced by William Hinton Distillery into the UK. Rum has been produced on the island of Madeira since the 15th century when it was the principal supplier of sugar to mainland Europe, and traditionally it was the spirit used to fortify Madeira wine. Moot vermouth is made with a medium-sweet Madeira base wine, which is then macerated with aromatic plants native to Madeira as well as some spices. At 14.5% ABV, it is a lower-alcohol alternative to fortified Madeira, which is typically between 18% ABV and 20% ABV.

RRP: £11.68.

Contact: Bovey Wines, madeira@boveywines.co.uk

Bashall Spirits Parkin Cake Gin

Bashall Spirits based in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley has launched a range of gins inspired by recipe books from the 1700s. The four-strong range comprises a golden-hued Parkin Cake Gin, based on a Victorian-era family recipe for the traditional Lancashire bake, with flavours of treacle and ginger. Also in the line-up is a London Dry Gin, flavoured with cranberry, elderflower, caraway and hazelnut, an Orange & Quince Gin and a Damson & Elderberry Gin. The gins are all bottled at 40% ABV.

RRP: £38.95.

Contact: Bashall Spirits, info@bashallspirits.co.uk

Yalumba The Signature Claret

To mark its 170th anniversary, at the end of last year, Australian winery Yalumba released the 46th edition of its flagship red, The Signature. First made in 1962, the latest bottling hails from the 2015. A blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Shiraz, using grapes sourced from five vineyards in the Barossa Valley, the wine is matured for 22 months in 18% new French barriques and Hungarian hogsheads. With each parcel fermented separately, the wine has flavours of “pomegranate, cranberry, milk chocolate and liquorice”, according to the producer.

RRP: £38.00.

Contact: Berry Bros & Rudd, +44 (0)20 7022 8973

Duvel Distilled

Made by Duvel Moortgat, Duvel Distilled is made using beer, which is distilled then aged for 10 years in Bourbon and Sherry barrels. This marks the third release of the spirit, which has been produced by the Belgian brewer since 2006. Just 14,280 numbered bottles are available of the 40% ABV spirit. Straw yellow in colour, the liquid has flavours of “vanilla, raisins and toffee”, according to the producer. Enjoyed over ice or neat, the spirit can be paired with grilled fish and meat, seasoned Brussels sprouts pan-fried with chestnuts, tropical fruit and dark chocolate.

RRP: €49.95.

Contact: Duvel Moortgat, Rachel@duvelmoortgat.co.uk

Fever-Tree Orange Ginger Ale

Premium mixer brand Fever-Tree has launched its spiced orange ginger ale into UK supermarkets after its success in the on-trade. Combining sweet clementine, cinnamon and three types of ginger, the new spiced offering complements Fever-Tree’s other ginger-flavoured mixers, including a standard ginger ale and a ginger beer. It has been specifically crafted to pair well with dark spirits such as whisky. The brand recommends serving the new mixer poured over ice with Scotch or blended whisky, garnished with orange and a cinnamon stick.

RRP: £1.70.

Contact: Waitrose, +44 (0)800 188 884

Judas Priest Dark Spiced Rum

UK heavy metal band Judas Priest has released its first spirit – a limited edition rum. The spiced rum, made by Brands for Fans Sweden, has notes of “arrack, vanilla, burnt sugar and raisins”, according to the producer. Released in a limited batch of 5,000 bottles, the spirit is bottled at 37.5% ABV. Brands for Fans has also worked with bands and artists including Motörhead, Scorpions, In Flames and Sweden Rock Festival. Known for tracks Rocka Rolla, Sin after Sin and Sad Wings of Destiny, Judas Priest formed in Birmingham in 1969. The band released their most recent album, Firepower, in March 2018. The group is also known for its eye-catching album artwork.

RRP: 349 SEK.

Contact: Brands For Fans Sweden, sari.h.wilholm@brandsforfans.se

Born and Raised Sauvignon Blanc

Victoria-based winery Born and Raised has teamed up with drinks specialist branding agency, Thirst Craft, to launch its rebranded range of low-intervention wines. Using materials such as watercolour, charcoal and rolled ink, each label has one part with a “raw, rugged ‘natural’ texture” representing the ‘born’ element of the fruit, and another part with a “perfectly rounded ‘nurtured’ shape”, illustrating the ‘raised’ element. On the label grape varieties and origins are listed ‘born’, while the winemakers’ methods are revealed under ‘raised’.

RRP: AU$28.

Contact: Born and Raised, wine@bornandraisedwines.com.au

I Heart Gin

Freixenet Copestick has expanded its best-selling I Heart Wine range into spirits for the first time with the launch of two gins. These include a 40% ABV classic gin alongside a 37.5% ABV pink gin, which is flavoured with strawberry, juniper and herbs. I Heart brand manager, Dani McDonald, said the company was thrilled to be entering a new category with a product that was a “real standout. The spirits category has now become as complex and crowded as wine once was,” she said. “We therefore believe this is the perfect moment to introduce I Heart Spirits. For all those consumers that simply want a straight-talking, delicious, no-nonsense Gin and Tonic, we are the perfect solution. Accessible, attractive and affordable,” she said.

RRP: £16-£17.

Contact: Nisa, info@vitaspirits.com

Beefsteak Club Organic Tannat

UK importer Ehrmanns has added an organic Argentine Tannat to the reserve level of its Beefsteak Club brand. The wine is made in partnership with Salta-based family-owned winery Bodega Nanni, which is certified organic. The Tannat grapes are hand-picked and sourced from the Cafayate Valley in Salta province. According to the producer, the wine has flavours of “ripe dark fruits, cassis, chocolate, tobacco and spice from oak”. As the name suggest, the wine from 2018 pairs well with a steak.

RRP: £14.99.

Contact: Ehrmanns, marketing@ehrmanns.co.uk

Nemiroff Burning Pear Vodka

Ukrainian distiller Nemiroff has released three flavoured vodkas as part of its Inked Collection. The Burning Pear is described as mellow, rich and velvety, with a smooth mouthfeel that finishes with a touch of rich heat. Other variants include the Bold Orange, which has been aged in oak barrels, producing flavours of citrus and spice. Finally, the Wild Cranberry is described as both “sweet and sour with a hint of Cognac”. It can be drunk on its own or with lime and sparkling water.

RRP: £18.

Contact: Nemiroff, sofiya.makaruk@nemiroff.pro

Slingsby Rhubarb Gin

Harrogate-based spirits distiller Slingsby has launched 50cl bottles of its Yorkshire Rhubarb and Yorkshire Gooseberry Gins in Tesco and Morrisons branches in the UK and online. Packaged in green and red bottles, the smaller-sized gins are both made using the base London Dry spirit. Both are produced using fruit grown in Yorkshire and natural spring water from the Tewit Well in Harrogate. The producer’s rhubarb gin started out as a limited edition experimental project, but has since gained a spot in the core range.

RRP: £30.

Contact: Tesco, 0800 323 4040