New product round-up
Wave of spirits, low-calorie seltzers and spritzes floods post-lockdown market
Vestal vodka – Black Cherry and Raspberry & Blackcurrant
Halewood-owned Vestal vodka has launched its first flavoured variants - Black Cherry and Raspberry & Blackcurrant.
The two 40% ABV pours are based on traditional Polish fruit-based vodkas known as ‘Nalewka’.
The new flavours aren’t overly sweet, are free from additives and described as ‘accessible and easy to mix’ – making them perfect for mainstream vodka drinkers according to its maker.
Two Drifters Overproof Spiced Pineapple rum
Boasting fresh pineapple, sweet caramel and spiced vanilla notes, carbon negative rum distillery Two Drifters has released an overproof spiced pineapple rum at 63% ABV.
“We use 100% UK molasses and don’t add any sugar to our recipe which creates a beautifully smooth and dry rum,” organic chemist Russ Wakeham, who co-founded Two Drifters with his wife Gemma in 2019, said of the new launch.
“With drinkers increasingly searching for high-end rums, we’ve been blown away by the popularity of our range. On National Rum Day we’ll be shaking up some cocktails and celebrating this delicious spirit.”
https://www.twodriftersrum.com
Sipful canned cocktails
Drinks start-up Sipful is aiming to meet the rapidly growing demands for premium, naturally sourced, canned wines and cocktails with its new range of ready-to-drink cocktails.
Focused on authenticity and balance for flavour using only natural ingredients, Sipful has launched canned versions of a Classic Mimosa, Blood Orange Mimosa and Peach Bellini – all made with real fruit, natural flavours and mixed with organic Spanish bubbly wine – at 4.5% ABV each.
https://www.sipful-drinks.com
Mad City Botanical Rum
Drinks maker Foxhole Spirits has launched new premium white rum, Mad City Botanical Rum, from a recipe of 25 sustainably sourced botanicals boasting hints of vanilla, warm spices and pecan nuts.
“Our goal has always been to prove that using sustainably sourced, surplus materials can create spirits better than those that use grown for, single purpose materials,” James Oag-Cooper, co-founder and MD of Foxhole Spirits explained.
“With Mad City we’ve been able to apply our skill working with botanicals to rum and demonstrate expertise in a different category.
“We believe that the style of Mad City, with no sugar added post distillation, puts it in a category all of its own. The result is fine and balanced, absolutely delicious, and thoroughly satisfying to drink.”
https://www.foxholespirits.com
Two Days ready-to-drink vodka soda
Served in 330ml cans and described as light and sessionable by its makers, Two Days’ ready-to-drink vodka sodas are naturally flavoured and launch initially with vodka lime soda and a vodka raspberry soda variants.
Offering a 3% ABV, lower than a number of other hard seltzers on the market, Two Days vodka sodas also cater for low-calorie drinkers – with the lime variant only 60 calories and the raspberry 63.
They’re also gluten free and contain zero sugars or sweeteners with each can containing only five-times distilled British vodka, lightly sparkling water and a squeeze of either lime or raspberry.
Forest Gin Soda Cans
Peak District-based Forest Distillery has launched two new 5% ABV seltzers; Forest Gin & Grapefruit, Rosemary Seltzer and Forest Gin & Hibiscus Lemonade soda.
The former is a bitter, low calorie, dry seltzer while its Forest Gin & Hibiscus Lemonade soda is made using only gin, and natural whole fruit with lightly carbonated fresh water.
https://www.theforestdistillery.com
58 Gin Hard Seltzers
Available in Raspberry and Pink Grapefruit flavours, 58 Gin Hard Seltzer has been launched at 4% ABV and less than 67 calories per can.
Made from only 58 Gin’s premium London Dry Gin, natural fruit flavours and sparkling water, 58 Gin Hard Seltzers contain no added sugars or sweeteners, are vegan and also gluten free.
“We’re very excited for people to try the UK’s first gin-based hard seltzer, which has been created with the utmost care and attention to detail using premium all-natural ingredients,” Carmen O’Neal, 58 Gin’s managing director, said.
Pure Organic Lite Vodka
Spirit maker WM Spirits has released a 20% ABV ‘lite’ version of its Pure Organic Vodka – designed to be lighter, lower calorie and half the strength, of its flagship product as well as gluten free and vegan friendly.
“We are responding to consumer demand for a higher quality, better tasting drink without the calories,” founder Adam Player said. “We pride ourselves on our environmental credentials, now our customers can be both eco-friendly and health conscious whilst enjoying their favourite cocktails.”
Sun Drop, Salcombe Brewery
Devon-based brewer Salcombe has launched new vegan and gluten free pale ale Sun Drop in 330ml bottles.
Using a blend of American hops, Sun Drop has a fruity and citrusy aroma of melon, orange and pink grapefruit, according to its makers.
https://www.salcombebrewery.com
Vin Crowd low-calorie spritz
Kingsland Drinks’ new trio of canned Vin Crowd low-calorie serves comprises a strawberry and raspberry based pink spritz, a peach and pear flavoured white spritz and a fruity botanical spritz made from raspberries, juniper and gin.
Each pour is vegan friendly with the Pink and White spritzes available at 5% ABV and the botanical variant coming in at 5.5%.
What’s more, the Pink and White serves are just 91 calories and 94 calories respectively, while the Botanical option is 139 calories.
All three spritzes are vegan and available in 250ml cans.
https://www.kingsland-drinks.com
Folklore Society’s ‘Essentially Amazing Thank You Gin’
Leeds-based Folklore Society Gin has released a special edition gin to raise funds for mental health charities Mind and Blurt Foundation.
Boasting orange, lemon, cardamom, coriander and juniper notes, the limited-edition bottle, Essentially Amazing Thank You Gin, has been created in collaboration with Leeds art collective In Good Company (IGC) and illustrator Rebecca Strickson and follows IGC’s ‘Posters for The People’ campaign, which was created to thank key workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The mental health impact of Covid-19 is being felt by many and we wanted to show our support and thanks to those charities that are so critical in helping people in the aftermath of such a challenging time,” Folklore Society Gin co-founder, Nolan Kane, said.
https://folkloresocietygin.com
Smokehead Rum Rebel
Ian Macleod Distillers’ has launched 46% ABV Smokehead Rum Rebel – a Smokehead Islay single malt whisky finished in rich Caribbean rum casks – in time for International Rum Day on 16 August.
“We are overwhelmed by the boldness of flavour in our new bottling and can’t wait to see our Smokeheads’ reaction,” Smokehead brand director, Iain Weir, said of the new expression. “When our rich, smoky, salty Islay Smokehead collides with spicy, sweet Caribbean rum casks, carnage is inevitable.”
Smokehead Rum Rebel joins a range featuring of Smokehead Original, Smokehead High Voltage and latest release Sherry Bomb, an Islay single malt that has been aged in sherry casks.
Signature Brew and Sports Team’s Long Hot Summer
London-based Signature Brew has joined forces with Mercury Prize 2020 shortlisted band Sports Team to create 4.6% ABV Long Hot Summer lager.
Following the success of debut album Deep Down Happy, which reached number two in the official UK album charts, Sports Team has worked with Signature brew to fine tune a crisp and floral lager which has been dry hopped to add subtle lemon notes.
“We’re super pleased to have brewed this beer with Sports Team, they got really involved with the concept and brewing process,” Signature Brew co-founder Sam McGregor explained.
“They put as much thought and work into the beer as they do with their music. It’s been a strange summer of cancelled gigs and festivals so everyone needs a pint right now and Long Hot Summer might just be the perfect beer for the season.”
https://www.signaturebrew.co.uk
Black Bowmore DB5 1964
Bowmore Islay single malt scotch whisky and Aston Martin have unveiled Black Bowmore DB5 1964 – a limited-edition whisky costing £50,000.
According to drinks maker Bowmore, there are only 25 bottles of the single malt – which it says offers flavours of mango, passion fruit and acacia honey interwoven with a powerful combination of coffee and tobacco smoke – available for sale globally.
Distilled for 240 years, the arrival of a new boiler saw the distillery in 1964 saw Bowmore enter the modern age of distilling, with the drinks maker producing its signature Black Bowmore pour for the first time in November of that year.
David Turner, distillery manager at Bowmore explained: “1964 represents a significant date in the modern history of the distillery. Not only a key moment in how we distilled our spirit, but perhaps even more significant as this very spirit went onto create Black Bowmore.
“These defining moments are fundamental to the history of Bowmore. This collaboration with Aston Martin has allowed us to once again showcase this iconic single malt in the most incredible way.”
