Alcademics

Before the holidays many brands release new spirits or line extensions to existing ones. These are some of what's new. 

Patrón XO Cafe Incendio.

This tequila-based chile chocolate liqueur combines Mexican arbol chile with  Criollo chocolate and Patrón Silver tequila. The Chile de arbol is a small and slender Mexican pepper typically found in the states of Jalisco, Chihuahua and Zacatecas. The Criollo variety chocolate is produced in Mexico’s Tabasco region.

30 percent alcohol by volume, SRP $25.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Sonoma-Cutrer Pinot Noir Finish. 

Released as the latest offering under the brand’s umbrella of nine total Master’s Collection expressions, the Sonoma-Cutrer Pinot Noir Finish was created by  finishing a batch of the original Woodford Reserve whiskey in a used Pinot Noir barrel that was shipped directly from the Sonoma-Cutrer winery in California. The barrels aged three unique vintages of the brand’s Burgundian style Pinot Noir.

The Sonoma-Cutrer Pinot Noir Finish will be available for purchase in select markets within the United States and in limited international markets beginning in mid-October, with a suggested retail price of $99.99 for 750ml.

Wild Turkey American Honey Sting

American Honey Sting is a combination of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and honey with the kick of one of the world’s hottest chili peppers. While the Ghost Pepper  is 400 times spicier than Tabasco, American Honey Sting balances the heat with the sweetness of honey. 

This limited edition product will be available starting in October and comes in 750ml and 50 ml bottles. A 750 ml bottle will retail for $22.99 (prices vary by state). American Honey recommends serving Sting, which is 71 proof (35.5% ABV), as a chilled shot.

The Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso and The Glenlivet Nadurra First Fill Selection

The Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso is available now, while The Glenlivet Nadurra First Fill Selection will be available next spring. The Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso is matured solely in ex-sherry casks. The Glenlivet Nadurra First Fill Selection is drawn from casks made from American White Oak. All expressions in the Nadurra range are bottled without chill-filtration.

The Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso Cask Strength will be released in the U.S., beginning in October at a suggested retail price of $79. The First Fill Selection will also have a suggested retail price of $79 when it is released next spring.

Greenhook Ginsmiths Old Tom Gin 

This is the third style of gin made by the distillery based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in addition to the American Dry Gin, and Beach Plum Gin Liqueur.

The style of Old Tom gin, once extremely popular in the US, disappeared from the American market for many years. Old Tom gins are often considered the “missing link” between a malty Dutch juniper-spirit called genever, and the crisp and “clean” London dry style gin. The Old Tom style was the prevalent gin of England during the 18th and 19th centuries. Due to the recent demand of exacting bartenders looking to recreate classic cocktails like The Martinez and the Tom Collins which call for this all but forgotten variety of gin, Old Toms have been slowly reintroduced over the past decade. 

The gins being made in England during the era of the “Gin Craze” were made in pot stills and better reflected the grains used to make them than London dry gins do. Like the Genevers at that time, these gins were sweetened and were transported and served from oak barrels in Gin Shops and “Gin Palaces” across London. This slightly sweet, expressive gin was known in London as “Old Tom”.

Greenhook Ginsmiths’ Old Tom project began in 2012 through a collaboration with two of Brooklyn bartenders: Damon Boelte of Prime Meats and Maxwell Britten of Maison Premeire. Mr. Boelte and Mr. Britten were instrumental in providing a bartender’s perspective on creating an Old Tom Gin that would both work for classic recreations of Old Tom Gin cocktails and have a strong, lasting presence in the modern cocktail movement. Greenhook Ginsmiths Old Tom Gin begins with a base of pot distilled grain, then is distilled with juniper and spices. It is aged for 12 months in ex-Bourbon casks and finished in Oloroso Sherry butts before it is bottled at 50.05% ABV (100.1 Proof). 

Greenhook Ginsmiths Old Tom Gin will be available in the NY, NJ, CT, Washington D.C., Boston, and London with a Suggested Retail Price of $44.99 per 750ml.