New Booze: Fernet, Gin, Vermouth, Rye, Scotch, Bourbon, and Rum
April 23, 2015
As usual, a slew of new spirits hitting the market this spring. Check 'em out below.
Fernet Francisco
Conceived as a way to celebrate the Bay Area’s well-known enthusiasm for fernet, Fernet Francisco is distilled with 12 ingredients local to the Bay Area. At 40% ABV.
Upon creating Fernet Francisco, the founders enlisted distiller Farid Dormishian of Falcon Spirits to assist with development & production and refine the final product. In the end, a secret blend of 12 ingredients were chosen, including chamomile, orange peel, bay leaves, rhubarb and mint. A core distillate is vapor-infused using a concoction of these botanicals, then blended with a medley of herbal infusions using local grape-based brandy and organic natural grain spirit. Fernet Francisco is hand-bottled and labeled.
Fernet Francisco will be distributed throughout the Bay Area and Wine Country, and can be found in selected bars and retail locations. It is bottled at 40% ABV and will retail for a suggested price of $39.99.
Portobello Road Gin
Developed and distilled in London by the team behind the famed Portobello Star pub and The Ginstitute at 171 Portobello Road, Portobello Road Gin will be available on April 20th , 2015, initially in New York and Pennsylvania. Portobello Road Gin is juniper forward and complemented by eight additional botanicals.
Portobello Road Gin was originally developed at The Ginstitute on the top two floors of the Portobello Star, a 19th century public house on London's Portobello Road. The Ginstitute houses a collection of gin related memorabilia including Jerry Thomas’ business card and is home to a 30L alembic still named “Copernicus the Second.” Bottled at a 42% ABV at an SRP of $32.
For more information please visit: www.portobelloroadgin.com.
La Quintinye Vermouth Royal
EWG Spirits & Wine has launched La Quintinye Vermouth Royal in the United States. La Quintinye Vermouth Royal is French vermouth made from white wines from the southwest of France, Pineau des Charentes, a fortified wine made by mixing fresh grape juice and Cognac– and a composition of botanicals.
La Quintinye Vermouth Royal is a tribute to Jean-Baptiste de La Quintinye, born in 1623 in the Charente region, the creator of the Kitchen Gardens and Botanist at the Palace of Versailles for the Sun King, Louis XIV. La Quintinye Vermouth Royal is available in three varieties: Vermouth Royal Rouge, Vermouth Royal Blanc and Vermouth Royal Extra Dry. All share a base of 12 carefully selected plants and spices including artemisia (i.e. wormwood), vine flowers (EWG’s signature), angelica, iris roots, cardamom, cinnamon, cinchona (or quinine bark), citrus aurentium (or bitter orange), ginger, liquorice, nutmeg and quassia amara. Each variant is then completed with its own specific selection of botanicals: in total, 28 plants and spices compose Vermouth Royal Rouge, 18 make the Blanc variety and 27 are used in Vermouth Royal Extra Dry.
La Quintinye Vermouth Royal is available in 750 ml and 375 ml formats, priced $21.99 and $14.99 respectively. For more information, please visit www.laquintinyevermouthroyal.com.
anCnoc Cutter
anCnoc (pronounced a-NOCK), a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky produced at the Knockdhu Distillery, announces the launch of Cutter —the third expression in its Limited Edition Peaty Collection—in the U.S. market. The new release follows Rutter and Flaughter, the first two expressions within the range, which were released last year. anCnoc breaks from the traditional Highland style with the production of its Limited Edition Peaty Collection, named after traditional peat-cutting tools. The initial expressions were Rutter and Flaughter with a smokiness between 11 to 15 parts per million phenol. Cutter is the most intense expression within the range (at 20.5 parts per million phenol).
When Knockdhu Distillery was established in 1894, peat was commonly used as a source of fuel throughout the Highlands. The makers of anCnoc believe that whisky made at the distillery was undoubtedly peaty at the time, but over the years evolved to present-day unpeated style that the Highlands are now known for. The Limited Edition Peaty Collection serves as a nod to this historical note.
The whisky was matured in American oak, ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 46 percent ABV and contains 20.5 PPM phenol. anCnoc Cutter is available throughout the U.S. at a suggested retail price of $85. For more information, visit http://ancnoc.com/.
Copper & Kings Vapor Distilled Absinthes
Louisville-based Copper & Kings American Brandy Co. has launched three American Absinthe variations made with vapor distilled lavender petals, citrus peels and fresh-chopped ginger. The distiller made these new products with classic absinthe botanicals, including macerated grande wormwood, fennel, anis, licorice root and hyssop, with layered aromatics through an additional vapor distillation process.
Each of the new absinthes is 65% ABV and 130 proof with a suggested retail price of $60 per 750 mL bottle. Made through a double distillation in Vendome copper potstills, Copper & Kings uses a Colombard brandy base for the foundation without chill-filtration and without any post-distillation infusion of flavors, sugar or colors.
Copper & Kings Vapor Distilled Citrus Absinthe
Copper & Kings Vapor Distilled Ginger Absinthe
Copper & Kings Vapor Distilled Lavender Absinthe
Alberta Rye Dark Batch Whisky
Alberta Rye Dark Batch Whisky, from Alberta Distillers Ltd., launches in the U.S. market. This rye whisky is bottled at 90 proof with a blend of 91% rye whisky, 8% bourbon and 1% sherry. The aging process incorporates both new charred American white oak and once-used American bourbon barrels.
The distillery, which has been in operation since 1946, was built in southern Alberta because the area’s dry climate and high altitude are ideal for rye crop growth. Alberta Rye Dark Batch Whisky, sells at a suggested retail price of $29.99 for a 750ml bottle, please visit www.AlbertaRye.com.
I.W. Harper Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and 15-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
In 1867, German immigrant Isaac Wolfe (I.W.) Bernheim arrived in America. By 1872, he had founded his own distillery, Bernheim Brothers and Company, soon acquiring the trademark to produce the whiskey ultimately known as I.W. Harper Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. By the mid 1990’s, the I.W. Harper brand shifted its focus to the Asian market and ceased distribution in the United States. Nearly 20 years later, the I.W. Harper brand is returning to the U.S. with two new Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskeys.
I.W. Harper Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey was most recently aged at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville, Ky., and contains whiskeys distilled at the current Bernheim Distillery. It is bottled in Tullahoma, Tenn. The mash bill for I.W. Harper Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is approximately 73% corn, 18% rye and 9% barley.
750 ml, 41% (ABV) $34.99
I.W. Harper 15-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey was distilled at the current Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, Ky. and aged most recently at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville. It is bottled in Tullahoma, Tenn. The mash bill for I.W. Harper 15-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is approximately 86% corn, 6% rye and 8% barley.
750 ml 43% ABV $74.99
Admiral Nelson’s Black Patch Premium Black Spiced Rum
Coming this June, Admiral Nelson’s Black Patch Premium Black Spiced Rum will build on the Admiral Nelson’s Rum franchise as a Black Spiced Rum that is filtered through Bourbon Barrel Charred Oak. The dark Black Patch is a more robust style of Admiral Nelson’s Spiced Rum. Bottled at 94 proof.
Admiral Nelson’s Black Patch Rum will be available beginning in June at $10.99/750ml in 50ml, 750ml 1.75L sizes. For more information, visit www.admiralnelsonsrum.com or admiralnelsonsblackpatch.com
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