Clean and Press
BrewDog has entered the hard seltzer category with a twist on the drinks found in the US. Rather than being fermented like US seltzers, Clean and Press is made with sparkling water spiked with its Rogue Wave vodka before being infused with natural fruit flavours. BrewDog has created four flavours: white peach and mango; black cherry: blood orange and pomegranate; and pineapple and coconut, with cactus and lime and passionfruit and kiwi to follow.
Mr Black Single Origin Liqueur
Australian coffee liqueur brand Mr Black has released a range of Single Origin expressions of its caffeine-fuelled drink. The first in a series of releases, Mr Black Single Origin – Colombia is made with 100% caturra arabica coffee beans from Colombia, which the company says represents the lighter side of the coffee spectrum when compared to its original liqueur. The beans undergo a natural fermentation before processing, producing a smooth 25% abv liqueur.
Black Lines Negroni
East London based pre-batched cocktail company Black Lines has launched the first of three new summer serves in the form of the Black Lines Negroni. The drink comprises East London Liquor Company London Dry Gin, Campari, Vittore Spanish vermouth and dilution and comes in 500ml bottles that contains five serves. It is also available on tap in a 20-litre KeyKeg. “It provides drinkers and hospitality businesses with a convenient way of serving a perfectly balanced Negroni, anytime, anywhere, without having to compromise on quality,” says Kuleen Khimasia, Black Lines co-founder.
Daymark 1683 Rum
Daymark 1683 is a British rum named in honour of a nautical navigation aid built on the Isles of Scilly in 1683. Triple distilled in copper stills in the UK from a base of Venezuelan molasses with the assistance of the English Spirit company, the rum is infused with samphire and sea salt and aged in British oak casks to give it a deep golden colour. “Having spent many years drinking and enjoying rum on family holidays we were inspired by our roots in the Scilly Isles to create a sipping rum that appealed to whisky and gin drinkers,” says Daymark’s Oli Strong.
BeauFort Fifty-Seven Gin
Fragrance company BeauFort London has used its olfactory expertise to create an oak and hickory smoked gin. At a punchy 57% abv, BeauFort Fifty-Seven uses oak smoked water, an ingredient designed by Heston Blumenthal, which, with the help of Halen Môn smokery, has been modified into a ‘whisky barrel’ smoked water. It is created in small batches with the distillate infused with smoked oak and hickory, Szechuan peppers, pink peppers and citrus oils before being blended with BeauFort’s smoked water.
Abasolo Ancestral Corn Whisky
Whisky lovers looking for something a bit different can try an expression that celebrates the hundreds of varieties of corn grown in Mexico. Abasolo Ancestral Corn Whisky is made from 100% ancestral corn and is finished in new toasted and used oak casks that impart hints of leather, vanilla, toffee and honey.
Cambridge Distillery Negroni
The popularity of the Negroni has led gin producer Cambridge Distillery to perfect a pre-mixed bottled version of the drink made using its Cambridge Dry gin. The ready-to-serve cocktail, which includes Campari and a secret blend of vermouths, requires the addition only of a couple of cubes of ice and a slice of orange to create the classic aperitif. It is available exclusively from the company’s online store, priced at £30 for a 50cl bottle.
Cove Vodka
Devon Cove Produce has launched what it claims to be Devon’s first potato vodka. The result of a year of research, planning and testing, Cove Vodka is made using King Edward potatoes grown on founder Leanne Carr’s family’s farm and spring water and is made using traditional copper pot distillation to create a spirit that ‘captures the essence of Devon’.
Beavertown Nanobot
Beavertown Brewery has added a new low alcohol ‘super session’ IPA to its core range of beers. At 2.8%, Nanobot is described as being ‘a pint-sized powerhouse’ and is brewed with Sabro and Simcoe hops that impart a citrus kick and tropical top notes with oats and wheat added to give the brew a fuller, richer mouthfeel that Beaertown says mimics the drinking experience to that of a regular 5% IPA.
Cait Sith
Hebridean island distillery Wild Thyme Spirits is this month launching Cait Sith (pronounced Caught Shee), an Old Tom style gin that takes inspiration from a mixture of Celtic folklore and the natural surroundings of the Isle of Colonsay, where all the brand’s spirits are produced. The gin – described as being drier than a Dutch Genever, but sweeter than a London Dry gin, and is bottled at 40% abv and has hints of orange, pink grapefruit and vanilla. Serve it in a G&T with a slice of pink grapefruit.
The Balvenie The Edge of Burnhead Wood 19-Year-Old
The Edge of Burnhead Wood 19-Year-Old is the latest release from whisky company The Balvenie. The newest addition to the Balvenie Stories range, it is made from locally sourced ingredients found in the distillery grounds — barley malted at The Balvenie Maltings, water from the Convel hills, and fresh heather from Burnhead Wood — and is said to retain the familiar robust Balvenie taste, with a delicate fruitiness.
LoneWolf Cactus & Lime gin
Launched on 5 May (‘Cinco de Mayo’) LoneWolf Cactus & Lime gin is the latest spirit development from BrewDog Distilling Co. Made in Aberdeen, the gin is a blend of juniper and lime and the juice of pressed cactus and Queen of the Night – a fragrant cactus flower that only appears after dark. It ‘delivers waves of watermelon and lychee which riff perfectly next to the zesty lime delivering an oasis of flavour’, according to the company.