Liquid assets: December 2023

Brugal Colección Visionaria rum

Colección Visionaria is the first edition of a limited-edition sipping rum from Dominican rum brand Brugal. The rum is made using Brugal’s cask toasting technique with sees virgin European oak casks toasted with hand-picked Dominican cacao beans. The cacao beans are then removed before the rum is added into the toasted casks, a technique that Brugal says adds a layer of depth and complexity to the liquid without the cacao beans ever touching the rum directly. The result is a ‘rich, elegant, and well-rounded sipping rum, without any added sugars or additives’, it says. The rum is priced at £80 with only four batches being distilled globally.

Elephant Gin

In celebration of its 10-year anniversary, Elephant Gin has released a limited-edition gin called African Explorer. The 40% abv spirit builds on the success of Elephant Gin to further highlight African ingredients from across the continent, using aromatic buchu leaves, monodora (African nutmeg), white ginger, baobab, and lion’s tail and sumbala seeds from Burkina Faso. The new spirit is described as ‘bursting with citrusy’ and herbal flavours. 2023 also marks a moment of growth for Elephant Gin with the opening of a new state of the art distillery near Hamburg, Germany, which is also open to the public for distillery tours. 

Flýte whisky cream liqueur

Northumberland distillery Ad Gefrin has used its Tácnbora whisky as a base for a new whisky cream liqueur that has been released in time for Christmas. Infused with scents of vanilla and notes of cacao, toffee, and salted caramel, Flýte is made with double cream and is said to pay homage to the Anglo-Saxon tradition of celebrating victories in grand feasting halls. The liqueur has an abv of 17%.

The Busker Irish Whiskey Small Batch Single Pot Still

The Busker Irish Whiskey has launched its latest release that is also its first small batch offering. The Busker Small Batch Single Pot Still whiskey is triple distilled and matured in first-fill bourbon casks and then finished in oloroso sherry European oak butts and is described as having an ‘aromatic complexity’ with notes of leathery tobacco, spice, and autumnal fruits, such as figs, sultanas, prunes, and damsons. “The batch is an exquisite example of single-pot whiskey perfection, showcasing The Busker’s opulent flavours that are full-bodied, bold, powerful, and well-rounded,” says master blender Caroline Martin. The new whiskey has an abv of 46.3% and is priced at £46 a bottle.

BrewDog/Grind coffee stout

BrewDog has teamed up with sustainable coffee company Grind to create a new coffee stout. Packaged in an eye-catching pink can that is modelled on Grind’s coffee container, the 6% abv stout is infused with caffeine. Simcoe hops and Crystal Malt to create a rich and full-bodied beer with strong coffee notes and a smooth and sweet dark chocolate finish on the palate. BrewDog and Grind first collaborated in 2022, with the opening of a Grind café at BrewDog’s flagship London bar in Waterloo.

Never Say Die Rye Whiskey  

British bourbon brand Never Say Die has launched its first rye whiskey. Following the same trans-Atlantic ageing process as the brand’s bourbons, the small-batch rye is transported in its original casks from Kentucky to the UK for a second maturation at White Peak Distillery in Derbyshire. The contrasting climatic conditions of this journey combined with the increased agitation of the liquid as it makes its maritime voyage across the Atlantic results in the spirit’s ‘distinctive and pronounced flavour profile that is beyond its years’. Priced at £65, the spirit is described as well-balanced with a rounded profile that offers ‘punchy spices and buttery richness layered with top notes of citrus and green herbs’. “Never Say Die Rye is bottled at an abv of 52.5% or 105 proof, which pays homage to the #5 silks that famous thoroughbred champion Never Say Die wore in his thrilling 33-1 upset victory at the 1954 Epsom Derby,” says Never Say Die co-founder Brian Luftman. 

Nine Tines vodka

Yorkshire-based Collaboration Spirits has launched a small-batch premium vodka using potatoes grown in the Yorkshire Dales. Nine Tines Vodka also uses Yorkshire spring water and is distilled 30 times over copper plates before being filtered through charcoal and takes its name from the number of ‘tines’ on a potato fork which is used to lift the potatoes from the ground. It is described as having a ‘toffee-like sweetness, with vanilla and delicate warming spices perfectly balanced by savoury earthy notes’ that suits sipping neat or in a Martini.

Tácnbora Islay Cask limited edition

Also from Ad Gefrin, England’s northernmost distillery, comes the second release of its Tácnbora Islay Cask limited edition small-batch whisky. A blend of Scottish and Irish whiskies, the spirit is matured in Islay casks and aged for five months for a smokey and peated finish with notes of vanilla, honey, and dried fruit notes with subtle hints of smoke, chocolate, and spice.

The Black Lines

Bottled cocktail specialist The Black Lines has relaunched its Oatnog in time for the Christmas season. The product is being billed as decadently creamy yet deliciously dairy-free with just the right amount of festive spice. Combining ingredients including golden rum, oat milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, each 750ml bottle contains five serves. Black Lines Oatnog is a vegan take on its egg-based predecessor. Ready to serve two ways, simply poured straight over ice or served warm with a garnish of ground nutmeg, the drink combines winter spices and buttery rum with a rich finish. This year, for every bottle of Oatnog sold, Black Lines will be donating three meals to Londoners through the Felix Project; a charity fighting hunger and food waste across the capital. The Felix Project rescues surplus food from going to landfill and delivers it to over 1,000 charities, schools and local organisations to provide healthy meals and help the most vulnerable in society. 

Meikle Tòir whisky range

Independent Scotch whisky distillery The GlenAllachie has unveiled its new peated single malt Scotch whisky brand Meikle Tòir (pronounced mee-kuhl tor). The peated label’s core range comprises The Original (50% abv), The Sherry One (48% abv) and The Chinquapin One (48% abv), as well as annual small-batch release, The Turbo 2023 Edition (50% abv). Each whisky carries a five-year age statement. All Meikle Tòir expressions were subjected to a lengthy fermentation time of 160 hours – nearly triple the industry average – that adds a fruity, ester-rich character to the subsequent whisky, says the distiller. After an initial period in American oak, The Sherry One underwent additional maturation in quality pedro ximénez and oloroso sherry puncheons; The Chinquapin One was first aged in American oak before being transferred into chinquapin virgin oak barrels from the Northern Ozark region of Missouri in the US; and The Turbo was aged in three American virgin oak casks and five oloroso Sherry hogsheads for five years. The whiskies are all priced at around £50.

BOBO boxed wine

Chris Wawak and sommelier Amber Gardner, former wine director of NoMad, are aiming to raise the profile of boxed wine with their new brand BOBO. Three wines are currently available boxed - chenin blanc, cabernet franc, and Provence rosé - that cut carbon emissions by 90% compared to glass bottles. Château Camp Long Côtes de Provence Rosé 2022 is made from a blend of red grapes with the wine left to age in stainless steel tanks before bottling; Château de Parnay Saumur ‘Le Blason de Parnay’ chenin blanc is made using Chenin Blanc grapes from hilltops overlooking the Loire Valley; and Château de Parnay Saumur-Champigny ‘Le Blason de Parnay’is grown on the same Loire Valley estate as the chenin blanc and is made from Cabernet Franc grapes that are juiced and held in steel tanks for a short ageing process. The wines are priced between £43 and £46 and are available in 2.25-litre boxes.

The Bottle Cocktail Shop 

The Bottle Cocktail Shop has launched a Margarita made with Cazcabel Tequila. The bottled cocktail creation is based on the citrus and black pepper notes of Cazcabel 100% Agave Blanco Tequila and enhanced by a spicy kick of the Poblano Chile Liqueur. “With the Cazcabel Margarita we are delivering the popular spicy flavours of Mexico to people’s doorsteps without the fuss of cocktail preparation and at an affordable price point,” says The Bottle Cocktail Shop co-founder Ciarán Smith. “Our goal has always been to provide our customers with expert bar quality cocktails they love, right at home.”