Top 10 new products in June

Shorn Pinot Noir

Kingsland Wines has added a new wine to its New Zealand brand Shorn. The range has been joined by a Marlborough Pinot Noir dubbed Ram-sey with an RRP of £10.99. Ramsey is the older brother of Shorn, the £8.99 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, which was launched in 2012. The wine will be officially launched to the trade at the London Wine Fair in June where Kingsland is taking its largest stand to date.

Marketing director Neil Anderson said, “Adding a Pinot Noir to the Shorn brand was a natural progression for us… Ram-sey is a strong addition to our family and we are looking forward to introducing him to the trade.”

To celebrate the arrival of the new family member, the packaging and Shorn branding have had a revamp. Both Shorn and Ram-sey now use textured paper stock and pewter foiled shears.

Kingsland, Neil Anderson, Shorn and Ram-sey “will be bleating over at pen” Q40 at Olympia 2-4 June.

RRP: £10.99.
CONTACT: Kingsland Wines +44 (0)161 333 4300

Drambuie Gift Box Set

Drambuie has unveiled an exclusive gift pack for global travel retail. The pack contains a 50cl bottle of Drambuie Original and Drambuie 15, presented alongside two engraved glasses. Drambuie Original is a blend of aged Scotch whisky, spices and heather honey with origins that stretch back over 260 years. Drambuie 15 meanwhile, is crafted by chief blender Derek Mclnally, who drew from the Drambuie Liqueur Company’s selection of 15 year old Speyside malts.

The premium set will also include the recipe for a Rusty Nail, the Drambuie cocktail made famous by the Rat Pack in the 1950’s.

Will Birkin, regional manager for global travel retail is confident in the “premium look and feel of the set,” that “will guarantee on-shelf stand out.”

RRP: £32.62
CONTACT: Will Birken – will@drambuie.com

Taylor’s 1863 Single Harvest Port

Taylor’s has raided its library collection to release a single harvest tawny Port from 1863.

Describing the Port as coming from “the last great harvest before the spread of phylloxera in the Douro”, Taylor’s describes its release as a response to the “continuing demand for rare wood-aged Ports”.

Recent years have seen this area emerge as a major focus for Taylor’s. In January 2014 it launched the first in a series of 50-year-old single harvest, cask-aged Ports, releasing 2,000 bottles from 1964. The house unveiled this 1863 follow up in Hong Kong on 26 May ahead of the London Wine Fair launch on 3 June, where managing director Adrian Bridge will present it as part of a masterclass on aged tawny Port. Each bottle is accompanied by a certificate from Bridge, who describes the Port as being “like a time capsule, offering a fascinating glimpse into the distant past.”

RRP: £3,000
CONTACT: Mentzendorff +44 (0)20 7840 3600

Beefeater Spirit of London design

Beefeater’s Spirit of London limited edition has been designed to mix patriotism with style and a hint of eccentricity to capture the essence of modern London.

With maximum on shelf stand-out, the bottle catches the eye thanks to its striking Union Jack wrap-around design. J.C. Iglesias, brand director for Beefeater, comments: “Beefeater has long been a worldwide success thanks to its award-winning consistent quality and instantly recognisable taste, but also for its innate links to London, a city which continues to inspire and excite gin fans worldwide. As the only historic dry gin still distilled in London, we wanted to celebrate the contemporary spirit and traditional eccentricities that encapsulate our city.”

RRP: £17.99
CONTACT: Pernod Ricard +44 (0)20 8583 4484

P&F Pinot Noir Sparkling Rosé 2013

In the hills around the village of Jeruzalem in Eastern Slovenia lies a small winegrowing region where white wines are produced, and it is from here that Puklavec and Friends Wineries handpick their grapes to create this sparkling rosé wine, produced according to the Charmat method using Pinot Noir.

The rosé, described as a “light” and “lively” wine that “oozes freshness” with its intense varietal character, boasts aromas of ripe red fruit and cranberries. It is said to go well with moderately sweet desserts, or simply on its own.

RRP: £8.99
CONTACT: P&F Wineries +31 (0)13 820 0268

Darkness! Whisky Range

Sourced from Scotland’s top distilleries and gloriously dark in colour, the whiskies in the new Darkness! range attain their depth from a three month finish in specially coopered 50-litre Sherry casks that previously held some of Spain’s top Sherries.

Notable bottlings include a “delectable” 21-year-old Ardbeg, finished in Oloroso Sherry casks, a 16-year-old Clynelish and a “sublime” Macallan finished in a Pedro Ximénez cask. The range doesn’t aim for sophistication, but instead is made up of big, bold “Sherry monsters”.

RRP: £59.95 – £109.95
CONTACT: +44 (0)1892 888 376

G.H. Mumm Limited Edition F1 Brut Cordon Rouge

Champagne G.H. Mumm has launched a limited edition F1 Cordon Rouge bottle emblazoned with the victorious laurel crown and the number “one”.
The official sponsor of Formula One since 2000, Mumm’s annual Cordon Rouge edition portrays itself as a mark of victory and celebration with its vivid red sash that reflects the Legion d’Honneur.

Vicky Hoey, head of Champagne and prestige spirits at Pernod Ricard UK said: “F1 is deeply rooted in British history and people love to emulate that podium moment.” The limited edition G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge Formula One bottle is available in the UK from Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsburys.

RRP: £32
CONTACT: Pernod Ricard +44 (0)20 8583 4484

Viñalba Rosé 2013

In line with the rest of its range, the new Viñalba Rose aims to be Provençal in style but with the purity of fruit that is the signature of Argentina. The wine is a blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache from 15-year-old vines. Viñalba is now one of the UK’s leading premium Argentine wine brands, and retains as its core focus a number of Malbec-dominant blends along with a range of single varietal wines.

The brand now has 13 listings across the major retailers including Asda, Sainsbury’s, The Co-operative and Waitrose. Jon Pepper MW, managing director at Buckingham Schenk, comments: “The estate’s winemaker, Hervé, has spent several years perfecting the style of the Viñalba rosé. The result is a beautiful mix of styles – a delicate colour and restrained palate but a wonderful purity of fruit which is the hallmark of all Vinalba’s wines. We’re delighted to launch it with Majestic.”

RRP: £11.99
CONTACT: www.majestic.co.uk

Green King Craft Beers

Greene King has been producing craft beers in Bury St Edmunds since 1799. Yet it was not fully capitalising on the growing trend for small batch, speciality beers. So at the end of 2012 it commissioned Ziggurat Brands, the agency it had worked with on several branding projects in the past, to brand a new range.

The design draws on the heritage of Greene King: the crown and arrows of St Edmund’s legend and serrated edges to the label make it look like a page torn from a medieval book.

“For the first time in a generation a large number of young drinkers are experimenting with interesting new beer flavours,” says Dom South, marketing director at Greene King. “It is a great opportunity for us.”

CONTACT: www.greeneking.co.uk

Camus Rarissimes 40 Year Old

Camus has expanded its Rarissimes range with the launch of a 40-year-old Cognac, of which just 991 decanters have been made available.

Drawn from three casks, the release is said to give flavours from fruit to oak with floral and spicy notes, leading to a “marron glacé” – a chestnut candied in sugar syrup and glazed.

Available worldwide from June at an RRP of US$780 per bottle, Camus Rarissimes 40 Year Old is decorated with the platinum Camus plaque to “emphasize the bottle’s uniqueness”.

CONTACT: www.camus.fr

RRP: US$780