Top new products: October

Beavertown Bandit Brew

London-based brewery Beavertown has teamed up with videogame publisher 2K to create a beer in celebration of the forthcoming game Borderlands 3. Available only in the UK, and aptly named Bandit Brew, the beer is a 2.8% ABV IPA, and is described as having tropical notes of “mango, passion fruit and coconut with fresh citrus and a dry, bitter finish”.

Made with Simcoe, Sabro and Cascade hops, alongside malted barley, malted wheat and oats, Bandit Brew is on sale in can and keg.

RRP: £2.30.

Contact: Honest Brew, trade@honestbrew.co.uk

Glenglassaugh Nauticus

Community pub Nauticus, based in Leith, Edinburgh, has teamed up with coastal distillery Glenglassaugh to release a limited edition single cask malt to mark its first anniversary. After a rigorous blind tasting with Glenglassaugh Master Blender, Dr. Rachel Barrie, founders of Nauticus Kyle Jamieson and Iain McPherson selected Cask 288. The contents of the cask was distilled in 2011 and was matured in a Sauternes hogshead barrel for eight years before being bottled at cask strength this May. The whisky is described as having aromas of “butterscotch, baked pineapple, Sherried fruit, caramel and sea air”, with “salted honeycomb, pineapple and chocolate fondant” on the palate.

RRP: £64.95.

Contact: Nauticus and Royal Mile Whiskies, 0131 629 9055

Ki No Jyu Gin

The producer of Japan’s first gin, the Kyoto Distillery, has launched an ultra-premium expression made with Okuno Yama tea. Called Ki No Jyu Gin Series 1 Gyokuro, it is made from the Okuno Yama strain of gyokuro green tea, known for its intense umami flavour. The company describes the gin, which is bottled at 47% ABV, as having “rich green tea notes and fresh citrus” with “floral aromas and hints of sweetness”.

The gin, which has been produced in small quantities, has been launched in Japan with an international roll-out expected in 2020.

RRP: ¥50,000.

Contact: Kyoto Distillery, enquiries@kyotodistillery.jp

Cù Bòcan Creation #1

Experimental Highland Single Malt, Cù Bòcan, is relaunching with a new look and range designed “to unlock the unusual”. The range comprises three products: its Signature Malt, matured in Bourbon, oloroso Sherry and American virgin oak casks; Creation #1, matured in Black Isle Brewery Imperial stout and Bacalhôa Moscatel de Setúbal wine casks; and Creation #2, which is matured in Japanese Shochu and European virgin oak casks.

Creation #1 has been described as “sweet and buttery with hints of orange marmalade and espresso”.

RRP: £60.

Contact: Royal Mile Whiskies, info@royalmilewhiskies.com

London Essence tonic water

The London Essence Company has launched its Original Indian Tonic Water, which, like its other products, has less than 20 calories per 100ml. The mixer combines lemon, lime, calamansi extract, chinotto and juniper to create an aromatic and tropical yet bitter tonic. Andrea Brulatti, UK prestige brand ambassador for London Essence, said: “We wanted to develop a tonic water that was refreshing, approachable and still retained the London Essence edge.

The citrus blend, which includes calamansi for a refreshing bite, is layered with juniper distillate for a distinctive finish.”

RRP: £1.85.

Contact: London Essence Company, info@londonessenceco.com

1800 Tequila Kojey Radical

1800 Tequila has launched its first essential artist series in collaboration with British rapper, musician, poet and multimedia artist Kojey Radical. The Tequila, which is made from 100% Blue Weber agave, has been released with three bottle designs entitled, Sugar, Where do I Begin? and Pearly. The brand is a longstanding supporter of the arts, and in 2008 launched a similar initiative in the US to champion artists from around the world. The 1800 Tequila portfolio includes silver, reposado, añejo and Milenio variants.

RRP: £40.

Contact: Harrods, +44 (0) 20 7730 1234

Kanpai Saké Miru

London-based Kanpai Saké has released an ultra-premium limited-edition Junmai Ginjo Saké called Miru, made using traditional Japanese techniques. Meaning ‘to see’, Miru is described as an “alternative style of saké”, with a “rich, fruity flavour and gentle acidity” made with Yamada Nishiki rice, 901 Japanese saké yeast and a selected Japanese koji. Kanpai Saké was established five years ago by Tom and Lucy Wilson, and operates out of a commercial brewery in Peckham.

RRP: £45.

Contact: Amathus Drinks, melanie@amathusdrinks.com

Cuvée Maurice Drouhin 2017

Joseph Drouhin has released the 2017 vintage of its Beaune Premier Cru Hospices de Beaunes domaine. Bottled only in magnums, bottles are numbered from 1 to 150 and are finished with a traditional wax seal, packed in cases of three, and housed in a wooden box. Maurice Drouhin, son of Joseph Drouhin, founder of Maison Joseph Drouhin, donated 2.5 hectares of vines to the Hospices de Beaunes in 1947, after the sisters at the institution offered him refuge from the gestapo during the Second World War.

Comprised of Beaune Bressandes, Beaune Avaux, Beauce Boucherottes, Beaune Champimonts, the wine “has a bouquet of sweet cassis, black cherries, spice and forest floor, with a deep, brooding and well-defined structure”.

RRP: £245 (per magnum). 

Contact: Pol Roger Portfolio, polroger@polroger.co.uk

Jameson Caskmates Fourpure

Irish whiskey distillery Jameson has collaborated with London-based brewery Fourpure on a project that sees Jameson’s whisky-finished barrels seasoned with Fourpure’s Shapeshifter West Coast IPA. The resulting whisky has additional notes of “tropical fruit, sweet clementine and full-bodied hops”, according to the distillery. Bottled at 40% ABV, Jameson owner Pernod Ricard hopes the release will help to introduce a new and younger consumer to the brand.

RRP: £30.

Contact: Pernod Ricard, General.PRUK@pernod-ricard.com

Te Mata Alma Pinot Noir 2018

Te Mata, based in Hawke’s Bay, has released its Alma Pinot Noir, made from a single block of mature vines planted in 1999. Alma celebrates Dr James Thomson, a hero of the 1854 Battle of the Alma, during the Crimean War, and an ancestor of Te Mata Estate’s Buck family. The wine was aged in a mixture of new and seasoned French oak barriques for 11 months, and is described as having notes of “wild strawberry, black cherry, marzipan and sage, with cinnamon, woodspice and smoke on the palate”.

RRP: NZ$59.90.

Contact: The New Zealand Cellar, wine@thenzcellar.co.uk

Bobby’s Schiedam Gin

Spirit Cartel has launched Dutch-Indonesian brand, Bobby’s Schiedam Dry Gin and Schiedam Jenever, in the UK. Combining Indonesian spices with Dutch spirits, the two expressions are flavoured with eight and five botanicals respectively. Strongly anchored with juniper, the gin also includes clove, cubeb pepper, cinnamon, lemongrass, rose hips, fennel and coriander. It is described as ‘spicy and fragrant on the nose, with a fresh burst of citrus and herbs at first, with a slight hum of pepper on the finish”.

RRP: £37.99.

Contact: Spirit Cartel, info@spiritcartel.com

Skinny Tonic Water

Skinny Tonic’s story began when founder Ian Minton, now 37, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when he was just 23. Craving the social aspect of drinking in pubs, Minton decided to create a tonic water he could drink. Skinny tonic has no sugar, zero calories and has now sold its one millionth can. Currently available in the yellow Indian tonic variant and the blue light citrus expression, two new flavours will be released soon. These are pink grapefruit and yuzu (pink), and elderflower (green).

RRP: £3.50 for a box of eight 150ml cans.

Contact: Asda, 0800 952 0101

St Peter’s Lightspeed Pilsner

Suffolk-based St Peter’s Brewery has unveiled a new line of beers called ‘The Original Stormtrooper’, launched in time for the ninth and final instalment of the Star Wars film franchise. Officially licensed from Shepperton Design Studios and prop-maker Andrew Ainsworth, the beers are called Original Stormtrooper Galactic Pale Ale and Lightspeed Pilsner, both bottled at 4.2% ABV. Both variants will be available in 330ml cans and keg. The pilsner is said to have “hints of sweetcorn, citrus, resin and stone fruit hop aromas”.

RRP: £2.30 per 330ml can.

Contact: St Peter’s Brewery, beers@stpetersbrewery.co.uk

Bottega Pomegranate Liqueur

Prosecco producer Bottega has launched a liqueur made from Sicilian pomegranates. The fruit is pressed and the juice is extracted before being mixed with grappa and sugar. It is described as having “pleasing tartness’ with an “underlying sweetness counterpointed by a subtle astringent note”. The producer recommends serving the 20% ABV liqueur either chilled or at room temperature. Bottega says the liqueur works well as a palate cleanser after a meal, but also in cocktails or desserts.

RRP: £15.

Contact: Bottega Spa, info@bottegaspa.com

Roebuck Classic Cuvée 2014

Sussex-based Roebuck has released its first wine, a traditional method sparkler made from a blend of Chardonnay (47%), Pinot Noir (38%) and Meunier (15%). The fizz was made in partnership with Hattingley Valley’s head winemaker, Emma Rice. Roebuck is working to create wines in a richer style, with a minimum of 36 months’ lees ageing. The Classic Cuvée has a dosage of 7g/l, and a proportion of the base wines are aged in French oak. Roebuck sources grapes from four vineyards near Petworth.

General manager, James Mead, says: “We’ll only release a wine when we feel that it is at its optimum drinking potential, and if that means longer lees ageing for our future vintages and cuvées, then that is what we will do.”

RRP: £35.

Contact: Roebuck Estates, hello@roebuckestates.co.uk