Glenmorangie to Maker’s Mark, the best new liquor launches of August

Schenelle Dsouza 

The liquor industry is constantly welcoming delicious new expressions every couple of months, and the month of August has seen some of the most exciting creations right from coffee-infused tequila to rum that is meant to be enjoyed like a whisky. Check out all the delicious new liquor launches of the season.

Ardbeg Smoketrails Manzanilla Edition

Renowned Islay Single Malt Ardbeg launched a series of new whiskies under the exclusive Global Travel Retail: Ardbeg Smoketrails. The first release in the new collection is the Ardbeg Smoketrails Manzanilla Edition which combines malt matured in classic Ardbeg American oak casks with Manzanilla sherry casks from Sanlúcar de Barrameda on Spain’s Atlantic coast. This unique preparation method gives the spirit a salty, maritime character combined with a powerful blast of classic Ardbeg smoke.

Cazadores Café

Coffee and tequila are a match made in heaven. The rich flavour of coffee when blended with the crisp notes of tequila complements the other perfectly, delivering a rich, distinguished spirit. The Cazadores Café is a delicious agave-caffeine mix that is prepared using a diffuser method to extract the juices from the agave plant, a method usually frowned upon by tequila purists. Another step away from tradition – during the production phase –Cazadores subjects the barrels to the soothing tunes of Mozart during the fermentation process, which the brand claims, helps “to soothe the yeast and water particles to create the best possible taste for the tequila.” The resulting flavour profile comprises notes of vanilla, chocolate, and richly roasted coffee for a bold, smooth spirit with a subtle sweetness.

Glenmorangie A Tale of Forest

Glenmorangie has been playing around with its expressions for a while now, and the brand’s latest experiment is A Tale of the Forest. This is Glenmorangie’s first-ever whisky to be crafted from barley kilned with woodland botanicals. The inspiration for this new creation came to Dr. Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s Director of Whisky Creation as he wandered the woods near his home, catching the scents, sounds and sights of the forest as he treaded through. He captured the essence of nature and the forest using a delightful mix of flavours including peppermint, eucalyptus, bitter orange and vanilla with hints of black liquorice.

Glen Scotia 48 Years Old

Glen Scotia may have been neglected over the years, but its new 48-year-old aged whisky has managed to put the brand back into the spotlight. The new whisky, laid down back in December 1974,  comes from some of the Campbeltown distillery’s oldest casks. The whisky was first aged in refill and first-fill bourbon barrels for 43 years, followed by five years in a first-fill oloroso hogshead and finally finished in a second-fill PX sherry hogshead for six months. Limited to 250 bottles worldwide, the whisky will be available in the US, UK, Europe, China, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, and South Africa for a shiny price tag of £11,000. The official tasting notes include red apple, brown sugar, Seville orange, green herbal notes, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

Maker’s Mark^® Cellar Aged Bourbon

Maker’s Mark has been known to churn out good quality whiskies that have never been aged for more than 10 years. However, breaking from this cycle the brand is set to release its very first older, age-stated expression, the Cellar Aged whisky. The process is as follows, the whisky is first aged in the distillery’s traditional bourbon warehouses for six years and then moved into its whiskey cellar for an additional five to six years of ageing. The whisky cellar’s cool environment helps to slow down the tannic extraction from the barrel while the whisky oxidises, giving it the complex flavour that Maker’s Mark is best known for. Bottled at a cask strength of 115.7 proof, the Cask Aged whisky is a blend of 11- and 12-year-old bourbon, the oldest-ever expression from Maker’s Mark. Maker’s Mark announced that this will be an annual release. As for the process, the unique maturation approach will be consistent every year, while the blend of aged bourbon will vary.

Papa’s Pilar Ernest

A rum that is meant to be enjoyed like whisky is how Papa’s Pilar is describing their new exclusive edition rum, Ernest. A tribute to Ernest Hemmingway on his 124th birthday, the rum captures his spirit of adventure and literary brilliance, while mimicking the very essence of Papa’s Pilar. The limited-edition rum is made using a blend of a 4.5-, 5-, and 23-year-old rum from South and Central America. The double finish blend first put into heavily toasted American oak barrels and later into Cognac and Armagnac barrels for a little less than a month. Bottled at strength of 100 proof, the dark rum has flavours of grapefruit, vanilla, oak, and almond. The crystal decanter is a gorgeous collectible items and comes encased in a teal display box with golden foil and gold riveted piping.

Rare Hare Spirits Lucky Bastard

Canadian whiskies seldom get enough credit in the luxury category and Playboy Spirits is proof. An exceptional Canadian whisky, Playboy Spirits has given the world some of the most exceptional aged whiskies especially with its Rare Hare collection. Previously limited to 17-year-old bourbon and a 1961 vintage cognac, the collection now gets an exceptions Rare Hare 30-year-old whisky. While there isn’t too much information about where the whisky comes from, we do know that the whisky was finished in Pineau Des Charentes casks, a sweet fortified French wine made from Cognac, for 120 days. The copper coloured expression has strong notes of browned butter, caramel, coconut, vanilla and spices.

The Glenlivet Bottled Cocktails

Joining the ongoing trend of ready to serve cocktails, The Glenlivet introduced its own line of bottled whisky cocktails. The first two releases include two classics, an Old Fashioned and a New Manhattan, both bottled with a twist. While the Old Fashioned is flavored with orange, nutmeg, and cinnamon, the New Manhattan uses cherry and ginger as its base flavors. The purpose for the twist, Pernod Ricard explained, was to help young drinkers familiarise themselves with single malt scotch whisky.  “With this new innovative product, we are inspiring people to enjoy single malt scotch on more occasions, and providing a solution to meet consumer demand for high quality, freshly mixed cocktails that are easy to serve and enjoy with friends and family,” Johan Radojewski, Pernod Ricard VP of marketing said in a statement.

Quintaliza Reposado

The Cazadores Café is a delicious agave prepared using a diffuser method to extract the juices from the agave plant, a method usually frowned upon by tequila purists. Then blend is then aged in coffee barrels which are subjected to the soothing tunes of Mozart during the fermentation process. This step, the brand claims, helps “to soothe the yeast and water particles to create the best possible taste for the tequila.” The resulting flavour profile comprises notes of vanilla, chocolate, and richly roasted coffee for a bold, smooth spirit with a subtle sweetness.

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