Honouring Tsukuriwake, which means “artisanship through a diversity of making”, the House of Suntory has unveiled the launch of the 2022 Yamazaki Limited Edition Tsukuriwake Selection.

Since its launch in 1984, Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky has always been crafted to be revered for its profound and spiritual nature, its complexity and multi-layered nuance, consistently featuring the foundational pillars – Puncheon, Peated Malt, Spanish Oak and Mizunara.

Innovation in Japanese Whisky is known to occur at the back end – in maturation or blending. But few understand the diversity of the whisky components that it takes to achieve this depth and gravitas.

The House of Suntory’s Tsukuriwake in Yamazaki uniquely prides itself in multiple strengths of non-peated and peated grain varieties, two types of washbacks, eight pairs with various shapes of pot stills and maturation in four different oak casks (French, Spanish, Japanese and American) with three cask size differences in American Oak. This makes Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky, a Single Malt quite like no other.

“What excited me most about this launch is that just one year before the 100th anniversary of Suntory Whisky, we can finally share the full story behind our Tsukuriwake way of whisky making, which was born from the Founding House of Japanese Whisky,” says Suntory’s Fifth-Generation Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo.

“The 2022 Yamazaki Limited Edition Tsukuriwake Selection honours the fact that greatness comes from diversity. And in doing so, we unveil what truly makes Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky the authority of Japanese Whisky.”

YAMAZAKI PUNCHEON
The Puncheon is considered the “heart” of what makes Yamazaki Single Malt, Yamazaki. The Yamazaki Puncheon Single Malt Whisky comprises selected malts aged exclusively in puncheons crafted by Suntory artisans from hand-selected American oak.

YAMAZAKI PEATED MALT
The Peated Malt is considered the “hidden accent” giving Yamazaki its complexity and lingering finish. The Yamazaki Peated Malt is comprised of heavily peated malted barley that is masterfully blended to create the quintessential Yamazaki Peated Malt that is gentle and refined.

YAMAZAKI SPANISH OAK
The Spanish Oak is considered the depth-enhancer giving Yamazaki its quintessential multi-layered full flavour with mature fruity notes. The Yamazaki Spanish Oak is comprised of malt whiskies matured in the highest quality oak casks originating from Northern Spain.

YAMAZAKI MIZUNARA
Mizunara is a species of oak native to Japan and is considered the signature enhancer giving Yamazaki its quintessential Japanese character and elegance. Whiskies undergo a long maturation in Mizunara casks taking on a distinctive Japanese spiciness and incense-like flavour of sandalwood and agarwood.

For more information, go to beamsuntory.com

Condesa, the fastest-growing Super Premium Gin in Mexico, will launch two expressions, Clásica and Prickly Pear & Orange Blossom, in the US.

Created to reflect a younger and more cosmopolitan vision of the country that reaches beyond Agave, Condesa Gin showcases the endless possibilities of Mexico’s rich and diverse botanicals and distilling talent.

“The gin category is evolving, as consumers trade up to premium brands from interesting places with compelling stories,” said Britt West, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Spirit of Gallo, the American Spirits Company that imports the brand.

“We know Condesa will appeal to consumers who want a truly unique and creative experience, and we look forward to working with the founders and ownership team to help Condesa reach its full potential.”

Named after one of Mexico City’s most iconic neighbourhoods, Condesa is artisanally made by a team led by award-winning master distiller Hillhamn Salome in a micro-distillery in the heart of the city. Her chosen botanicals nod to local rituals for cleansing the body and mind and amplification of consciousness.

Once a secret of Mexico’s culinary royalty, both expressions have been adopted by some of the best bars in the world from Mexico City to New York, Los Angeles and Rome.

For more information, go to condesagin.com

With a nod to its Southern Heritage, Tennessee Whiskey brand Jack Daniel’s has expanded its Country Cocktail range with the release of its new Hard Tea.

Debuting with four flavours – Original, Peach, Raspberry, and Blackberry – the range looks to achieve a perfect balance of black tea, true-to-fruit flavour, and sweet finish.

“We are excited about our launch of Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails Hard Tea entering the fast-growing hard tea category,” said Keith Cunningham, VP of Partnerships – Pabst.

“Through our partnership with Brown-Forman and the iconic Jack Daniel’s brand, we’ve developed a new twist on the beverage that pays homage to its traditional southern roots.”

Perfect for sipping on the porch paired with a good conversation, each flavour offers drinkers a bold and refreshing quality experience for those who know what tea is all about.

“All four of our great flavours each shine in their own way. It’ll be hard to choose a favourite, but every flavour is guaranteed to deliver a smooth, bright and refreshing experience for consumers,” Cunningham continued. 

The four flavours will be available in a 12-oz can twelve-pack in thirteen states, including CA, TX, ID, AL, GA, SC, NC, TN, KY, IL, MI, WI, and PA. The Original & Peach will also be offered in 16oz and 23.5oz single-serve cans in those limited states.

For more information, go to jackdaniels.com

Global tequila brand Casamigos has teamed up with Iconic supermodel and entrepreneur Cindy Crawford to release its latest expression, Casamigas Jalapeño Tequila.

Crawford’s drink of choice inspired Casamigos Tequila founders George Clooney, Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman to create the jalapeño tequila that is naturally flavoured with jalapeños to create a spicy yet balanced liquid with just the right level of heat.

“As much as I love Casamigos, my go-to drink for a fun night is a skinny, spicy Casamigos margarita,” says Cindy. Casamigas Jalapeño makes it that much easier. It’s Casamigos with a kick!”

For both Cindy and Gerber, this new launch is personal. “Cindy has obviously been part of the Casamigos journey since day one, and I’m excited that she now gets to put her special touches on Casamigas,” he said. “It’s been over six years in the making.”

Made from 100% blue Weber agave from the rich clay soil of Jalisco, Casamigas is naturally flavoured with jalapeños to create a spicy yet balanced tequila, perfect for a spicy margarita or chilled shot.

In addition to the clean-tasting notes of spicy jalapeños, the expression offers hints of citrus, offering, and sweet agave, a pleasant kick that is balanced with a smooth citrus finish.

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The label, also designed by Rande, has Cindy playfully disrupting the traditional label with a fresh and fun design. Flames of fire, a jalapeño and Cindy’s trademark lips and beauty mark are sketched on the label, along with a red “A” crossing out the “O” in Casamigos.

The Casamigos’ founders’ initials are also playfully crossed out with “CC,” and Cindy Crawford’s signature is added in between George Clooney and Rande Gerber’s, finishing the design.

For more information, go to casamigos.com

Taiwanese Whiskey brand Kavalan is releasing its award-winning Triple Sherry Cask expression to the American market.

The brand has aged Kavalan’s velvety texture and signature sweetness in a rare combination of Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez (PX) and Moscatel-aged casks.

The 43% ABV expression produces notes of cinnamon, candied smoked plum, and citrus layered with berry, tropical fruit, and longan aromas, with a dash of honey, chocolate, and toffee.

“We believe Triple Sherry will win the hearts of U.S. drinkers. It’s the only whisky out there that combines three different sherry casks. The Sherry flavours explode with taste and aromas of dried fruits, rich caramel, sweet maltose and tropical fruits,” said King Car Group CEO Mr YT Lee.

After fully maturing Kavalan’s new make spirit in the three individual sherry casks, Triple Sherry Cask reflects a three-stage balancing act of marrying vats. The process allows the three whiskies, once fully matured in the three respective sherry casks, to rest and meld together in perfect fusion, locking in optimal smoothness.

“During this process, the flavours harmonize through a myriad combination of the three sherry cask whiskies, creating up to nine distinct sherry dimensions,” says Senior Blender Zerose Yang.

“With the dried fruits of the Oloroso cask as its main character, Triple Sherry is embellished with the sweetness of PX and Moscatel casks,” Yang continued.

The packaging design features fluid painting intertwined with white, gold, and red colours, which symbolise the multilayered and smooth taste of triple sherry cask whisky. Underscored on the tin capsule is a double silver line, symbolising the Central Mountain and Snow Mountain ranges surrounding Kavalan Distillery.

For more information, go to kavalanwhisky.com

RTD brand The Finnish Long Drink has announced the return of its Peach flavour, the first new flavour to be added to the brand’s permanent expressions in four years.

Originally launched last year as a limited edition, the flavour soon became a fan favourite due to its bright, fresh, and fruity notes of peach.

“We’re beyond ecstatic to make Peach a permanent product in our lineup,” says Sakari Manninen, Co-Founder of The Finnish Long Drink. When we first rolled out the drink as part of our Midsummer pack, we didn’t have any plans on keeping it around past the summer, but the pack performed exceptionally well.

“We’ve waited a long time to introduce a new flavour to the market,” continued Manninen. “However, throughout this time, we have been experimenting and investing time to ensure that any new flavour we develop is truly an authentic long drink. Peach achieved just that and was just too delicious not to share with the world.”

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Honouring the traditional Finnish drink, The Finnish Long Drink was created to bring the “national drink of Finland” to America. Born out of a need to cater to guests of the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, long drinks are now the best-selling category of liquor in the country.