Scottish Whisky distillery Loch Lomond has collaborated with English golfer Lee Westwood to create a 25-year-old single malt called the Lee Westwood Single Cask 1st Edition

Bottled at 55.3% ABV, the limited edition was distilled in 1996 and matured for 25 years in refill American oak. The 25 years ageing was chosen to mirror the number of wins Westwood has had on the European Tour.

With tasting notes of ripe peach and crisp apple, with orange zestiness, the expression has a finish that offers a caramel sweetness, toasted oak and juicy pineapple, followed by warming sugar and cinnamon spice.

“I’ve been hugely passionate about single malts for many years, so to see an outstanding whisky bearing my name is a huge privilege and a great pleasure,” said Westwood. “It’s been a pleasure to work with Michael and the team at Loch Lomond Whiskies to develop the Lee Westwood Single Cask Edition.”

Westwood is the latest golfer to become a Loch Lomond Whiskies ambassador, after Colin Montgomerie and 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke. He agreed to the partnership ahead of The Open golf tournament, which is being held this week (15-18 July) at Royal St George’s in Kent, England.

Colin Matthews, Loch Lomond Whiskies CEO, added: “We’re absolutely thrilled to add Lee to our roster of iconic golf ambassadors. He is a global star and has enjoyed tremendous success across the world and most importantly a great guy, so the perfect fit for our brand.

“We wish him the best of luck at Royal St George’s this week and hope he continues the great form he has shown recently. We look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead.”

For more information, go to lochlomondwhiskies.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.

PIN IT

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.”

PIN IT

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.