Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, the Queen’s official residence in Northern Ireland, is releasing a limited-edition gin flavored with rose petals gathered from the castle’s grounds.

The release comes on the heels of the London Gin released last year by Buckingham Palace that was made with botanicals from the palace gardens.

This new release from Hillsborough Castle has been made in collaboration with local distillery Rademon Estate, using “hand-picked” rose petals from the castle’s Granville Rose Garden. The garden was named after its creator, Lady Rose Bowes-Lyon, an elder sister of the Queen Mother and the Queen’s aunt.

Made with Rose petals blended with apples and pears from the castle’s newly-restored Walled Garden, only 400 bottles of the expression are set to be released.

Laura McCorry, Head of Hillsborough Castle, said in a statement. “Like the Castle itself, gin is something of a Georgian success story, so it seems particularly fitting that both seem to be enjoying a renaissance in the twenty-first century!”

For more information on the Hillsborough Castle and Gardens Shortcross Gin, go to historicroyalpalaces.com shop

Kentucky whiskey brand Maker’s Mark has unveiled FAE-01, the first of two limited release expressions from its Wood Finish Series.

Marking the third year of limited releases from Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series, the 2021 release utilises the distillery’s wood stave-finishing technique which emphasizes dark, dried fruit and woody notes and a full-bodied texture.

“Every whisky in our Wood Finishing Series is meant to have a strong point of view; it should tell a story about what we do at the distillery,” says Jane Bowie, director of innovation at Maker’s Mark.

“For 2021 we wanted to use wood to draw out those underlying bold qualities of classic Maker’s that we get from non-chill filtration — heavy oakiness, earthy fig and that creamy, palate-coating mouthfeel. The more we experimented with different stave types, the more we realized one bourbon wouldn’t even scratch the surface of big flavour and texture, so we’re excited to share a pair of releases that tell two sides of a complete story.”

FAE-01, uses an American oak stave seared on one side, and left raw on the other, to amplify dried fruit and oak flavours. Maker’s Mark derives these tasting notes from naturally retained elements of barrel char and organic compounds called fatty acid esters (FAEs), the company says, which are responsible for both fruity tones and texture variations.

“This first release tastes just like a Kentucky barrel warehouse smells,” says Bowie. There’s tons of pleasantly dank wood and tobacco on the nose, and rich, warm raisin and fig on the tongue — it’s literally like sipping on angel’s share.”

Each side of the FAE-01 stave draws out different characteristics of these two flavour components, the company says. The charred side offers dark leathery tobacco notes, while the raw side yields fresh fruit.

The second expression, FAE-02 which will be released later this year, will focus more on a rich, weighty texture.

For more information, go to makersmark.com

Maryland distillery Sagamore Spirits has announced the release of its newest limited-edition rye whiskey, Distiller’s Select Tequila Finish.

Released in the leadup to Cinco de Mayo, the expression finishes Sagamore Spirit Straight Rye Whiskey in Extra Añejo barrels.

The result is a full-bodied yet approachable rye that telegraphs tequila in all the right ways, with hints of agave, citrus, spice, warm oak and vanilla on the nose, and even more agave, peppercorn, fig and orange to taste. Marked at a substantial 98-proof, it is a spirit meant to be sipped and savoured.

“Melding a full-bodied rye whiskey with tequila may sound like a risky move, but our distilling team welcomes risks that can bring big rewards,” said Brian Treacy, Sagamore Spirit’s president.

“Like Maryland-style rye, tequila has a history that’s deeply rooted in a sense of place, so to us, this union made perfect sense. The end result perfectly captures what’s special about each spirit to give fans of both spirits something unexpected, seasonal and full of flavour – just in time for warmer weather.”

For more information, go to sagamorespirit.com

Australian rum producers, Bundaberg Rum, have collaborated with the celebrated NRL footballer to release the ‘Cameron Smith Batch’

The nine-year-old rum has been crafted to celebrate the career of Queensland’s golden boy and arguably NRL’s greatest ever player.

The limited-edition bottling from the makers of the world’s best rum is a premium batch of Bundaberg UP Rum, aged nine years in White Oak – a cheeky nod to Smith’s position as no.9 hooker.

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Sporting all the characteristics of an aged Bundaberg Rum, the liquid has a bold and fruity aroma with subtle hints of oak.

On the palate, this premium rum is full-bodied and complex with notes of rich raisins, molasses and dried fruits that then transcend into a long and smooth finish complemented by aromatic clover and nutmeg flavours.

The first 1,000 bottles signed by the man himself will be available exclusively from the Bundaberg Rum Distillery website from Monday 8^th March, with the dispatch of those bottles the following week.

“What a force, when two winners go head-to-head!” said Duncan Littler, Bundaberg Rum Marketing & Experience Manager of the collaboration.

“It has been our pleasure to welcome a local Logan legend to the Distillery to select his very own rum. We had a lot of fun with Cam – personally, we think rum-making could be his next best career move! Look out for more news on how to get your hands on one. We know this will disappear very quickly!”

During his career, Smith has three Premierships, two Dally M Medals and two World Player of the Year Awards and is statistically believed to be the best player of all time.

For more information, go to bundabergrum.com.au

The founders of the award-winning Mezcal El Silencio, Fausto Zapata and Vicente Cisneros, have announced the launch of Dahlia Cristalino.

The expression represents the prestigious brand’s first new offering since the 2013 debut of their category-disrupting mezcal and is an evocative celebration of the National Flower of Mexico it honours, in both spirit and substance.

Tequila Dahlia honours the beauty and diversity of its origin alongside the storied bloom that has been the object of love, lust, and war for centuries.

“We are delighted to introduce Tequila Dahlia to the world and to our growing portfolio of beloved agave spirits,” says Tequila Dahlia Co-Founder, Fausto Zapata. “We like to think of Dahlia’s arrival as the bright, playfully seductive balance to our darker, more mischievous mezcal, while, of course, maintaining a steadfast commitment to craft that consumers have come to expect from Silencio products.”

Produced in the town of Tequila, Jalisco, Dahlia is made with agaves that have been cooked to ‘optimise extraction and sustainability’, and fermented using a proprietary yeast.

A 100% Blue Weber Agave Reposado Tequila, Dahlia is aged in fine White American Oak barrels for six months, then filtered through activated charcoal for purity and balance.

The bottle is said to imitate a perfume decanter and the design features a crown of agave spears.

For more information, go to tequiladahlia.com

Irish whiskey producer Teeling has added an 18-year-old single malt finished in ex-Muscat wine casks to its Renaissance series.

The third whiskey in the range, the  18-year-old single malt was aged in ex-Bourbon barrels, then finished in ex-Muscat wine casks. The process was said to impart ‘distinct tropical fruit notes with fresh citrus and a touch of mint’.

“We are delighted to launch the third release of our very popular and award-winning Renaissance Series of aged single malts,” said Jack Teeling, founder and managing director of Teeling Whiskey. “These releases are a celebratory bottling series to mark the true renaissance of Dublin as the epicenter for world-class city-based whiskey distillation.

“As the leader of the new wave of Dublin whiskey distillers, we look forward to contributing to and helping the continued renaissance of Teeling, Dublin and Irish whiskey. With our Dublin-distilled Irish whiskey now being exported around the world, we are witnessing a new dawn which is perfectly encapsulated in our Renaissance bottlings.”

Bottled at 46% ABV with no chill filtration, the Renaissance Series Three will have a limited global release with only 9,000 bottles available.

For more information, go to teelingwhiskey.com