Tod & Vixen’s Dry Gin 1651
If you were going to make a Gin specifically for cocktails, then it would want three of the world’s best bartenders to be involved. And this is what The Vale Fox Distillery has done with their debut spirit, Tod & Vixen’s Dry Gin 1651.
The distillery involved bartenders, Gaz Regan, Leo Robitschek and Jeffrey Morgenthaler, from day one in the gin production that has been specifically designed to enhance flavours in cocktails.
As well as well-known bartenders, The Vale Fox Distillery founder Eral Gokgol-Kline, also enlisted the expertise of British Master Distiller, Roselyn Thomson, formerly with John Dewar & Sons
Tod & Vixen is a lively mix of British sophistication and American mischief. Tod & Vixen’s Dry Gin 1651 is uniquely made by macerating botanicals including juniper and angelica root, retaining these robust flavours with non-chill filtering. The resulting sip is bold on entry giving way to a well-balanced, vibrant gin with a weighty mouthfeel.
Or, as the esteemed Gaz Regan put it: “THIS GIN ROCKS.” Tod & Vixen’s Dry Gin 1651 is now available in New York at select retailers and will soon be available for purchase USA nationwide through select retailers and The Vale Fox Distillery website.
Jägermeister Launches Coffee Liqueur
If you ever thought Jägermeister really needed a shot of coffee to make it complete then the release of Jägermeister Cold Brew Coffee will be just what you’ve been wanting.
The liqueur’s typical blend of 56 herbs, blossoms, roots, and fruits will see the addition of coffee and cacao beans for an extra, all-natural flavour and caffeine kick. The expression is said to have about 10 percent of the caffeine of an average cup of regular brewed coffee.
Jägermeister Cold Brew Coffee allows “Arabica coffee and cacao blend seamlessly with the iconic flavour of Jägermeister,” and will be 33 percent ABV, a couple of percentage points lower than its non-coffee-infused counterpart.
Jack Carson, Mast-Jägermeister US’s director of innovation, suggested that the idea for a cold brew version of Jägermeister was based on something customers already do. “Combining Jägermeister with coffee has been a fan favourite for years, so we wanted to perfect that experience for our consumers and create a product where those flavours were perfectly balanced,” he said.
Jägermeister Cold Brew Coffee is being released in the UK this month and the US release at the beginning of next year.
The Savoy Hotel Launches Its Own Vodka Brand
The Beaufort Bar at The Savoy hotel in London has launched its own vodka brand – Beaufort Bar Vodka.
Now while Vodka may seem to have been relegated to a dusty shelf, in fact, Vodka is one of Beaufort’s top-selling spirits.
With this in mind, the bar team decided to create their own expression in collaboration with The Boatyard Distillery in Ireland.
The organic vodka is made from a wheat base and benefits from the inclusion of Champagne yeast, leading to a “distinctive and flavourful” vodka with a “full-bodied finish”.
The 43% ABV vodka is designed to be enjoyed in classic cocktails like the Martini, as well as straight up. The team are also developing an unconventional highball serve for it.
According to its makers, the expression has a “highly pronounced” aroma, with “a uniquely creamy-smooth character” offering “a blend of sweet-savoury flavours and notes of beeswax”.
The bottle boasts a matte black label with a crimson embossed design that complements the bar’s Art Deco interiors and bartenders’ black and red blazers.
The 43% ABV vodka is designed to be enjoyed in classic cocktails like the Martini, as well as straight up. The team are also developing an unconventional highball serve for it.
Kyoto Distillery Launches Ki No Jyu Gin
Ki No Jyu Kyoto Gin Series 1 Gyokuro is the first expression in the new Kyoto Gin Series.
Available in small quantities, the range takes inspiration from the history and culture of Kyoto and will see the distillery partner with local farmers and artisans.
Ki No Jyu is made from Okuno Yama tea, a type of Gyokuro green tea. Okuno Yama is grown in Uji’s oldest tea garden, which dates back to the 15th century.
Head distiller Alex Davies and the distilling team used a small copper pot to extract the essence of the tea. The distillers spent 12 months blending and experimenting before settling on the final product.
Bottled at 47% ABV for “maximum intensity”, Ki No Jyu has notes of rich green tea and fresh citrus. It is recommended served neat.
The bottle design has been created in partnership with the Kira Karacho studio, which hand-printed the jewel design on local washi paper from a woodblock.
The printed washi paper is then divided into six pieces and applied to each bottle. The velvet cloth and tung wood box are also made by local craftsmen and printed with jewel patterns.
Pickering’s Christmas Baubles
If you’re thinking it’s too early to be thinking about Christmas, then think again as Pickerings Gin have just released their 2019 Christmas baubles.
This year the brand is pulling out all the stops with a gift box of six flavoured gins including Christmas clementine, festive cranberry, spiced pear and cinnamon, figgy pudding, plum and ginger, and Brussels sprout.
The Brussels sprout flavour ha, of course,e garnered the most attention, with Pickering’s saying that the gin is “unmistakably ‘sprouty’ with a surprisingly sweet, slightly nutty taste with a green, herbaceous and peppery twang”.
The distiller first launched its gin baubles in 2016, selling out of the 30,000 spirit-filled orbs in one minute and 22 seconds. The following year it aimed to produce one million baubles, almost quadrupling its workforce to meet the demand.
Marcus Pickering, co-founder and head of exports, at Pickering’s: “This year we really wanted to spice things up and to take the original and best gin bauble to the next level. We are thrilled to finally be able to share our unique festive flavoured gin baubles.
The limited-edition bauble six-pack is available on the Pickering’s website for £25 (unfortunately only for UK shoppers).
