Bombay Sapphire has taken the next step from its Martini glass advertising campaign — functional barware design — with the creation of five unique Martini accessories. Renowned designer Peter Hewitt left the gallery for the bar to create the Bombay Sapphire Collection. The collection includes a stainless steel shaker accented by the Bombay Sapphire logo and sitting atop a blue acrylic base; an olive marinating jar — inspired by a Roman ceramic vessel — made of blue glass on brushed metal legs; a blue acrylic olive pick; a blue glass votive candle and a brushed metal and blue acrylic table card holder.
Circle Reader Service No. 30
America’s oldest distillery, Laird & Company, has intoduced a new, rare apple brandy. Laird’s 12-Year-Old Rare Apple Brandy is now available nationwide after a limited release in the fall. The 88 proof brandy is hand filled into 750 ml apple-shaped cognac-style bottles, and assigned a batch number, bottling date and bottle number.
Circle Reader Service No. 31
Australia’s Rosemount Estate Winery has added a Cabernet Merlot to its series of Double Varietal wines. Rosemount’s first venture with Bordeaux varietal blends, Winemaker Philip Shaw used 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot from a number of vineyards across Australia. The winery says a focus on maintaining the purity of the fruit and varietal freshness has resulted in a youthful and flavorful wine with early drinking appeal.
Circle Reader Service No. 32
The newest entry in the vodka marketplace comes from France. Alps Vodka claims to be the “purest vodka in the world.” The vodka uses mountain spring water from the glaciers of the French Alps and an exclusive wheat strain grown in the Brie region of France. Alps is then produced in small batches and triple filtered.
Circle Reader Service No. 33
Brown-Forman Beverages Worldwide has intorduced Owen’s Estates Wines from south Australia. The wines available are shiraz, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet shiraz, all from the 1998 vintage. The suggested retail price range is $12 to $15. The vineyard was started in 1897, but the winery was idle for many years before being restored in 1985.
Circle Reader Service No. 34
Germany’s Brauerei Beck & Co. has entered the light beer market with its new Beck’s Light. The low-calorie import is still brewed in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot — the German Purity Law of 1516. Beck’s Light is available in six- and 12-pack bottles. The clear glass bottles use a revolutionary new built-in process to protect the beer from harmful UV rays from the sun and indoor lighting.
Circle Reader Service No. 35
Arrow Cordials, from David Sherman Corporation, has expanded with a new line of fruit flavored liqueurs called Smackers. Designed for mixing or drinking straight up, the flavors include Sour Apple, Sour Cherry, Sour Grape and Watermelon. Smackers are available in 50 ml, 750 ml and one liter bottles.
Circle Reader Service No. 36
The newest 100% blue agave mezcal to hit the market is Talapa Mezcal Reposado from Crillon Importers, Ltd. Talapa Mezcal is produced using the traditional, original mezcal distillation methodology of Oaxaca, Mexico. Talapa Mezcal is packaged in a clear bottle with a debossed golden Aztec pyramid in its base and a small booklet neckhanger describing the product’s history and production methods.
Circle Reader Service No. 37
Scotch connoisseurs should be on the alert for the first-ever limited edition Stillman’s Dram Tomintoul Speyside Single Malt. The master distiller of Invergordon has selected whiskies of great maturity from several single malt distilleries in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland to be part of the limtied edition Stillman’s Dram. Each oak cask yields only a limited number of bottles. Cask number 5347 was filled in 1969, and after maturing for 30 years, the total yield was only 298 bottles (750ml) at 45% alcohol by volume. Imported exclusively by Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits USA, each bottle of Stllman’s Dram is numbered and is available on a first come, first served basis.
Circle Reader Service No. 38
Hoping to make a significant impact in the blush wine category, Mystic Cliffs has launched its new White Merlot. Winemaker Ed Filice and his team at Riverland Vineyards in Monterey, CA, use traditional blush wine fermentation in stainless steel with minimal grape skin contact to create a wine they say is drier tasting and maintains all the sophistication of merlot. About 50,000 cases of Mystic Cliffs White Merlot were produced and it is available nationwide.
