News Briefs for April 11, 2024
April 11, 2024•Ste. Michelle Wine Estates has introduced a new Founders Series under its Columbia Crest brand. Sourced from the Columbia Crest estate vineyard as well as other sources in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, the new range is aimed at the on-premise, where it’s targeted to sell at $15 by-the-glass. It includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay bottlings. Additionally, Ste. Michelle has promoted Guy Barnes to head winemaker of Columbia Crest. Barnes has been working on Columbia Crest brands such as H3, Liquid Light, and Intrinsic for 18 years, most recently focused on white winemaking.
•Texas-based Balcones Distilling, part of the Diageo portfolio, has debuted Mirador Eclipse American Single Malt. The new limited edition uses two strains of yeast—a red wine and a rosé yeast—alongside the house malt whisky yeast, and was matured in a selection of first, second, and third-fill used Kentucky Bourbon casks for four to five years. The 55% abv offering retails at $100 a bottle and is rolling out across Texas, California, Illinois, Colorado, New York, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Missouri, New Jersey, Louisiana, Maryland, Oklahoma, Oregon, Minnesota, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
•Beam Suntory has announced A. Overholt, the newest rye in the Overholt family, with this whiskey paying tribute to the brand’s founder and heritage. The rye is distilled in Kentucky and bottled at 47.5% abv. It’s made from a mash of 80% rye and 20% malted barley, a recipe, Beam notes, that the whiskey’s creator Abe Overholt used in 1810. A. Overholt carries a suggested price of $40 and is rolling out now across the U.S.
•Blackened Whiskey, the brand from Metallica and Sweet Amber Distilling Co., has introduced the 2024 release of Rye the Lightning. The whiskey, a 46% abv rye, is a blend of straight rye whiskies finished in a combination of Madeira and Caribbean rum casks for up to 14 weeks. During the finishing period, the whiskey is exposed to Metallica’s music as part of the brand’s “sonic maturation” program, Black Noise. The 2024 edition of Rye the Lightning carries a suggested price of $70 a bottle and is available across the U.S.
•Voga Italia, imported by Enovation Brands, has launched its namesake still Prosecco in the U.S. The 10.5% abv wine is made from Glera grapes and joins Voga’s Prosecco and Prosecco rosé in the brand’s portfolio. The new release carries a suggested price of $15 a 750-ml. and contains 95 calories per 5-ounce serving. Voga Prosecco DOC Still is rolling out now across the U.S.
•Botanery Barn Distilling has a signed a new deal with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, adding the distillery’s Revivalist Garden Gin to the distributor’s national portfolio. The gin is made with Ashwagandha, verbena, rose, hemp seed, and plum, among other botanicals and is bottled at 42% abv. Revivalist Garden Gin carries a suggested price of $35 a bottle and is part of B.A.R. Brands’ spirits incubator program.
Subscribe to Shanken News Daily’s Email Newsletter, delivered to your inbox each morning.Tagged : Balcones, Beam Suntory, Blackened, Botanery Barn, Columbia Crest, Diageo, Ennovation Brands, Overholt, Southern Glazer's, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Voga
