News Briefs for October 15, 2024
October 15, 2024•Clase Azul México has announced the release of Tequila Día de Muertos Edición Limitada Música, the fourth installment in its annual, limited-edition collection Nuestros Recuerdos (“Our Memories”). The luxury Tequila is being released in a supply of 10,000 1-liter decanters retailing at $1,500 apiece. According to the company, Música celebrates the sounds and rhythms that embody the spirit of Mexico’s Día de Muertos, or “Day of the Dead.” The Tequila saw a 26-month aging process, beginning in American whiskey casks before being split into two batches—one finished in Scotch whisky casks from the Isle of Skye, and the other in casks from the Speyside region—before final blending and bottling at 40% abv.
•All along the West Coast, the original inhabitants of North America’s prime wine regions are investing in their nations’ future by putting down roots in vineyards. For Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Wine Spectator spoke to representatives from four native communities leading the way in the world of wine, to find out how their enterprises have evolved over the past decade, and to learn how winegrowing supports their individual and tribal identities as stewards of the land. Here’s the full story.
•Myers’s Rum, part of the Sazerac portfolio, has announced six new rums, including a collaboration with Foursquare Rum and a new series aged in Buffalo Trace Antique Collection barrels. The first rum, Signature Legends Collection—The Legacy Blend #1 ($50), is a 47% abv blend of Jamaican and Barbadian rums created by Richard Seale, blender and distiller for Foursquare. The Signature Cask Collection, meanwhile, sees Myers’s dark rum finished in casks that held George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller, Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old, Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye, and Eagle Rare 17 Year Old respectively. The Signature Cask rums are bottled between 41.5% and 50% abv, depending on the finishing cask, and retail at $80 a bottle. Both the Legacy Blend and the Signature Cask Collection are rolling out now.
•Grain & Barrel Spirits has appointed John Roa as general manager, North America. Roa previously served as senior vice president of sales at Samson & Surrey, the craft portfolio owned by Heaven Hill Brands. Prior to Samson & Surrey, Roa spent 20 years at Bacardi USA, rising to become vice president and managing director of the eastern sales division. Charleston, South Carolina-based Grain & Barrel is known for its Chicken Cock whiskey label, and also markets Tequila Eterno Verano and Dixie Spirits among other brands.
•Viarae, the Prosecco brand from Gallo and celebrity partner Issa Rae, is extending with a Prosecco Rosé DOC. Retailing at $20 a bottle, the new offering is a blend of 88% Glera and 12% Pinot Noir and is debuting nationally in select retailers. Initially launched in select markets a year ago, Viarae reached national distribution in March and has seen a fast start out of the gate, Gallo told SND.