News Briefs for March 20, 2025

•Folio Fine Wine Partners is adding New Zealand’s Tiraki to its portfolio. Marlborough-based Tiraki’s Sauvignon Blanc ($24) and Pinot Noir ($35) are launching nationwide both on- and off-premise. Owned by the Hammond family, Tiraki means “clearing of the sky” in the Māori language. In the Folio portfolio, Tiraki joins Piper-Heidsieck, M. Chapoutier, Bibi Graetz, Condado de Haza, Oberon, Dutton-Goldfield, and other brands.

•Maker’s Mark has announced the Keepers Release 2025, the latest whiskey in the Suntory-owned distillery’s Wood Finishing Series. The whiskey is bottled at 54.6% abv and carries a suggested price of $75. This year’s special release, according to the brand, is inspired by Maker’s warehouse workers and their close contact with the whiskey as the seasons change and the barrels age. Like all of the Wood Finishing whiskies, the Keepers Release 2025 is finished using a combination of barrel staves. Last year, Maker’s Mark was at 2.2 million cases in the U.S., according to Impact Databank.

•California’s Rodney Strong Vineyards is launching a new Limited Collection of wines from Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley and Knights Valley AVAs. The new tier includes three inaugural wines—2023 Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($37), 2023 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($37), and 2022 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($37)—with the potential for more wines to join the range looking ahead. “The Limited Tier Collection is an opportunity to not only meet consumers where they are, but also where they are heading—especially in this flourishing premium category,” said Rodney Strong VP of marketing Erica Odden.

•Brown-Forman has released the latest whiskey in Old Forester’s 117 Series, a new bottled-in-bond rye. The whiskey, distilled in spring 2015, is available in 375-ml. bottles for a suggested price of $65. Rolling out at the brand’s distillery and in select Kentucky retailers, the new rye can also be ordered for delivery in Washington, D.C., Kentucky, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and North Dakota. For 2024, Old Forester was up 3.2% to 501,000 cases in the U.S., according to Impact Databank.

Tagged : Brown-Forman, Folio Fine Wine, Maker's Mark, Old Forester, Rodney Strong, Suntory, Tiraki

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