News Briefs for August 22, 2024
August 22, 2024•New Jersey-based importer Royal Wine Corp is debuting new offerings from Israeli winery Feldstein, which specializes in indigenous and local hybrid varieties. The wines include a Rosé at $50, Dabouki white ($50), Gilgamesh red blend ($65), and Cabernet Sauvignon ($90). They’re initially rolling out in New York, New Jersey, and Florida, with Connecticut, Texas, Maryland, California, and Illinois to follow shortly. Royal Wine Corp’s portfolio is led by Italy’s Bartenura, which depletes 700,000 cases in the U.S. annually, according to Impact Databank.
•Kentucky’s Bardstown Bourbon Company has launched High Wheat Bourbon, the latest addition to the distillery’s core lineup. The 53% abv whiskey is made from a mash of 53% corn, 39% wheat, and 8% malted barley and is barreled at a low proof of 54% abv and aged for six years before bottling. Bardstown’s High Wheat Bourbon is rolling out now at $50 a 750-ml. In addition to the new core whiskey, the company will release a tasting kit featuring four 50-ml. bottles of each of Bardstown’s core whiskies in time for the holidays. The kit carries a suggested price of $35 and includes the distillery’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey, wheated Bottled-in-Bond, Double-Barreled rye whiskey, and High Wheat Bourbon.
•Many auction houses are taking a summer break, which means there are few high-value Scotches around. Whisky Advocate’s month-end list of the 20-highest single bottle sales for August thus will likely include more American whiskies and more sales under $20,000 than usual. Unicorn Auctions, with no let-up in its auction schedule, has seen more American whiskies sell for $15,000-plus than anywhere else. Its Curated Auction contained a treasure trove of dusty Bourbons and ryes produced during the second half of the 20th century, along with older Pre-Prohibition bourbons such as a rare quart bottle of Four Roses by Paul Jones & Co. that sold for $10,000. Whisky Advocate has more on the latest auction results.
•Banshee Wines, part of the Foley Family Wines & Spirits portfolio, has become the official wine sponsor of rock musician Avril Lavigne’s North American Greatest Hits Tour. The partnership includes a Complicated Red Blend offering, named for Lavigne’s hit song, as well as other brand tie-ins. Banshee ($20-$30 a bottle), from Sonoma’s Alexander Valley, has been a growth driver for Foley, with volume projected to reach 230,000 cases this year.
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