News Briefs for August 28, 2013
August 28, 2013•Beam Inc.’s Laphroaig single malt Scotch has released a limited edition Càirdeas Port Wood label in the U.S. Created to commemorate Islay’s Feis Ile whisky festival, the new, 102.6-proof expression is aged with Port wood for part of its maturation and features classic peat and charcoal notes. Càirdeas is currently available at select retail outlets, priced at around $74.99 a 750-ml. In addition to the new entry, Laphroig’s stable also includes its 10-year-old, Cask Strength, Quarter Cask, 18-year-old, 25-year-old, Triple Wood, PX Cask and QA Cask variants.
•Woodchuck is extending its line of hard ciders with the launch of Woodchuck Cellar Series. The new range will be released nationwide and will feature a rotating selection of innovative cider styles, rolling out in limited quantities every few months. The Cellar Series will be pasteurized and packaged in 22-ounce bottles. The inaugural release is Dry Hop (6.9% abv), available now through the end of October for $4.99 a bottle. During the dry hop process, fermented cider is strained through a tank of Cascade hops, giving it citrus and pine notes. Woodchuck—which also produces a number of core ciders, limited releases, private reserves and the Farmhouse Select series—is the U.S.’s number-one hard cider brand at 2.5 million (2.25-gallon) cases last year.
•Petaluma, California-based Offbeat Brands has launched its newest wine, Zin-phomaniac, in the U.S. The Lodi-sourced Zinfandel is priced at $18.99 a 750-ml. Created by winemaker Carolyn Craig, Zin-phomaniac’s packaging features artwork designed to evoke the classic “Pin-Up Girl” posters. Offbeat Brands was created in March 2012 by industry veteran Mike Kenton to target Millennial and Generation X consumers.
•News Corp. founder and CEO Rupert Murdoch closed on his deal to buy Moraga Vineyards in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles yesterday for $28.8 million. The sale included the 16-acre estate and a 7,500-square-foot private residence, as well as the winery and cave, brand and inventory. The 2,300-square-foot Moraga winery produces about 1,500 cases of wine annually. The news of the deal was initially leaked by Murdoch himself via Twitter on May 10.
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