News Briefs for July 27, 2022

•William Grant & Sons has added a new whisky to the Balvenie’s flagship Cask Finishes range, French Oak 16-year-old. The new whisky, bottled at 47.6% abv, is finished in casks previously used to mature Pineau des Charentes, a French fortified wine made with unfermented grape juice and eau de vie. This marks the first expansion to the Cask Finishes line since 2013, when the Balvenie added the 14-year-old Caribbean Cask. In addition to Caribbean Cask, French Oak joins Doublewood 12-year-old and Portwood 21-year-old in the series. The Balvenie French Oak 16-year-old is now available across the U.S. for a suggested price of $175 a bottle.

•1000 Stories, part of the Concha y Toro-owned Fetzer Vineyards portfolio, is debuting two new wines aged in virgin American oak, American Barrel-Aged Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Retailing at $20 a 750-ml., the two new offerings will roll out in August and October respectively. With the new products, 1000 Stories is also introducing updated packaging across its range, shipping to retailers nationwide in October. Additionally, 1000 Stories has appointed winemaker Sebastian Donoso to lead its winemaking operations. Donoso takes over for founding winemaker Bob Blue, who retired in June.

•Moët Hennessy USA has launched revamped packaging for single malt Scotch whisky brand Glenmorangie. The new look covers the brand’s core releases—the 10-year-old Original, the 12-year-old La Santa, and the 14-year-old Quinta Ruban—and brings bright new colors to the brand, with the core whiskies now featuring orange, red, and green labels and boxes. Although the line is receiving a packaging refresh, the liquid inside is sticking with the brand’s current formulations.

•New York-based Banfi has announced Rosa Regale Sparkling Rosé Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG, the latest addition to the company’s line of sweet, sparkling wines. The wine comes in at 10% abv and is made entirely from Brachetto grapes grown in Italy’s Piedmont region. The new wine joins a sparkling red and sparkling white (made from Brachetto and Moscato grapes, respectively) in the Rosa Regale line and will carry a suggested price of $20 a 750-ml. Rosa Regale was up 15% to 35,000 cases in the U.S. last year, according to Impact Databank.

Tagged : 1000 Stories, Banfi, Concha y Toro, Fetzer Vineyards, Glenmorangie, Moët Hennessy USA, The Balvenie, William Grant & Sons

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