Royal Salute 51 year old, Blue Run Cask Strength Rye, and newcomers from Adelphi and The Whistler are among the offerings featured in Whisky Advocate’s latest weekly roundup.The magazine’s website has all the details.
Bacardi has partnered with e-commerce company Thirstie to create e-gift cards for its spirits portfolio in what it says it is a first for the industry. “By offering Bacardi branded e-gift cards in partnership with Thirstie, not only are we meeting the high demand for spirits during the holiday season, but we’re creating an additional channel for the spirits industry to engage and interact with end consumers in a meaningful way,” said Alex Tomlin, SVP, head of marketing, Bacardi North America. Bacardi is launching e-gift cards for its portfolio through its Mix Lab app (offering labels like Patrón, Bombay Sapphire, Angel’s Envy, Bacardi Reserva Ocho, and Dewar’s), while Grey Goose has its own site offering branded e-cards. E-card redemption for delivery and shipment is available in key markets throughout the U.S., including CA, CT, DC, FL, IL, MN, MO, NJ, NY, and WA.
Utah-based High West is launching new entry High Country Single Malt nationwide early next month. Retailing at $80 a 750-ml., the newcomer is at 44% abv and is the first of the brand’s High Country bottlings to be finished in part in Oloroso sherry barrels, with no peated malt in the blend. Made from 100% High West distillate in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, the whiskey is unfiltered and distilled on the grain. Part of the Constellation portfolio, High West was up 15% to 132,000 cases in the U.S. last year, according to Impact Databank.
Código 1530 has partnered with Playboy on a new special edition Tequila, Rare Hare Double Barrel Añejo. Aged in French oak Napa Valley Cabernet wine barrels and finished in Spanish Sherry-Fino casks, the new entry comes in a wooden presentation box and retails at $899 a bottle, with 1,530 individually numbered bottles rolling out. Rare Hare is available on the websites of both Código 1530 and Playboy, as well as in select retail outlets.
Mark Kent, former U.K. ambassador to Argentina, has been tapped as the new leader of the Scotch Whisky Association, following current chief executive Karen Betts’ departure in January 2022. Kent has served in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for over 30 years and, beyond Argentina, was the U.K.’s ambassador to Thailand and Vietnam among other diplomatic posts. Betts, the first woman to lead the SWA, is taking a role leading the Food and Drink Federation.