What's hitting the shelves? New beverage launches
Greek rum
Alcohol beverage group, CoreBev Group, has released the ‘world’s first Greek rum’, called Kavo.
Made with locally sourced Greek-island ingredients, Kavo is available in Greece and is expanding to the US and Canada (Connecticut, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Ontario, and British Columbia).
“I wanted to create an authentic product that was unique to my roots and upbringing,” says CoreBev founder and CEO Stelios Stavrianos, whose parents are Greek immigrants. “I’m very passionate about where I came from, and I wanted to take that passion and put into a bottle. And this is the first of its kind.
“Kavo is a premium, white rum that takes inspiration from the rich cultural heritage and natural beauty of Greece’s picturesque islands. The use of unique fruits and botanicals, such as mandarins from Santorini and mastic from Chios, in addition to sugar cane and other herbs and spices found only on Greek islands, give Kavo a distinct fresh and sweet flavor and aromatic profile that sets it apart from other rums on the market. Kavo is perfect for those seeking a new and exciting experience in the rum category.”
The suggested retail price is $30.00 (700 ml bottle).
Baileys Chocolate Liqueur
Baileys has announced the official launch of Baileys Chocolate Liqueur.
“Baileys Chocolate Liqueur combines two beloved treats – Baileys Original Irish Cream and real Belgian chocolate – to bring the pleasures of enjoying dessert to the bar.
“Activating all five senses, Baileys Chocolate Liqueur lets you experience chocolate like never before, best served in a chocolate martini, chilled, or as a dessert shot for when you feel like having something a little more special.”
The brand has partnered with chocolatier Amaury Guichon to create the first-ever Baileys Chocolate Cocktail Bar featuring a 42” tall bar, three bar stools and barware tools including a shaker, jigger and strainer – constructed entirely from 100% real Belgian chocolate.
Black velvet coffee pods
London-based independent coffee brand CafePod has launched a new flavored pod: black velvet – a ‘dark and velvety smooth addition’ to its Nespresso compatible range.
Black Velvet has been created using a mix of attributes from the company’s best-selling blends, Supercharger Espresso and Brunch Blend.
“This newest intense blend has a base of dark chocolate and hints of roasted hazelnut thanks to the refined, high-grown Ethiopian & Colombian arabica coffee beans. Brazilian arabica then adds a caramel-rich finish to the deliciously strong blend,” says the brand.
“Black Velvet is not only great for that coffee kick in the morning but is also the ideal after-dinner treat. It pairs perfectly with indulgent desserts such as a chocolate mousse or torte, and even tiramisu for those that want a double coffee hit!
"Black Velvet takes CafePod’s Nespresso compatible pod range to 14 blends as the brand seeks to cater for all tastes and occasions. The pods are made from 80% recycled aluminium which takes 95% less energy to produce vs. primary aluminium and is still 100% recyclable."
Gorilla Mind
Gorilla Mind – an online fitness and performance supplement company with Gorilla Mind Energy Drinks - has partnered with The Vitamin Shoppe to sell its newest functional energy drink in nearly 700 retail stores in the US and online. It will also add a range of flavor options, including a new flavor launching exclusively at The Vitamin Shoppe.
Gorilla Mind Energy Drinks launched D2C in April and are already the top selling products for the brand.
The performance energy drink contains over 2000 mg of Nootropics, including an active ingredient profile consisting of:
- 1000 mg of N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine
- 400 mg of Alpha GPC 50%
- 200 mg of Caffeine
- 200 mg Uridine Monophosphate
- 100 mg of L-Theanine
- 15 mg of Saffron Extract
- 200 mcg of Huperzine-A
- Plus 5 essential vitamins in their biologically active formats
Gorilla Mind Energy Drinks will be available in six flavors (Arctic White, Black Cherry Vanilla, Orange Rush, Strawberry Candy, Tigers Blood and – exclusively at The Vitamin Shoppe – Sour Melon Candy) with single cans selling for $3.49 and 12-count cases for $34.99.
Vidas Drinks
Vidas Drinks, a new range of better-for-you soft drinks, has launched in the UK.
The range includes ‘relax drink’ Zen; ‘energy drink’ Boost; fine sparkling pomegranate and black seed; fine sparkling elderflower and lemon; and fine sparkling fig.
“Our goal was to create a guilt-free beverage families could trust, without added sugar or artificial sweeteners”, says the brand.
“Teaming up with top-notch beverage technologists, we found the perfect alternative – a hint of pure fruit juice and herbs, optimizing the calorie count while keeping the authentic taste. A significant step towards our vision of the perfect drink – naturally sweet and incredibly tasty!”
White Negroni
On The Rocks (OTR), a US brand of premium ready-to-serve cocktails, is launching a limited release White Negroni for Negroni Week (Sept 18-24).
“The OTR White Negroni Limited Release brings an elegant, gentle twist to the classic Negroni,” says the brand. “Smooth Sipsmith London Dry Gin offers citrus sweet juniper notes balanced with the delicate florals of dry vermouth and a lighter bitter finish.”
The 27.5% ABV beverage is sold in 375ml bottles.
Non-alcoholic tequila alternative
Scottish non-alcoholic spirits producer Spirits of Virtue has launched a range of three non-alcoholic tequila alternatives, as the tequila sector witnesses rapid growth.
Seven Giants is a range of alcohol-free agave drinks, comprising Seven Giants Blanco, Seven Giants Reposado and Seven Giants Añejo, all of which have already been awarded medals at global competitions, including the IWSC and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
“Capturing the spirit of Scotland and the soul of Mexico, the products combine unique highland spring water that has percolated through the granite rock of the Cairngorm mountains for over 50 years with premium blue Mexican agave,” explains the company.
“Spirits of Virtue collaborated with an acclaimed drinks expert to create the award-winning beverages, which closely replicate the styles of their alcoholic counterparts. Provenance and authenticity are key messages; the products boast a combination of organic Mexican blue agave, Texan honey and other natural flavourings, including Indian black pepper.
“Low calorie, low sugar, vegan, gluten-free and Halal-certified, the Seven Giants range comes in a highly tactile, 90% recyclable custom glass bottles, designed to present the agave plant, topped with a cantina style hot branded wooden closure.”
The 0.0% ABV drinks have a RRP of £21.99.
Lammas Day whisky
The Oxford Artisan Distillery, an ultra-premium English rye whisky producer, has announced its inaugural celebration of Lammas Day (the date in the calendar traditionally marketing the start of harvest and a time to celebrate the first crops).
Founded in 2016, The Oxford Artisan Distillery produces whisky using biodiverse populations of 'heritage' grains grown through an approach to grain farming known as Restorative Continuous Grain Cropping (R-CGC). This low input production method requires minimal tillage and zero agri-chemicals.
These heritage grains and farming techniques have been developed in partnership with John Letts, a farmer and archaeobotanist with over 25 years’ experience, and an innovator in this field. The Oxford Artisan Distillery is the only distillery in the world with a license to use John’s grains, a proprietary mix of 30 to 100 different varieties grown exclusively for flavour and not yield.
To celebrate Lammas Day the Distillery have launched Oxford Rye Whisky 2018 Harvest. The recipe of mixed populations of heritage grains is 90% Maslin (rye and wheat grown together) and 10% malted barley. This whisky is double-distilled in both pot and column stills and laid down in American oak casks and a selection of ex-wine casks. The flavour of the heritage grain shines through: a buttery-pastry character with notes of fruit, spice and nut; whilst chocolate and spices pair with herbal and savoury notes leading to a toasted finish.
With the warmer and drier Spring and Summer seasons in 2018, yields were slightly lower compared to 2017. Harvest started earlier and the ripening season was shorter, delivering more of a herbal character to the whisky.
Oxford Rye Whisky 2018 Harvest retails at £55.00
Frazy introduces boba tea
Frazy, a US custom beverage startup, has added Frazy Boba Tea to its lineup with six flavors: peach black tea, mango black tea, brown sugar milk tea, almond black milk tea, milk black tea and thai milk tea.
Frazy Bottles are 2.75 oz. concentrated versions of specialty boba teas and coffees delivered in compact, shelf-stable bottles straight to consumers’ doors. Frazy Boba Bottles start at $5.99 and are sold in six or 12-packs that can be mixed and matched to create an assortment of customized boba drinks. Consumers simply add water to the concentrated Boba Tea in the Frazy Bottle.
Thenew boba teas are ‘highly customizable’; and come with vacuum-sealed packets of boba tapioca pearls and milk powder. “Consumers select and order the type of boba tea they want, the caffeine level, the type of milk (whole, oat, soy, non-dairy creamer, non-fat milk, no milk), sweetness level (sugar, low sugar, no sugar, etc.), and anything else that makes it uniquely theirs – including their name to personalize it further,” explains the brand.
Frazy has also introduced 12 new flavors to its selection of coffee drinks, including holiday favorites like Pumpkin Pie Spice Latte and Gingerbread Latte that can now be enjoyed year-round, alongside Red Velvet Latte, Red Velvet White Mocha Latte, Tiramisu Latte, Tiramisu Mocha, Rose Latte, Almond White Mocha, Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Latte, Chocolate Chip Latte, Hazelnut Mocha and Peppermint Bark Mocha.
