Named in recognition of the anguish he experienced while producing the inaugural vintage, Peter Logan, head winemaker for Logan Wines has released his benchmark “Ridge of Tears” pair. The two shiraz wines – one from Mudgee and the other from Orange – are designed to represent the larger toils of NSW winemaking, while at the same time celebrating the great product that often results. The name of these wine…

XXXX Gold has revealed a new addition to their range – XXXX Gold Australian Pale Ale. Brewed with a combination of specialty malts, Amarillo hops and fermented ale yeast, XXXX Gold Australian Pale Ale is positioned as an easy drinking, mid-strength beer with a crisp finish. Tanya Marler, XXXX Brand Director, believes the beer will continue to drive growth in the mid-strength beer category. “XXXX Gold Aust…

  Talisker has released a new addition to its range, Talisker Skye. The SKU has been designed to celebrate the brand’s standing as the Isle of Skye’s only single malt whisky. Reflecting the softer notes of Talisker, the liquid has been made from a combination of hand selected toasted and refill American oak casks, as well as a small proportion of bourbon casks. Stuart Harrington, Talisker’s distiller…

Newly launched Applejacks is the latest in a line of cross-category RTD hybrids, bolstering a standard cider recipe with the addition of 42 Below Vodka. The uncharacteristic pairing has created two 5.4% ABV SKUs for the Applejacks range – Pippin Dry and Ginger Jive. According to the brand, the addition of vodka was not a move to justify increased strength, but rather a purpose-driven decision to allow for…

New Zealand’s artisan gin producer, Lighthouse Gin – a subsidiary of Foley Family Wines – has announced that Déjà Vu Wine Company will begin distributing the brand to Australia’s eastern states from July 2015. The extension comes at a time when the Australian market appears to be growing in demand for boutique gins, marked by a number of releases over the last six months and another expected shortly from …

Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) is rolling out a new Peroni SKU across Australia, aimed at the female drinker. An exclusive pack format for the on-premise, the Peroni Piccola offers the same Italian brew, but in a 250ml sleek, embossed bottle. CUB believes the smaller format will appeal to women and men alike, helping to encourage more female drinkers to join the category. “I think we’ve marketed to …

Bombay Sapphire has released its latest SKU, Star of Bombay, into the Australian market. Star of Bombay adds a super-premium offering into the existing portfolio of Bombay Sapphire, Bombay Sapphire East and Bombay Dry. It is the first addition to the range of gins to be created at Laverstoke Mill, the new distillery for the company, opened in October 2014. Star of Bombay has a bottling strength of 47.5% A…

  The 2015 vintage marks the 15 th release in the Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale series. At 7.5% ABV, the limited-edition sits alongside previous series releases as the strongest beer brewed by Coopers, and as one of the strongest beers available worldwide. “The Philosophy behind the 2015 Extra Strong Ale, as with previous vintages, was to ensure it was brewed with rich and intense flavours,” said…

Oaked Baltic Porter is the latest Keller Door release from 4 Pines Brewing Company. Inspired by original English Porters and Russian Imperial Stouts, the new brew is high in alcohol content (7.5% ABV), sweet and robust in flavour. To combine the two styles, 4 Pines brewers blended a whisky barrel-aged brew and a French oak-infused beer together in stainless steel fermenters, which has since aged further i…

Campari will begin the marketing and distribution of Braulio and Cynar in Australia over the next few months. The take up of the two premium Italian bitters in Campari Australia’s portfolio follows Gruppo Campari’s global acquisition of Fratelli Averna S.p.A. (Averna Group) last year. Both bitters/digestifs are traditionally served neat or on the rocks, and can also be used in cocktails. Braulio has a 21%…