Catoctin Creek Distilling Co. in Purcellville, Virginia has announced the release #InThisTogether rye whiskey aged in leftover barrels from the distillery's Infinity barrel select program. Full details are below.

PURCELLVILLE, Va. — Catoctin Creek Distilling Company is excited to release its Infinity Barrel #InThisTogether Rye Whisky on Monday, June 1. Aged in leftover casks from the distillery’s barrel select program, all profits from this limited 80-proof release will go to charities supporting struggling restaurants and bars.

Catoctin Creek’s barrel select program allows area restaurants to bottle and sell custom-made whisky from the distillery’s more experimental barrels. When the pandemic hit, many restaurants in the D.C. Metro Area came under enormous financial hardship. As a result, they could not sustain the private barrel selections they had chosen. Catoctin Creek owners Scott and Becky Harris are easing their burdens by taking back the barrels.

“This was difficult for us to do, but we decided to spin this hay into gold by creating a rye whisky that is unlike anything you will ever see again,” said Scott. “During this difficult time, we are truly all #InThisTogether, which is why 100% of the profits will go to our neighbors, friends and community members in need.”

La Luna Mezcal in Sonoma, California has announced the expansion into 14 states. Full details of this expansion are below.

Sonoma, Calif. — Mezcal production spans nine states of Mexico, but upwards of 90 percent of U.S. imports come from the southern state of Oaxaca. Salvador Chavez, the CEO and founder of La Luna Mezcal, is trying to change that. Returning to his family’s home state of Michoacán in 2016, Chavez launched La Luna to represent one of the most abundant regions in Mexico. Now, the company is expanding distribution to 14 states with agave expressions rarely seen in the U.S. and a competitive bottling that offers a new and rich flavor palate for the mezcal cocktail experience.

La Luna, which means moon in Spanish, is named for the ancient practice of  harvesting agaves under the night sky. By working with small family producers that have harvested and distilled Michoacán’s agaves for generations, La Luna is helping to bring the region’s biodiversity and mezcal traditions into the spotlight.

Canadian vodka brand Crystal Head has announced a limited-edition multicolored Pride Bottle. Full details of this limited release are below.

Multi-award winning, ultra-premium spirit, Crystal Head Vodka, is excited to announce the limited-edition release of PRIDE BOTTLE – in celebration of diversity and equality.

Color plays a vital role in the world we live in, often used as a powerful communication tool and a form of expression. Color evokes feeling and has a direct link to creative thinking, and this beautiful rainbow bottle shines proudly & brightly to celebrate Pride.

#MADEWITHPRIDE – be sure to follow @CrystalHeadVodka & tune into weekly Instagram Lives with Crystal Head Vodka’s brand ambassadors to celebrate Pride together – virtually & worldwide.

• Tuesdays @ 5:30 PM EDT (May 12 – June 30)
• Mondays @ 6:00 PM EDT (June 1 – July 6)

Crystal Head Vodka uses the highest quality grain and pristine water from Newfoundland, Canada to craft an additive-free and gluten-free vodka. Crystal Head is quadruple distilled and filtered seven times. Three of the filtrations pass through layers of Herkimer Diamonds as a final distinctive touch.

The limited-edition Crystal Head Vodka PRIDE BOTTLE will be available in select U.S. markets, Canada and Europe from May – July 2020 – available in 750 mL format with an SRP of $49.99. Crystal Head Vodka plans to release this bottle annually.

HempAde is pleased to announce the relaunch of its hemp-infused fruit drinks with real fruit juice. These hemp beverages come in a variety of flavors. Full details on HempAde's offerings are below.

HempAde is pleased to announce the relaunch of our hemp infused fruit drinks that now include real fruit juice. These five, lower calorie, lower sugar, all natural functional beverages (Strawberry, Mango, Coconut, Watermelon and Passion Fruit) are loaded with omega 3s (200mgs per bottle) and omega 6s (600mgs per bottle).

Consumers are becoming aware of all the recent articles that communicate the health benefits, such as circulation, brain function and heart health associated with hemp ingredients and the omega components. Just as important, a vast majority of consumers are embracing less sugar beverages.

As quoted by the President and equity partner, Tony Giannini, “All hemp products are realizing a tremendous sales surge over the past five years as more consumers become educated on the homeopathic advantages. Furthermore, the percentage of consumers that have tried over the counter, ingestible hemp products is still in single digits. There is a huge upside for continued growth.”

HempAde does not include any CBDs or THC, thus, there are no legal issues related to retailers merchandising HempAde. In fact, a vast majority of retailers currently carry some hemp products, such as hemp milk, hemp seeds, granolas, etcetera.

Stormalong Cider in Sherborn, Massachusetts has announced an Heirloom Variety 4-Pack as part of the company's Rare Apple series. Full details are below.

SHERBORN, Mass. — Stormalong Cider, a Massachusetts-based cidery, has announced the release of a new Heirloom Variety 4-Pack as part of the company’s Rare Apple Series. The variety pack includes a mix of four distinct, dry ciders made with New England Heirloom apples all packaged in 16 ounce cans.

The mission of our Rare Apple Series is to highlight the extraordinary virtues of cider-oriented, heirloom apples and their exquisite transformation into distinguished cider. The apples used in these ciders were all grown in New England on small orchards and then carefully fermented, aged and blended into the small batches created for this sampler. Each of the four blends showcase the unique aromas and flavors that true cider apples can bring to the table.

The four ciders in this variety pack include:

JuneShine Hard Kombucha in San Diego, California has announced the release of JuneShine100, a low-calorie hard kombucha. This new release also only features 1 gram of suar and 4.2 percent ABV. Full details are below.

SAN DIEGO — San Diego-based Hard Kombucha brand JuneShine unveils its latest, highly-anticipated innovation, JuneShine100: a better-for-you alcoholic beverage with only 100 calories and 1 gram of sugar per can. JuneShine100 offers the same benefits and taste of JuneShine’s original flavors – it’s gluten-free and made with real fruit – at a lower alcohol content of 4.2% ABV, and is organic and contains probiotics and antioxidants. JuneShine100 comes in sleek 12-oz cans in two delightfully refreshing flavors: Pineapple Orange and Hibiscus Lime.

As the national category leader in Organic Hard Kombucha, JuneShine’s continuous product innovations remain a testament to the brand’s commitment to produce honest and transparent beverages of the utmost quality and flavor. Unlike other alcoholic beverages on the market today, JuneShine100 satisfies the growing consumer demand for refreshing, low-calorie, high-quality products that can be enjoyed guilt-free for people to Keep it 100 this summer.

Mackmyra Intelligens, the first whiskey created by artificial intelligence, has been awarded a gold medal at the prestigious Craft Spirits Awards. Full details of this victory are below.

Together with Microsoft and the Finnish technology consultant Fourkind, Mackmyra has created Mackmyra Intelligens, the world's first whisky developed using artificial intelligence (AI). Mackmyra Intelligens was presented for the first time in May 2019, at the big tech conference The Next Web in Amsterdam and has since then received a great deal of attention worldwide.

Now Mackmyra Intelligens has been awarded a Gold and has been named Best of Category by the well-regarded Craft Spirits Awards Competition organized by the American Distilling Institute.

“Innovation has always been a key word for us at Mackmyra. Therefore, it is no coincidence that it was we who created the world's first AI whisky. Now that an incredibly competent jury has awarded it a Gold medal and the Best of Category is great proof that what we are doing is absolutely right, ”says Angela D'Orazio, AI Whisky Mentor and Master Blender, Mackmyra.

Luna Bay Hard Kombucha in Chicago, Illinois has announced it has now gone bi-coastal by distributing in the Northeast. Full details of this expansion with Craft Collective are below.

BOSTON – Luna Bay Hard Kombucha goes bicoastal with the recent announcement of its partnership with Craft Collective, New England’s independent craft beer distributor. This news comes quickly after Luna Bay’s announcement of its distribution in California, fulfilling its desire to reach health-minded drinkers coast to coast. 

Craft Collective will bring Luna Bay to grocery stores, bars, restaurants and more in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine, beginning in late April. This partnership will bring Luna Bay to a total of six states (including Illinois, Colorado and California). 

“We’re thrilled to bring our hard kombucha to the northeast. We hope New Englanders find our boozy booch the perfect drink after a day well-lived. Whether they’re out on the water in Rhode Island, running the beautiful streets of Boston, or quenching their thirst after a lobster roll, we want Luna Bay to be their beverage of choice,” says Bridget Connelly, Luna Bay’s CEO and co-founder. “We met the Craft Collective team and knew immediately they were the hard-working, marketing-minded partner for us.”