Koloa Rum in Kalaheo, Kauai, Hawaii has announced the release of a 10th anniversary rum aged for four years. Full details are below.

Kalaheo, Kaua`i, Hawai`i  – Hawai`i’s award-winning Koloa Rum Company announces the launch of the brand’s second aged rum release with the debut of its Kaua`i Reserve 12-Barrel Select Four-Year Aged Hawaiian Rum. Each 12-barrel batch yields approximately 3,500 bottles, which are carefully inspected and numbered to ensure quality.

Kaua`i Reserve 12-Barrel Select aged Hawaiian rum is artfully distilled and gently aged in American white oak barrels for a minimum of four years at its Kalaheo Distillery on the Garden Isle. The remarkable flavor, color and aroma of each batch is a reflection of time, temperature and humidity imparted over the course of the aging process.

“The four-year Koloa Kaua`i Reserve is a natural progression from our inaugural three-year aged rum that was first released in 2018, and it was definitely worth the wait,” said Koloa Rum President and CEO Bob Gunter. “This exceptional rum is a testament to our talented distillery team who spent more than five years researching and experimenting to develop the protocols necessary to properly age rum in Hawai`i’s tropical environment.”

Woodford Reserve Bourbon in Louisville, Kentucky has announced that its special Kentucky Derby-edition bottles are available now ahead of the horse racing event. Full details are below.

LOUISVILLE, KY – Woodford Reserve, the Presenting Sponsor of the Kentucky Derby, is honoring “The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports” with the release of its 2020 commemorative Derby bottle.

It features the work of Louisville artist Richard Sullivan, a former Atlanta Braves baseball player. Sullivan’s stunning watercolor image is of thoroughbreds as they thunder toward the finish line, with the famed Twin Spires of Churchill Downs in the background.

“There is a poetic beauty in this year’s bottle because Richard Sullivan, the human athlete, is celebrating the equine athlete,” said Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris.

The one-liter bottles of Woodford Reserve Bourbon are on sale across the United States and the globe with a retail price of $49.99. It is available for pre-sale starting March 2nd on Reserve Bar.

“My goal was to create a beautiful image of the Kentucky Derby that embodies the spirit of competition, dedication, and freedom that is required to be your best,” Sullivan said. “I wanted to capture this intense moment of competition that is shared between the human and equine athlete. A moment when everything is on the line, time stops, awareness is heightened, mind and body are one, and anything is possible.”

Germain-Robin in Modesto, California has announced the re-release of two different brandies in limited quantities. The full details can be found below.

MODESTO, Calif., (February 24, 2020)—When Germain-Robin joined the E. & J. Gallo (Gallo) spirits family in 2017, Gallo pledged to uphold the legacy set forth by legendary founders Hubert Germain-Robin and Ansley J. Coale Jr.: deliver the most exquisite brandy executed with the highest quality standards. Gallo honors that promise today as Germain-Robin issues an exciting re-release of its two California brandies, the flagship expression Germain-Robin (SRP: $75) and Germain-Robin XO (SRP: $125). These two brandies are exciting rarities that will be released in very limited quantities—only 2,300 6-pack cases (1,400 of Germain-Robin and 900 of Germain-Robin XO) will be available for 2020.

Remy Martin has announced the release of an extraordinarily high-end, limited-edition cognac called Louis XIII. Full details on this special beverage are below.

PARIS, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- After the first opus "The Origin – 1874" commemorating the creation of LOUIS XIII, the House has partnered with the Monnaie de Paris and the Cristallerie of Saint-Louis to pay tribute to Paris in 1900, where LOUIS XIII received the highest praise.

To discover the film of the project, click here

Drake's Organic Spirits in Minneapolis, Minnesota has announced that its award-winning organic spirits are now available in BJ's Wholesale clubs in Florida. More details are below.

Minneapolis, MN  – Drake’s Organic Spirits announced today that its popular Spiked Ice freeze-and-eat adult pops and all-organic Bloody Mary combo packs will soon be available at 33 BJ’s Wholesale Club locations throughout Florida.

“We’re beyond thrilled to be part of the BJ Wholesale Club family,” said Drake’s Founder and CEO Mark Anderson.  “BJ’s recognizes that the organic food and drink movement is booming.  Consumers want cleaner options for their bodies and they want products that are friendlier to the planet.  Drake’s accomplishes both.” 

BJ’s Wholesale Club a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States. 

It's that time again for another issue of The Beer Connoisseur!

This Spring 2020, Issue 47 packs in plenty of powerful prose on your favorite topic: Beer! That’s right, it’s time for all the brew that’s fit to drink in this issue, which is headlined by us naming who we believe to be the Best Brewery in the World: pFriem Family Brewers of Hood River, Oregon!

We do not make this claim lightly, but pFriem’s sterling pedigree and 31 world-class and exceptional beer reviews in our Official Review made them our top choice for the honor.

Then, Stan Hieronymus delves into the sticky issue of What Are Noble Hops? Do the hops truly come from noble foliage? Or is this simply a trumped-up marketing term? Stan provides all the details and more in this engaging education piece.

Ryan Newhouse is up next with an interesting topic of the changing beer scene in the United Kingdom by looking at how Hazy, New England IPAs are affecting the country’s craft beer landscape.

Hard seltzers are all the rage, so we asked Jonathan Ingram to pose – and answer – 10 key questions about them to help shine some light on this meteorically rising beverage. How is it brewed? Is it here to stay? Jonathan has the answers.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico, California has announced a new hard kombucha line called Strainge Beast. Full details from the brewery are below.

Sierra Nevada’s new innovation arm, the Chico Fermentation Project, has announced its first release: Strainge Beast Hard Kombucha, the company’s first-ever beyond beer offering.

“I’ve been drinking kombucha for some time, and the team has done a fantastic job of coming up with really nice flavor and balance,” founder and president Ken Grossman said in a press release.

Strainge Beast’s first flavor to market will be Ginger, Lemon and Hibiscus, which pours bright pink and checks in at 7% ABV. Strainge Beast is also certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Strainge Beast will launch on draft in March in San Francisco, Sacramento, Santa Cruz and San Diego in California; Portland, Oregon; Phoenix, Arizona; Asheville and Raleigh, North Carolina; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Tampa, Florida. The brand will roll out in additional cities in May.

Two additional flavors will follow after the draft launch: Blueberry, Acai and Sweet Basil; and Passion Fruit, Hops and Blood Orange. Cans of all three flavors will begin hitting retailers in August.

How did Grossman feel about his company’s first foray into the beyond beer world?

Short's Brewing's Superfluid Supply Co. in Elk Rapdis, Michigan has launched a new Beaches Hard Seltzer variety pack based on four cocktails: Margarita, Mojito, Paloma, and Pina Colada. Full details from Short's are below.

Elk Rapids, Mich. – Superfluid Supply Co., an alternative beverage brand of Short’s Brewing Company, announces the release of Beaches Hard Seltzer Cocktail Variety Pack. Debuting in kegs and 12-packs, both packaging types are shipping now. 

In a move away from traditional berry and basic fruit flavors, Beaches pushes the seltzer flavor boundaries with their Cocktail Variety Pack, which includes four cocktail inspired flavors: Margarita, Mojito, Paloma, and Pina Colada. All four flavors are gluten free and clock in at 4.0% ABV, 95 calories, 4g of carbs, and 0g of sugar, and are made with real fruit juice and all natural flavors. This is the second offering from Beaches Hard Seltzer, initially launching with their Tropical flavor in October of 2019. 

Blackwell Rum by Chris Blackwell, who owns the former home of James Bond writer Ian Fleming (the GoldenEye estate), has announced the release of a limited-edition rum in time for the release of the Bond film franchise's 25th release No Time to Die. Full details are below.

Blackwell Rum is delighted to announce that it has partnered with the 007 franchise. Chris Blackwell – the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and owner of Ian Fleming’s former residence, GoldenEye – is celebrating the release of the 25th Bond film, No Time To Die, with a special 007 Limited Edition release of his Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum. The 750 ml bottle will retail for $35 and can be found starting April 1 in major metro markets.

“James Bond has been a big part of my life, from my childhood lunches with Ian Fleming at GoldenEye to being a location scout on the first movie, Dr. No (1962),” says Blackwell.   The upcoming Bond movie, No Time To Die, has been partly shot in Jamaica, and the involvement from Blackwell on the island has made this very special relationship come full circle. 

Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum is inspired by his family's time-honored recipe. This aged, rich and fragrant dark gold rum is filled with the warmth and sensuality of Jamaica.  “This is a rum that celebrates Jamaica, my friendships, and also my family legacy,” adds Blackwell.