Drinks sampled at The MA’s latest New Products Showcase

The event, the latest in a series of virtual showcases from the MA team, gave leading operators and buyers the chance to sample and hear about some of the latest products to land in the market.

Online delegates received a box of samples in the post, including rums, cider and a brand new premium sambuca, to try during the curated tasting.

Products included in the New Products Showcase included:

8track: a new independent premium spiced rum

Upbeat Spirits, a new Cornwall-based independent drinks company, debuts an exciting offering into the UK rum category with the launch of 8Track.

Named after the iconic recording medium, 8Track is a refreshing 37.5% ABV spiced rum born from a shared love of music designed to be served straight on the rocks, with a quality mixer or as a cocktail base.

Made from fine Guyana and smooth eight-year-old Barbados rums, the bespoke blend is infused with Seville oranges, vanilla, cloves, ginger and cinnamon.

Tuning into growing consumer demand for UK made, premium spiced rum, 8Track arrives as sales of the spirit continue to significantly rise – with the WSTA reporting 8% volume gains worth £430m in October 2020.

Striving to do better for the planet, 8Track uses only lightweight recycled glass bottles – which are 100% recyclable – and is partnering with paper packaging pioneers, Flexi-Hex, to offer a sustainable, plastic-free, packaging solution.

8Track has national aspirations and is initially available in the on-trade via St. Austell Brewery. We are actively seeking a route to market in other regions via pub companies and wholesalers.

Initial feedback on the brand has been impressive, and 8Track has quickly gained listings and strong rate of sale in a number of independent stockists in the southwest and London, alongside activations at key music festivals throughout 2021.

Ammazza – a premium black sambuca

Born from a Great British Pub Award-winning spirits bar, Ammazza is believed to be the first premium black sambuca liqueur from the UK, and possibly any country outside of Italy, that is easy-to-drink and incredibly versatile – served on the rocks, in cocktails or as a premium shot.

The dark silky texture of Ammazza reflects its luxurious ingredients. Pure Vietnamese Robusta coffee extract, Madagascan vanilla extract and Ecuadorian cocoa are combined with anise and the finest sugars and spirit.

While many products like to tell you how old they are, we are proud to tell you how new we are. Reflecting a modern, no-compromise, approach to drink quality, we felt that something special needed to be created for the sambuca category – one that nobody was exploring after being distracted by the gin and rum bubble.

No compromise on ingredients, no compromise on the blending and no compromise on the experience.

The name Ammazza was chosen after exploring the west coast of Italy and researching the true roots of sambuca. A drink popular in Italy is an Ammazza-cafe – the ordering of a coffee and a sambuca on the side. Once the coffee was consumed, the sambuca would be poured and ‘swilled’ in the remnants of the coffee and sipped.

Westons Vintage Draught

Refreshing, medium-dry and sparkling, new Henry Westons Vintage Draught (ABV 5.2%) is a smooth, rounded cider, packed with exceptional character. The product is currently available to on-trade retailers nationwide.

In 1880 Henry Weston first started crafting cider from the bitter-sweet apples grown on his farm in Much Marcle, Herefordshire.

Today, Henry Westons Vintage Cider is crafted only from apples grown in a single year’s harvest in the three counties of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire. The cider is then slowly matured, spending time in aged oak vats, to deliver a smooth and rounded cider.

In grocery retail, the Henry Westons brand is worth £64.5m, with best seller Henry Westons Vintage the UK’s biggest glass bottled cider – with one bottle now sold every second.

As an established benchmark for the highest quality, best-tasting crafted cider, the first-of-its-kind draught format from the Henry Westons brand is primed to help the on-trade make the most of consumer demand for crafted options and the sales opportunity this presents.

With new Henry Westons Vintage Draught, specially created for pubs, bars and restaurants, Westons Cider aims to help on-trade customers reinvigorate the premium cider category and drive value sales as consumers ‘trade up’ for an authentic, high-quality serve throughout the summer months – and beyond.

Old J Pineapple Rum

The collection of much-loved Old J Spiced Rums has expanded with a fruity, summery pineapple- infused addition, just in time to satisfy summer demand.

It all started in 1740 when Admiral Edward Vernon enforced a reduction in the strength of the British Navy’s rum rations. When his men complained, Vernon suggested the addition of lime and sugar to make the drink more enjoyable instead. It’s with this unlikely mixologist’s idea that Old J came to life and is available to purchase now.

Vegan-friendly Old J Pineapple infuses a special blend of 11 flavours into the finest Caribbean rum. The sweet kick of refreshing pineapple cuts through subtle hints of vanilla, creating a totally tropical all year-round drinking experience.

The fresh, tropical flavour profile with fragrant pineapple aroma and gently accented with sweet notes is suitable for both everyday sipping and dynamic cocktail experiences. An exotic taste, the pineapple-infused rum is beautifully balanced with the crisp freshness of pineapple combined with the smooth vanilla notes that Old J is best known for.

We have a fantastic selection of Old J point of sale to boost the profile of the brand and its new flavour to use within your venue.