New products round-up
New products round-up: The latest products to hit the market, including a rebrand for Vocation’s entire range
Vocation rebrands entire craft beer range
Craft beer brewer Vocation has rebranded its entire range. The West Yorkshire-based business said the new designs for its cans “bring more personality to the packaging and better reflect the distinct character of each beer inside”.
A new ‘Vocation V’ brand icon has been introduced to add interest and allow for easier identification of Vocation beers.
Brand design agency Robot Food has designed the branding and has been Vocation’s design partner since it began production in 2015. The newly branding can be seen in the on-trade across its draught beers and its 330ml and 440ml cans. New point-of-sale material including branded beer runners, parasols and glassware is also available to all on-trade customers.
Vocation Brewery founder and chief executive John Hickling said: “We have quietly gone about our business since 2015 in a beer-focused way, not making big noise or banging the drum. What started out as my vocation soon evolved to be the vocation of our small but dedicated team who all have a real pride in the beers that we produce.
“We’re now growing at 65% year-on-year, and have a wide and varied core range as well as producing specials and seasonals. Our flagship Life & Death beer is now one of the best-selling beers in the craft aisle, representing around 30% of our production, yet people don’t know about us.
“The rebrand is about the maturity and growing confidence of the brand, to shout a little louder and make sure everyone knows about Vocation. It’s simply about wanting to get better beer to more people.”
Rick Stenson, managing director for Vocation Brewery, added: “For us, it is all about the beer. To honour our beers, we want the best clothes we can buy for them.
“We want them to look as good as possible because we care so much about them. It’s also important to us to keep the designs fresh and interesting, to best reflect what’s inside, and to keep us at the forefront of the craft beer market. The liquid inside remains the same, we’ve just treated them to a new outfit.
“The big focus for us now is to turn to the on-trade as it starts to recover and open up, and respond to the demand for craft beer in pubs and restaurants. Over the past 18 months, we have gained an extremely strong online following through our web sales. We have also gained significant inroads with our export market, with our beers now available in 50 countries around the world.”
Non-alcoholic Italian aperitivo Crodino to start your evening
Non-alcoholic Italian aperitivo Crodino has launched in the UK – with a focus on the “perfect way to begin your evening” after work but before an evening meal.
Crodino is claimed to have a rich, aromatic profile and bittersweet taste and when paired with sparkling bubbles, it gives a refreshing hit on the palate. Opening with distinctive orange notes leading to a bittersweet flavour, its aftertaste is long-lasting with a zesty, spicy, herbal and woody finish.
The company said it should be served chilled in a long-stemmed wine glass over ice, with a slice of fresh orange as a garnish.
Among its 15 spices, herbs, roots and woods are nutmeg, coriander seeds, clove buds and cardamom.
Crodino’s herbalist and master blender Bruno Malavasi said: “It is thrilling to see the secret combination of 15 botanicals come together in perfect balance with the assistance of time. In fact, time is one of the most fundamental ingredients in creating Crodino, allowing the blend to mature and develop its multi-layered flavour.”
Crodino is available in bars and restaurants across the UK.
Scandi spirit Nuet Dry Aquavit crosses North Sea
Scandinavian spirit brand Nuet Dry Aquavit has launched in the UK.
The fledgling brand, which is a flavoured and distilled spirit, won a silver medal at the Nordic Spirits Awards 2021 – allegedly the first and only aquavit ever to win an award in the gin category of an international spirits competition.
It is available across London bars with further activations planned for autumn. One such bar is Ollie Dabbous’s Hide bar in Mayfair, where customers can try a Nuet Aha Spritz made with Nuet, pear and sparkling wine.
It is also available in Heads & Tails cocktail bar in Hampstead, and The Shrub & Shutter in Brixton, where both places have their own recipes on offer.
Developed in Oslo over eight months, and more than 100 test distillings, Nuet Dry Aquavit has been specially designed to work with tonic and in a dry martini. Nuet, which translates as “the now”, comprises grapefruit peel and blackcurrant influences accompanying the traditional caraway.
It costs £39.95 for 70cl and is bottled at 43% ABV.
Lost Boys could have the killer beer for you
Lost Boys Brewery – a craft beer brewery specialising in fruit-based ale, made with real fruit – is relaunching in pubs in the Hertfordshire area.
After halting production in lockdown to refine its range and scale its brewery, Lost Boys is releasing two variants: Peach Light Ale at 5.5% ABV and Mango Pale Ale at 6% ABV.
The brewery said the Peach style is a refreshing summer ale with a peach aroma. The beer starts with a slight bitter pinch and is followed with a smooth fruity taste that comes from its carefully selected malt and fruit.
While the Mango Pale Ale is said to offer a huge hop burst and big hits of mango. It is brewed with Lost Boys’ fruity West Coast hops, and is a slightly thicker and strong choice for seasoned craft drinkers and novices alike.
Tomatin releases final edition of its single malt French Collection
Award-winning Highland single malt, Tomatin, has launched the final edition from the distillery’s French Collection: The Cognac Edition.
Taken from the four-part limited release series, the Cognac Edition is said to demonstrate the influence imparted by using Cognac casks, which has been 12 years in the making.
Tomatin said the Cognac Edition is brimming with fresh fruit and floral flavours with subtle notes of lavender and Scottish heather. It added there are hints of cranberry, orange zest and rose water with well-balanced spices while the French oak provides a long finish with “notes of Earl Gray tea and poached pears”.
Distilled in 2008, the whisky began its maturation in traditional Scotch Whisky oak casks before being moved into Cognac casks for the final stage of the process in November 2018.
Graham Eunson, master distiller at Tomatin, said: “The fourth and final release from Tomatin’s French Collection is the jewel in the crown. The Cognac Edition, along with the rest of the collection, showcases our innovative dedication to craft and excellence, and is the perfect illustration of the art of comparative final maturation; a concept championed by Tomatin in the Cuatro series released in 2014, which was also very well received.
“We have been overjoyed by the response from the whisky community to the earlier releases, and by introducing the Cognac finish as the final edition, we hope to attract a wider audience to our unique concept allowing them to better understand the art of cask maturation.”
The Cognac Edition is available to purchase at £65 RRP.
New addition to Beavertown beer portfolio
Beavertown Brewery has launched a 6% ABV cold fermented IPA called Wizard Blizzard.
The north London brewer said it is a “spellbinding, full-on hoppy flavour beer, which zaps you with pineapple, passionfruit and citrus for light, crisp refreshment all day long”.
Wizard Blizzard has been fermented cold, like a lager, to give a crisp, refreshing taste. It has also had more hops added, which the company said creates a full-flavoured beer, and said it is a “punchier version” of the brewery’s new lager, Bones.
Cans of Wizard Blizzard cost £2.60 RRP.
New bottle design and further changes at Two Drifters Distillery
Two Drifters Distillery has strengthened its eco-friendly credentials by introducing new lighter bottles as a rebranding campaign, organic merchandise and a low carbon emission website.
The rum specialist, which claims to be the world’s first carbon negative distillery, is now using bottles that feature more natural materials and eye-catching colours.
Two Drifters, created by husband and wife, Russ and Gemma Wakeham in September 2019, says the four-strong range can be enjoyed simply over ice or used as a base for a number of cocktails.
Its variants include Overproof Spiced Pineapple Rum, Lightly Spiced Rum, Signature Rum and Pure White Rum.
Its new website uses low carbon emission technology, which complements the business’s claim it has avoided using an extra 35.29 tonnes of CO2 while removing a hefty 16.72 tonnes.
Its e-commerce site sells Two Drifters merchandise from its factory that is powered by 100% renewable energy with T-shirts made from 100% recyclable T-shirts.
Owner Gemma Wakeham said: “In October 2020 we started our first crowd funding campaign, and we were astonished with the 190% funding we achieved.
“Until then, we knew how to make great rum with sustainability at the core of our business, but we didn’t have the skills/budget to make the bottle as fascinating.
“So, these beautiful bottles have been a labour of love for six months and we could not be prouder. Bright, vibrant, fun and genuinely sustainable – our packaging now embodies the ethos and values of Two Drifters Distillery.”
Lyre’s launches six new products
Non-alcoholic spirits brand Lyre’s has launched six new products to the market.
First up is Pink London Spirit, an alcohol-free homage to pink gin, plus five ready-to-drink premix drinks, which are G&T, Amalfi Spritz, Classico, American Malt & Cola and Dark ’n Spicy, with distribution available to the UK via Proof Drinks.
Pink London Spirit is said to appeal to mindful drinkers and the 1.6 million Brits who enjoy pink gin but may want to enjoy it in a non-alcoholic version. It is priced at £23.50.
Lyre’s already has a portfolio of 13 spirits and liqueurs.
“Following the huge demand for pink gin in the UK, we created Pink London Spirit to bolster the Lyre’s collection and provide even more options for the sophisticated drinker to enjoy their favourite drink or cocktail of choice without the alcohol,” says Mark Livings, Lyre’s chief executive and co-founder.
“The impossibly-crafted Pink London Spirit will be a great alternative for moderate drinkers within the pink gin category, which is currently the 2nd biggest seller within the UK spirit market.
“The popularity of the Lyre’s core non-alcoholic spirits range and consumer demand for low calorie, premium non-alcoholic beverages for multiple occasions have driven the development of this RTD range.”
