Sandridge Barton updates experimental wine series
Devon winery Sandridge Barton has updated its experimental wine series Don’t Feed The Ponies. The low-intervention range of wines is made using ‘alternative methods’ to get the most out of the producer’s Dart Valley-grown grapes. New wines include Figgie Daniel 2022 (a modern Col Fondo made with Madeleine Angevine and Pinot Blanc that’s described as light, dry and packed with citrus and floral characteristics); The Little Bee 2022 (a ‘complex and textured’ orange wine made with 100% skin-contact Pinot Gris); and The Billy (a ‘super-light’ red wine, with aromas of tart red berries, red apple and blackcurrant). Each wine is named after one of Dartmoor’s many tors with 25p from the sale of each wine going to the Dartmoor Preservation Association.
Impossibrew smashes crowdfund target
Non-alcoholic beer brand Impossibrew has smashed its crowdfunding target to help grow the business. The brand reached its funding target of £500,000 in just 35 minutes during the priority access phase, surpassed £1.2m within 24 hours of public launch, and completed at nearly £1.6m with a total of 1,204 investors. Impossibrew, which is made using ‘Social Blend’ technology that helps drinkers unwind naturally, reported record sales in January of £500,000, up from £340,000 the previous year and says it is now selling a beer every 15 seconds on is website. The funds will be used to accelerate the company’s patent-pending Social Blend technology and expand its retail and trade presence nationwide through strategic partnerships. “We’ve created something entirely new in the alcohol-free category,” says Founder Mark Wong. “Our enhanced beers don’t just taste great - they’re specifically crafted to help you unwind naturally. It’s the sensation of a pint or two, without the alcohol.”
Patron launches super-premium tequila
Tequila brand Patron has released its most prestigious expression to date. Patron El Alto is made from high-quality 100% Weber Blue agave grown in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, and is a blend of extra añejo, añejo, and reposado tequilas, each aged in 11 distinct barrel varieties - primarily American and French oak. The result is an ultra-premium expression that is smooth and refined with a taste profile of subtle notes of figs, honey, caramel, dried fruit, and vanilla. Patron El Alto has a 40% abv and carries a price tag of £190 per bottle and is already available in select premium venues across the UK, including Bacchanalia, Los Mochis, and Dear Darling.
Bathtub Gin teams up with ceramicist Harlie Brown
Bathtub Gin has partnered with high-profile ceramicist Harlie Brown to create a limited-edition bottle. The ‘gorgeous’ design features Brown’s playful hand-drawn illustrations of of the six botanicals in Bathtub Gin’s proprietary double-infused recipe. Every bottle of Bathtub Gin is hand-wrapped, strung, and wax-dipped. Since its creation, Bathtub Gin has won over 40 industry awards from leading international competitions, including Double Gold at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirit Awards.
Tailored Spirits Co releases debut whisky series
Edinburgh-based start-up distiller Tailored Spirits Co has released its first series of whiskies. Launched under the brand name The Experimental Series, the range of single cask spirits are described as one-of-a-kind micro-batch experiments and limited-edition whiskies ‘chosen to push the boundaries of what a single cask whisky can be’. The series comprises a Croftengea Loch Lomond seven-year-old costing (£59.50 and limited to 52 bottles), a Fettercairn 13-year-old release of 84 bottles priced at £74.50, and an Ardmore eight-year-old limited to 60 bottles priced at £64.50.
Sugrue South Downs launches first still wine
East and West Sussex sparkling winemakers Dermot and Ana Sugrue have released their first still white wine: Bonkers Zombie Robot Alien Monsters from the Future Ate My Brain (Sur Lie). Referred to as Bonkers for short, the wine (pictured at the top of the article) is based on Chardonnay grapes from the acclaimed 2022 and 2023 vintages. Bonkers is described as a beautifully creamy yet refreshing Chardonnay that is multi-dimensional and structured with oak and perfect for food pairing and mid-term cellaring. “Despite the faintly ludicrous name, Bonkers remains a serious wine – and a methodically crafted one at that,” says Dermot. “It represents our unique take on English still Chardonnay, employing a range of traditional winemaking techniques, as well as a drop of Irish humour.” Founded in 2006 by Dermot Sugrue, Sugrue South Downs ‘is rooted in the creation of exceptional wines from the chalky terroirs of East and West Sussex’. The new Sugrue South Downs winery in Wivelsfield Green, East Sussex, is set to open its doors for tours and tastings in early 2025.
Hallgarten Wines launches The Cellar Series
Specialist wine importer, Hallgarten & Novum Wines, has launched a new initiative that it says will change the way premium venues buy fine wines. The Cellar Series gives Hallgarten Wines’ customers in the hospitality and retail sectors access to a range of fine wines from Bordeaux, with a selection of vintages that are in their prime drinking window. Launching with wines exclusively from some of Bordeaux’s top châteaux, The Cellar Series is a selection of ‘exceptional’ fine wines curated by Robert Mathias MW and négociant partner La Compagnie Médocaine des Grands Crus. Sourced from some of the finest vineyards in Bordeaux these ‘superb’ wines are ‘the embodiment of individuality, elegance and distinction’. “As an operator, sourcing fine wines in the premium hospitality and retail sectors is no mean feat, and we feel we have the ideal solution for the trade,” says Jim Wilson, portfolio director at Hallgarten & Novum Wines. “The Cellar Series brings together some of the most prestigious producers and the finest wines, with the UK’s best sommeliers and wine buyers to provide wine lovers with access to the wines they want to drink, when they want to drink them.”
The Newt’s Red Love Gin
Somerset country estate, private members club, hotel and restaurant The Newt has launched a small-batch limited-edition gin. Distilled in Somerset, The Newt’s Red Love Gin is made with The Newt’s own Red Love apple juice. The resulting spirit is described as a subtle floral gin. The suggested serve is the Red Love Sour (Red Love Gin, apple and rhubarb cordial, lemon juice, apple juice, elderflower tonic).
Tom and Charlotte Shepherd launch spirits brand
Chef Tom Shepherd and his wife Charlotte have launched their own range of spirits. Available at Upstairs by Tom Shepherd in Lichfield as well as to buy online, the brand is launching with two expressions: a Banana Rum and a Thai Green Gin that has tasting notes of juniper, lemongrass, coriander, kaffir lime, and a subtle hint of red chilli. “In the kitchen, I’m always exploring how flavours interact, evolve, and complement each other,” says Tom. “With Twofold Spirits, I’ve applied that same mindset—taking classic combinations and pushing them further, creating spirits that are layered, exciting, and rewarding to those who love to discover something new.”
Berkmann Wine Cellars adds two new producers to its Australian portfolio
Berkmann has added two new Australian producers to its portfolio: Kooyong from the Mornington Peninsula and South Australia’s Rieslingfreak. Kooyong’s 40-hectare vineyard was established in 1996 and is owned and operated by the Gjergja family, who have held the reins here since 2004. Since taking ownership, the Gjergjas have turned Kooyong into one of Mornington Peninsula’s leading wineries, being named James Halliday’s Winery of the Year in 2012. Kooyong have a focus on sustainability, which underpins their actions in the vineyard and winery. As the name suggests, Rieslingfreak is a single-variety producer making a range from the Clare and Eden Valleys in South Australia. Rieslingfreak was founded in 2009 by John Hughes, a Clare Valley native, who grew up on his family’s Riesling vineyard. Hughes was joined at Rieslingfreak by his winemaker wife Belinda in 2021.
