1. Michter’s
Louisville distillery Michter’s has released the 2024 edition of its 10-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon. Master distiller Dan McKee and master of maturation Andrea Wilson presided over the 94.4-proof whiskey, which was aged in fire-charred, new American white oak casks and tastes of dark toffee, caramel, maple syrup, and vanilla.
SRP: $185 per 750-ml bottle
michters.com
2. Giffard
Historic French company Giffard Liqueurs & Syrups has ramped up its range of flavors with cocktail-friendly Giffard Café du Honduras and Giffard Mangue liqueurs. The former, inspired by the cold brew technique, is born from single origin Arabica beans sourced through organic cooperatives in mountainous Honduras and then roasted in France by Café Bonnac; the latter illuminates South American Kent mangoes briefly macerated in neutral alcohol to preserve the fruit’s natural flavor and color.
SRP: $34.99 to $39.99 per 750-ml bottle
giffardusa.com
3. Aplós
Non-alcoholic beverage brand Aplós has ventured into the ready-to-drink realm with two 30-calorie canned cocktails. Subtly tart Ume Spritz stars the broad spectrum hemp infused Calme, one of Aplós’s signature functional spirits, bolstered with ume plum, oroblanco grapefruit, white tea, and sea buckthorn, while Chili Margarita showcases Arise, a proprietary blend of adaptogens including ginseng and vitamin B3 alongside mandarin, Persian lime, orange habanero, and sea salt.
SRP: $24 per four-pack of 8.5-oz. cans
aplos.world
4. Old Potrero
In 1906, San Francisco suffered a devastating earthquake, but merchant A.P. Hotaling’s whiskey warehouse astoundingly survived the disaster. To pay homage to the spirit of resilience that permeated the city in the aftermath, Old Potrero debuted a bottled-in-bond rye whiskey on the 100th anniversary that Hotaling & Co. has now reintroduced as an extremely limited release (there are only 432 bottles available). Pot-distilled from 100 percent malted rye and aged in once used, charred American oak barrels for 16 years, the 100-proof rye opens with aromas of pepper, cinnamon, fruit, and honey.
SRP: $199 per 700-ml bottle
oldpotrero.com
5. Champagne Ayala
Chardonnay gets the spotlight in A/18, the first release in Champagne Ayala’s new series focused on the grape variety’s motley terroirs. Vintage-dated A/18, a jasmine- and grapefruit scented apéritif that also pairs well with oysters, highlights six Grand and premier crus selected from the 2018 harvest that express both the Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims. For future releases in this collection of blanc de blancs, cellar master Julian Gout will pull from Champagne Ayala’s stash of reserve wines to orchestrate his 100 percent Chardonnay blends.
SRP: $129.99 per 750-ml bottle
champagne-ayala.fr
6. Surfside
Matt and Bryan Quigley and Clement and Zach Pappas, the brothers behind Stateside Vodka, dove into the ready-to-drink category with Surfside, canned concoctions (4.5% ABV) marrying vodka with iced tea and lemonade. Just in time for summer are five new breezy, 100-calorie flavors—Raspberry Tea + Vodka; Green Tea + Vodka; Raspberry Lemonade + Vodka; Strawberry Lemonade + Vodka; and Black Cherry Lemonade + Vodka—containing only two grams of sugar.
SRP: $10.99 per four-pack of 12-oz. cans
drinksurfside.com
7. Lunazul
Lunazul Tequila’s Primero collection comprises three premium expressions produced by Heaven Hill Brands partner Tierra de Agaves and master tequilero Francisco Quijano. Primero-Cristalino is an aged añejo filtered eight times, and Primero-Humoso is a distinctive blanco that embraces both 100 percent Blue Weber and mesquite-smoked agaves. The limited-edition Extra Añejo was matured for 36 months in Elijah Craig Bourbon casks. All three feature Lunazul family packaging updates, like a label emblazoned with Quijano’s signature.
SRP: $37.99 to $59.99 per 750-ml bottle
lunazultequila.com
8. Halter Ranch
The 2023 vintage of Halter Ranch’s Effervescent Rosé is one of the first releases from the Paso Robles winery since its designation as a CCOF Certified Organic Vineyard last year. Dominated by Grenache and rounded out with Picpoul Blanc and Mourvèdre, the refreshing bubbly is distinguished by notes of watermelon and raspberry that pair well with summery salads and fruity desserts.
SRP: $50 per 750-ml bottle
halterranch.com
9. Kavalan
Kavalan’s Triple Sherry Cask single malt whisky has arrived stateside. For this 86-proof expression, the Taiwanese distillery matured new make spirit in individual oloroso, Pedro Ximénez, and Moscatel casks for the first time, and then combined the whiskies, mingling them to forge a lush texture and flavor profile defined by dried fruit, caramel, and honey.
SRP: $99.99 per 750-ml bottle
kavalanwhisky.com
10. Tip Top Proper Cocktails
First hatched by Trader Vic in the 1940s, the tropical Mai Tai is the latest addition to the Tip Top Proper Cocktails roster. This not-too-sweet version is the ready-to-drink brand’s 11th canned libation at 26% ABV. It comes courtesy of Atlanta bartender Miles Macquarrie, and brings together a signature blend of silver, Jamaican pot still, and barrel-aged rums, also used in Tip Top’s Daiquiri and Jungle Bird, with fresh lime, orgeat, and Curaçao.
SRP: $39.99 per eight-pack of 100-ml cans
tiptopcocktails.com
11. 2XO
South Carolina’s Kiawah Island has long been a haven for Dixon Dedman, so for the fourth installment of 2XO Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey’s Icon series, he dreamed up the 104-proof Kiawah Blend. Double barreled in new charred oak casks for nine months to a year, the prominent high-rye, 35 percent bourbon mash bill is balanced with a moderate rye 18 percent bourbon mash bill, garnering layers of clove, vanilla, and lemon.
SRP: $99.99 per 750-ml bottle
2xowhiskey.com
12. Hatozaki
Hatozaki Whisky, produced at Kaikyo Distillery on the coast of Japan’s Seto Inland Sea, explores its maritime terroir through the limited-edition Omakase series. New to the lineup is the 84-proof Rye Mizunara Cask Finish, a small-batch edition (there are fewer than 3,000 bottles) overseen by master distiller and blender Kimio Yonezawa. Made from at least 51 percent rye, the liquid is aged in new charred oak, then finished in Mizunara casks fashioned out of Japanese white oak from the Hokkaido and Tohoku
forests.
SRP: $95 per 750-ml bottle
akashisakebrewery.com
