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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/662062
www.cheersonline.com 14 • March/April 2016 DRINK CULTURE Each batch of Blue Nectar's Founder's Blend Añejo Tequila varies slightly in structure, with a focus on balancing agave and oak notes. The blends consist of añejo tequila, differing in age from one to two years, and a proportion of limited-production extra añejo, including five-year- old extra añejo. The tequila has notes of buttered toffee, vanilla, smoke and oak, the company says, with a medium dry finish. Suggested retail price: $59.99 per 750-ml. bottle. Smithworks Vodka, a partnership between Pernod Ricard and country music super- star Blake Shelton, is made with corn from Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma and water from Lake Fort Smith. Smithworks is dis- tilled three times and charcoal filtered for a smooth taste and clean finish, the company says. Finished and bottled with in Fort Smith, AR, and named after the team there, Smithworks is now available in select U.S. markets. SRP: $19.99 per 750-ml. bottle. PRODUCTS The ready-to-drink cocktail brand LIQS has unveiled Fireshot. The premium whiskey combines cinnamon and vanilla to create a hint of French toast flavor. Packaged in a shot glass, the product can be shot, sipped or poured over ice. SRP: $6.99 per three-pack. Portuguese winery Quinta De La Rosa has unveiled its port vintage lineup for the new year. Lote 601 Ruby Porto is blended in vats using wine with an aver- age age of three to four years old. Tonel 12 Ten Year Tawny Porto is aged in 550-liter oak casks and has flavors of dried fruit, figs, honey and almonds, and a touch of mandarin on the finish. The 20 Year Tawny is an elegant port, the company says, with flavors of dry fruits and liqueur and is on the slightly dryer side. SRP: $19, $36, $44 per 750-ml. bottles, respectively. The Sazerac Co., producer of the venerable Peychaud's bitters, has unveiled Peychaud's Aperitivo. The 22-proof bitter spirit was developed with creator Antoine Amedie Peychaud's belief in quality, simplicity and mixability in mind, the company says. Launched in New Orleans, Peychaud's Aperitivo will available with other markets this spring. SRP: $19.99. Sam Adams Rebel Grapefruit IPA, initially released on draft in November, now comes in bottles and cans. Rebel Grapefruit IPA has a juicy citrus flavor and a tart, sharp character, thanks to grapefruit peel added to the kettle during the brewing process and grapefruit juice added before the beer is filtered. Four hop varieties, including Mosaic hops, impart the tropical, citrus notes at the forefront of this beer. SRP: 7.99-$9.99 per six-pack of bottles, $1.99-$2.49 per 16-oz. can. Traveler IPA Shandy blends craft American shandy with the hop flavors and aromas of an American IPA. The Traveler Beer Co. has drawn inspiration from the European shandy, which is traditionally lager mixed with lemonade or lem- on-lime soda; its Traveler IPA Shandy is made with real grapefruit and seven citrusy hops. SRP: $7.99 to 8.99 per six-pack. Midleton's Dair Ghaelach, which means "Irish oak," is the result of a six-year exploration by the Midleton Masters into using native oak to mature Irish whiskey. Irish oak enhances whiskey with notes of vanilla, caramel and chocolate, balancing with the rich, spicy, single pot still taste profile, the company says. Bottled without chill filtration, and at cask strength, from 58.1% to 58.5% ABV. SRP: $269.99 per 750-ml. bottle.