Indiana Vodka adding infused line

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Heartland Distillers, the first legal distillery to open in Indiana since Prohibition, is on the brink of unveiling a line of seven flavored vodkas, some of them rather unusual.

The company's Indiana-brand vodka and Prohibition-brand gin -- the latter new to the market as of March this year -- constitute its portfolio at the moment, but it has been promising the addition of liqueurs, whiskies and bourbons at some point.

The brand was launched about a year and a half ago from its distillery in Indianapolis. Now, according to the company's own blog:

"Yes, the rumors were true, we have a whole line of flavored Indiana Vodka coming out soon ... . In creating our new flavors we discovered -- after much trial and error! -- that many flavors are enhanced if we add just a little bit of a complementary flavor.

"For example, we kept trying to flavor our vodka with cherries, but the end result, even if better than the last, always tasted a little too much like cough syrup. Then we added a touch of vanilla and something magical happened -- great taste! So an idea was born.

"Our new line of flavors will consist of Cherry Vanilla, Chai Tea, Orange Cream, Double Vanilla, Raspberry Citrus, Chocolate Espresso, and Honey Lemon."

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Cold River Vodka gets a gin sibling

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Maine Distilleries has added gin to its portfolio.

The distiller of Cold River Vodka has been working on a new gin for about two years. It is made in the company's copper pot still in Freeport, ME, where its vodkas are created.

Head distiller Chris Dowe bases the gin on a 400-year-old traditional gin recipe that utilizes seven botanicals -- the requisite juniper berries plus coriander, lemon and orange peel, cardamom, orris root and angelica root. The base spirit is made from potatoes grown at the family-owned Green Thumb Farms in Fryeburg, ME, just as the signature vodka is made. The finished product is gluten free with no added sugar.

Cold River Gin went on sale in late July in Maine at a suggested retail price of $25.99. Throughout the remainder of the summer, it will be shipped to stores in New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maryland, Georgia, and Washington, DC.

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A new chapter for recovered Antarctic whisky

A straw-wrapped bottle of Mackinlay's Scotch whisky being unwrapped.
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand -- Part of the cache of rare Mackinlay's whisky recovered from an icy grave in Antarctica has been opened.

Five crates that had been part of the supplies for the explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's expedition more than a century ago had been found in 2007 below a hut on Ross island that had been Shackleton's headquarters in 1909.

In January of this year, the crates were taken to a special room set up here by the Antarctic Heritage Trust.

When the crate was opened on Friday, one of the original 12 bottles was missing and another was not as full as the rest. Whoever had that small taste won't be joined by any modern imbibers as of yet, although a sample will be taken for the Scottish distillery, which lost the original recipe, can try to replicate it.

[Go here for a Sky News video of the unwrapping.]

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Three Olives hires rapper with rap sheet

Nothing says quality like hiring an ex-con to promote your product.

That apparently is the thinking at Three Olives which has hired the rapper/perjurer/felon Lil Kim as the spokesperson for its new Three Olives Purple Vodka.

Three Olives can count on the entertainer -- real name Kimberly Jones, and with a police record dating back more than a dozen years -- not saying a negative word about the vodka. She makes a habit of never noticing bad things around her.

Elwyn Gladstone, marketing VP for Promixo Spirits which owns Three Olives, gushed, "A perfect match for our latest flavor, Lil' Kim is the personification of the sassy, fun and confident brand that Three-O strives to embody. We are so delighted to welcome Kim to the Three-O family, and look forward to introducing Three-O Purple to her dedicated fan base."

The rapper modestly announced in a press statement, "Since I'm Queen Bee and purple is the color of royalty, I'm thrilled Three Olives has asked me to bring my flavor to the sexy 'O-Face' campaign for their new Purple vodka!"

If you're not familiar with Lil Kim's resume, here are some of her hits:

• Arrest made in Lil Kim party murder case
• Rapper guilty of telling lies about gunfight
• Lil Kim sued over unfinished album
• Rapper Lil' Kim released from jail
• Much to do before checking into prison
• Security tape shows Lil Kim next to manager before shooting

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Bill's eMailbox: Seals of disapproval

Q: I actually have two separate bottles to discuss with you.

I have a 1916 Kentucky bourbon bottle with bourbon still inside. The seal broke when we moved from our house to an apartment and part of the cork is floating. The second is Old Forester Kentucky Bourbon Whisky 1955. This seal is broken, too, but (the bourbon was) not tasted. the sticker on the seal gave way.

Both bottles have a beautiful, rich-colored bourbon inside, about the same color of iced tea. I'm interested in the value of these unique finds, especially the 1916 bourbon, since this was prior to Prohibition, so I understand this is extremely rare.

-- Melissa A. Burpo, Martinsville, IN

A: No matter whether you're talking about stamps, action figure toys or lovely whiskies, the value is greatly diminished once the wrappings or seals are broken.

However, I can point you to a bourbon authority who can give you some official guidance. He is Michael R. Veach, Special Collections Assistant for the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, KY, and a member of the Bourbon Hall of Fame since 2006. Mike is an expert on identifying and evaluating rare bourbons.

Incidentally, you can go here to read my report on a "timeline tasting" of old and rare Old Forester bourbons held at the Filson.

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DeWar's unveils new-look portfolio

The top-selling premium Scotch in the U.S. has changed its look.

DeWar's Blended Scotch Whisky today released information on its White Label, 12 Years Old, 18 Years Old and Signature brands.

It visually links the products as one unit for the first time in the brand's history. While the whiskies remain the same, the new look will be heavily used in advertising campaigns.

Suggested retail prices for the 750ml bottles: White Label, $21.99; 12 Years Old, $28.99; 18 Years Old, $79.99; Signature, $199.99.

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Bill's eMailbox: In search of 1893 book

Q: I'm trying to find a book on making spirits. I believe at one time I found a reference to it on your blog. The book is "The Manufacture of Spirit As Conducted In the Distilleries of the United Kingdom" (1893) by J.A. Nettleton.

Any idea where I might get this book in any form, including digital?

Brendan Wheatley

A: Amazon.com has one (1) copy of this out-of-print and rare book. Just go to the "books" section of their website and type in the title and author.

For comparison's sake, you might also want to consider getting a copy of a more up-to-date book, such as "Craft of Whiskey Distilling" or "Modern Moonshine Techniques," both by Bill Owens, founder of the American Distilling Institute.

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Stoli adding 12th flavored vodka

Stolichnaya, an industry trailblazer in flavored vodkas, has another one ready for its portfolio.

Stoli Wild Cherri Vodka is scheduled for an October release, making it the 12th flavored vodka for the label.

The company says it is made with a natural refined fruit extract. It is made in the distiller's Riga, Latvia, facility.

The suggested retail price for the new flavor is $23,99 for the 750ml bottle.

Stoli's other flavored vodkas are Ohranj, Blueberi, Razberi, Vanil, Citros, Cranberi, Peachik, Strasberi, Blakberi, Gala Applik and White Ponegranik.

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Poll: Drinking moves from bars to homes

• From TIME magazine

When the going gets tough, the tough, um, go drinking. That's the word from a new Gallup poll showing that 67% of Americans are hitting the bottle, the most since 1985. Another sign of challenging economic times: more and more of those rounds are happening in the kitchen, not at the corner pub.

A new report by Mintel International, a market-research firm, shows that a growing number of Americans are guzzling down wine and spirits at home as opposed to in bars and restaurants, and many are trading down to cheaper brands as they seek fiscally conscious ways to party in a sluggish economy.

[Go here for the full story.]

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Canadian Mist adds 'Black Diamond'

Later this month, Canadian Mist Whisky will send a new Black Diamond expression to selected markets.

The premium line extension has been blended at 86 proof by new master blender Steve Hughes, and has a higher sherry and rye content than the standard Canadian Mist.

"Our consumers told us they wanted a premium offering from their favorite brand for those special occasions and every day celebrations," Hughes said. "We wanted to enhance two main flavor attributes that are the key contributors to our gold medal-winning formula."

Canadian Mist Black Diamond will have a suggested retail price of $14.99 for a 750ml bottle. It will launch in six markets -- Texas, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Colorado and Georgia -- with other markets to be added next year. Of course, it will be available immediately throughout Canada.

Hughes became Mist's master blender when Harold Ferguson retired earlier this year. Go here for a report on a lesson in blending I got from Ferguson several years ago.

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A celebri-quote: Patricia Clarkson

• Oscar nominee ("Pieces of April") Patricia Clarkson recently completed filming "Cairo Time" in Egypt. In an interview with PopEater.com, she answered questions about food and drink there.

Q: Did you eat a lot of Middle Eastern food?

A: To some extent. I don't know if you've known anyone who has gone to Cairo, but it's kind of like Mexico -- you get sick. But I never got sick, so whenever I ate, I ate pretty much the same thing. There was nothing for them to shoot if I got sick, so I was religious about it. But I had some beautiful food and beautiful Egyptian wine.

Q: So you're telling me you never got food poisoning ... but you were tipsy on the set.

A: [Laughs] Yes, that's all I drank. No, at the end of the week when I didn't have to shoot the next day -- oh my, the beautiful wines and the sun setting over the Nile...

Q: You've been described as having a whiskey voice.

A: I don't like whiskey at all, but I have always liked bourbon.

[Go here for more celebri-quotes.]

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Parker's bourbon series wheat this time

This year's edition of the Parker's Heritage Collection bourbon from Heaven Hill is coming out this month.

It's a 10-year old, non-chill filtered, cask strength wheated bourbon, something different from Heaven Hill's usual rye mash.

It is priced at a suggested retail price of $80 for each of the 4,800 750 ml bottles being released. This is the fourth release in this series. However, it is the first of the series produced at the Bernheim Distillery in Lousiville, KY, where Heaven Hill makes its Old Fitzgerald bourbon.

[Here is a link to my original 2007 story announcing the startup of the Parker's Heritage Collection series.]

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