The Glenlivet made edible cocktail gushers, Yeungling is teaming up with Hershey’s chocolate, The Macallan appoints their first woman Master Whisky Maker and more in this week’s booze news. Below is the recap of a weekly email you’ll actually want to read.

Boozeletter Archives – October 5, 2019

Here’s your weekly dose of things worth checking out in the world of good libations.

Not sure what your head turns into when you pop a Glenlivet pod

1. Adult Gushers Are A Thing

The Glenlivet rolled out this “Capsule Collection”, which are glass-less cocktails encapsulated in a gel-like packet made from seaweed extract. It’s an appetizing answer to 2017’s Tide Pod Challenge.

Each adult gusher contains 23 millilitres of cocktail, which were crafted by a London bar around the elements of “Citrus”, “Wood” and “Spice”. The capsule is made of a sustainable and edible packaging by startup company Notpla.

You can enjoy these at the Tayēr + Elementary bar in London, and they look like this:

Photo via the Glenlivet

2. The Macallan Appoints Their First Woman Master Whisky Maker

The Macallan has been slingin’ scotch for 195 years, and for the first time in that history they have announced a woman as their Master Whisky Maker.

Kirsteen Campbell will be taking the reigns after transitioning out of her current role as Master Blender for The Famous Grouse. This is a newly created role after the previous Master Distiller, Nick Savage, left to work at Bladnoch distillery.

Photo via Aerstone

3. William Grant & Sons Launches A New Product Line

William Grant & Sons is releasing a new scotch brand – Aerstone Single Malt.

Two ten-year-old bottlings will kick off the product line, and they’re meant to be an easy-drinking introduction to single malt whisky. The launch features the ‘smooth and easy’ Sea Cask and ‘rich and smoky’ peated Land Cask.

They’ll be bottled at 40% ABV and run you a modest $29 USD.

I can’t speak to how these will taste, but at that price point, the Land Cask could be a great peated scotch option for cocktails, especially considering it’s using a highland peat, which (at least in my experience with The Balvenie – a WG&S brand) can be less industrial than Islay peat.

4. In Other Whisky News

Scotch might get more expensive in the US. The United States got the green light from the World Trade Organization to impose tariffs on up to $7.5bn of goods from the EU. This means that scotch exports could be hit with up to 25% tariffs – which is obviously not that chill for either the scotch industry or US consumers (who contribute to 22% of the value of scotch exports).



These tariffs are not set in stone yet, and the list of goods may be tweaked before being officially signed off on by October 18th. Until then, the Scotch Whisky Association will be fighting tooth and nail to minimize this impact on the industry.



One of my goals when starting Spirit & Oak was to talk about whisky (and other drinks) in not too serious a way. Whisky was my first choice even when I used to drink solely for debauchery, but before I started really digging (and getting nerdier about) scotch, my impression was that it was kinda an old man’s drink.



That perception has obviously changed for myself, and it’s nice to see that it’s changing on a global level as well. This article gives a few examples of new whisky bars in London that are straying away from the Old Boys Club and towards a trendier vibe, catering to the modern whisky drinker.



I try to cover some of the more interesting spirits releases, but in case you’d like a convenient summary of what dropped last month, here are thespiritsbusiness.com’s top 10 product launches in September, 2019.

Photo via @gladstonehotel Instagram

5. A Stranger Things-Themed Pop-Up Coming To Toronto

Since the beginning of Boozeletter we’ve seen some pretty cool themed bars, like the rise and dramatic fall of the Rick & Morty bar, or the real life Mos Eisley Cantina from Star Wars.

On October 25th, the next nerdy popup will be at Toronto’s Gladstone Hotel, as they transform their building into the Starcourt Mall from Stranger Things.

It’s sounding like it will be an eclectic event, with features like a taco truck, ‘80s karaoke and video dance party, a costume contest, ’80s-themed drag performances, jazzercise, and my favorite, a “Drinks Ahoy” bar stand akin to the ice cream shop from the show. Speaking of Jazzercise.

Photo via Yeungling

6. Hershey And Yeungling Team Up To Make A Chocolate Beer

There are a lot of awesome chocolate porters and stouts on the market, but if you want to know about the newest one, here she is.

Yeungling (the largest “craft” brewery) and Hershey’s (one of the largest chocolate producers) are putting out a chocolate porter.

This is the first time I’ve heard of Big Chocolate putting their name on a brew. Unfortunately it won’t be on shelves, but you can find it on tap in bars in 13 states.

7. In Other Beer News

Constellation Brands recently released Q2 results, and their beer depletions (a measure of consumption) was up 6% (where Molson and AB InBev are seeing declines). The wine and spirits side of the business, on the other hand, saw a 13% drop in depletions (partly due to divestment) and the cannabis portion of the business (Canopy Growth) is just volatile.



If you shop at the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation, you can expect to see a ~1.3% increase in some beer prices. It accounts for roughly 40 cents per six pack.



A recent study from the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis said that the liberalization of Ontario’s beer and wine will have potential repercussions for the spirits industry. Sales within the province support about 30% of Ontario-based distilleries’ production, so by allowing sales of only beer and wine in variety stores, supermarkets, and big box outlets, local distilleries may be put risk.



(I think the assumption is that people will avoid LCBO’s if they can pick up a beer more conveniently).



This will have a trickle-down effect in terms of job loss, because every craft distillery supports, on average, 5 more jobs outside of the distillery.

And that’s it for this week’s booze-related happenings. Except for the Toronto events section, which can be found when you subscribe to the emails.

Until next time, drink better my friend.

Devin

But, Before You Go!

What you’re reading is part of a weekly newsletter sent every Saturday morning. If you enjoyed this light read, I made it easy – subscribe to Boozeletter by entering your email address below. (And if something caught your eye in this article, it would be pretty damn cool if you shared it with your drink-loving friends).