Tag: Alcohol

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Żubrówka Vanilla Named “Vodka of the Year” at the 2026 London Spirits Competition

Polish vodka Żubrówka Vanilla Flavoured Vodka took home both “Vodka of the Year” and “Best Spirit by Value” at the 2026 London Spirits Competition, one of Europe’s most respected spirits contests, judged by a panel of over 70 industry professionals with entries from more than 30 countries. The vodka earned a Double Gold distinction and a score of 98 out of 100. Its recipe leans on natural infusion with Madagascar vanilla pods, giving it a botanical character rather than a candied or artificial one. On the nose, it offers vanilla cream and light caramel; the palate is smooth, with vanilla custard, subtle spice, and faint almond notes, finishing medium-long and clean. The win reaffirms the continued popularity of Eastern European flavored vodkas in Western markets.

A selection of vodkas and other spirits is available in Mister Tabaco’s Alcohol category.

Source: The Whiskey Wash

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Bulleit Launches Its First-Ever Bourbon and Rye Blend, Bulleit ’87

American distillery Bulleit Frontier Whiskey has introduced “Bulleit ’87,” its first new permanent expression in 15 years and the brand’s first-ever blend of bourbon and rye in a single bottle. The name nods to 1987, the year Bulleit was founded, though it isn’t an age statement. The whiskey combines Kentucky-distilled bourbon with Indiana-distilled rye, each aged at least four years, then finished separately on toasted American and French oak staves for four to six weeks before being married and bottled in Shelbyville, Kentucky. Bulleit ’87 is bottled at 90 proof (45% ABV) and will roll out to select US retailers starting in September 2026 at a suggested price of $29.99 for a 750ml bottle. It’s the brand’s first release to carry a blue label.

Fans of American whiskey can browse other bourbon and rye labels in Mister Tabaco’s Alcohol category.

Source: The Whiskey Wash

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IWSC 2026: Rum, Gin and Irish Whiskey Take the Top Honors

The International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) has announced its 2026 results, one of the most closely watched spirits competitions in the world. In the rum category, Barbados-based Foursquare picked up five “Gold Outstanding” medals (98-100 points), reaffirming its position as a benchmark for the category. In gin, Navy Gin from Clarity Distilling scored 99 points, the highest of any gin entered, while Irish whiskey saw four bottles reach the top medals, including a 33-year-old single malt from Teeling Whiskey.

Organizers describe this year’s edition as marked by diversity, with results spanning artisanal mezcal and inventive whiskies to heritage liqueurs and contemporary gins, reflecting a spirits industry increasingly focused on quality and experimentation.

Spirits enthusiasts can browse the rum, gin and whiskey selection in Mister Tabaco’s Alcohol category.

Source: iwsc.net

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Gin & Rum Festival UK Arrives in Portsmouth August 15, Featuring Koloa Rum and Diviners Gin

The British Gin & Rum Festival tour continues its 2026 run with the next stop scheduled for August 15 in Portsmouth — one of 11 UK cities featured in this year’s edition, which runs from spring through autumn. Each stop draws an average of over 1,500 visitors, giving gin and rum brands a solid platform for direct consumer exposure.

Among the brands featured at the Portsmouth stands are Hawaii’s Koloa Rum, with its Gold and White expressions, alongside Diviners Apparition Gin. Visitors will be able to sample both brands at dedicated stands as well as at the event’s themed “World Bars,” also featured in the festival’s official brochure.

Traveling festivals like this remain an important discovery channel for craft gin and rum consumers, giving lesser-known brands a chance to compete, through direct tastings, with the market’s established names.

For those looking to explore quality spirits, Mister Tabaco offers a varied selection in its dedicated alcohol category.

Source: United Drinks

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Dancing Goat Distillery Launches the 10-Year Stillmans Sonder Whiskeys

American distillery Dancing Goat has launched the Stillmans Sonder collection, comprising two 10-year-old whiskeys. The first is a bourbon aged in Andean and American oak barrels with several double-oaked components, bottled at 47% ABV. The second is an American single malt distilled in Indiana and aged in Wisconsin, then finished in an unusual combination of casks — virgin oak, ex-bourbon, Wisconsin brandy, Cognac and Calvados — at 48.2% ABV.

Both expressions sell for $70 per 75cl bottle, available through the brand’s own website and a selection of U.S. retailers.

The release reflects a growing trend in American whiskey: small, independent distilleries experimenting with complex cask combinations to differentiate their products from major established brands — a strategy that lets them compete on quality even as their volumes remain far smaller.

Source: Global Drinks Intel

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Glenfiddich Releases Second Limited Edition Made with the Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team

Glenfiddich 18 Y.O.

Scottish distillery Glenfiddich, owned by William Grant & Sons, has released the second limited edition from its partnership with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 team. The Speyside single malt is aged 16 years and matured in an unusual combination of casks: first-fill bourbon barrels, Port pipes, Oloroso sherry casks, wine casks and Fino sherry butts.

Bottled at 43% ABV, the new release is available in the UK for around £75 per 75cl bottle through retailers including Selfridges and Master of Malt.

Partnerships between whisky distilleries and Formula 1 teams have become increasingly common in recent years, with brands leveraging the precision and refinement associated with motorsport to position their special editions as collectible items.

Scotch single malt lovers in Moldova can find the Glenfiddich range at Mister Tabaco.

Source: Global Drinks Intel

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SIP Awards 2026: Over 1,300 Beverages from 40 Countries Honored in the 18th Edition

The international SIP Awards competition announced the winners of its 18th edition on July 17, 2026 — one of the few spirits competitions judged exclusively by consumers rather than industry professionals. This year’s edition drew more than 1,300 entries from over 40 countries, evaluated across spirits, ready-to-drink, mixer and non-alcoholic categories.

Medals were awarded across tiers — Platinum, Double Gold, Gold, Silver and Bronze — alongside special honors such as Best of Class, Consumers’ Choice and Innovation Award.

The consumer-voting format makes SIP Awards a relevant barometer of real market preferences, distinct from competitions judged solely by sommeliers or master distillers — another sign that the spirits industry remains highly dynamic, with more small, craft brands earning recognition alongside established names.

For those looking to explore quality spirits, Mister Tabaco offers a varied selection in its dedicated alcohol category.

Source: PR Newswire

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Ardbeg Dolce, the New Special Edition, Scores 94 Points from Whisky Advocate

Whisky Ardbeg 10 Years 0,7l

Scottish distillery Ardbeg, known for its heavily peated Islay whiskies, has released Dolce, an edition combining bourbon-cask-matured whisky with one finished in marsala dolce casks. The result is an unusual profile for the Ardbeg range: the sweetness of Italian dessert wine intertwines with the distillery’s signature peat.

Whisky Advocate awarded the edition 94 points, one of the best scores of the summer for a Scotch single malt.

The release arrives during a busy season for whisky news: Blade and Bow rolled out a 12-year-old Solera Reserve finished in cognac, Bordeaux, Moscatel and Port casks, while India’s Indri unveiled a Founder’s Reserve aged 11 years in ex-Bordeaux red wine barrels.

Single malt lovers in Moldova can find Ardbeg 10-Year-Old, the distillery’s classic expression, at Mister Tabaco.

Source: Luxurious Magazine

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Garrison Brothers Releases the 2026 Laguna Madre, an 8-Year Texas Bourbon

Garrison Brothers, the first and oldest legal whiskey distillery in Texas, has announced the release of its 2026 Laguna Madre Texas Straight Bourbon, scheduled for August 8 at the distillery in Hye, Texas. This year’s batch yielded 3,000 bottles total, with the first 1,000 reserved for the release-day event and the remaining 2,000 reaching key retail accounts and the distillery’s e-commerce site starting August 14.

The bourbon is aged for eight full years: four years in hand-selected white American oak barrels, followed by another four years in rare Limousin oak casks, under the intense heat of the Texas Hill Country. The result, bottled at 101 proof (50.5% ABV), carries notes of vanilla bean, hazelnut, saltwater taffy, and milk chocolate.

New this year is a cask strength single barrel version, bottled at 135.4 proof and sold exclusively at the distillery. For American whiskey enthusiasts, releases like this remain an annual highlight, largely thanks to the long aging process and the strictly limited quantities. Take a look at the alcohol selection at Mister Tabaco.

Source: The Whiskey Wash

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San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2026: Platinum Medal Winners Announced

The Tasting Alliance has published its list of Platinum Medal winners from the 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, considered one of the most rigorous contests in the global spirits industry. The Platinum Medal is reserved for products that demonstrate consistent quality across repeated blind tastings throughout the competition.

Winners include Blanton’s Straight From the Barrel, Eagle Rare — distilled at Buffalo Trace and aged a minimum of 10 years — and Brother’s Bond Cask Strength, a bourbon founded by actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley. The list also features smaller distilleries such as Bainbridge from Washington State, with an all-organic wheat whiskey, and Peg Leg Porker, the brand launched by a well-known Tennessee pitmaster.

Whisky and bourbon fans can browse the spirits selection at Mister Tabaco.

Source: Forbes