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Beverage Media
December 2012
rently Beluga has two distinct
vodkas available in the US. Be-
luga Noble (SRP $40), is triple
distilled with a precise blend
of honey, oat and milk thistle
extract, offering an exquisite-
ly smooth blend for sipping
and mixing. For the vodka
connoisseur, the coveted Be-
luga Gold ($199) undergoes a
90-
day maturation processes
which yields soft notes of
rhodiola rosea, rice, honey and
oats, as well as an especially
smooth texture. Each Beluga
Gold bottle is numbered and
sealed with cork and wax.
And, just arrived in the
New York market, Broken
Shed Vodka ($34.99) has a
backstory of being created in
an old, ramshackle shed on
a mountain in New Zealand
with the help of two Con-
necticut expats. Perhaps its
most distinctive characteristic is that it
is distilled four times from natural whey,
making it gluten-free, then blended with
water from two of New Zealand’s purest
sources on both the North and South Is-
lands. Broken Shed attributes its smooth
taste profile to craft blending and filter-
ing during production while utilizing
continuous depth filtering and a custom-
designed charcoal filtration process.
HERRADURA UPDATES
ITS TOP TEQUILA
Casa Herradura has refined the packag-
ing for its Selección Suprema Tequila,
to reflect the craftsmanship, quality and
authenticity of the first-ever extra añejo
in the tequila industry. The new pack-
age features an earth-tone box with a bi-
fold opening, bearing the
brand’s iconic horseshoe
on the bottom right pan-
el. The center interior of
the box props and cradles
the bottle on a fitted ped-
estal. Once opened, the
bi-fold panels display the
story of the tequila, which is handcrafted
using time-honored traditional produc-
tion methods and aged for 49 months in
American white oak barrels.
Although the glass bottle remains
unchanged, subtle design refinements in-
clude a real copper finish metal die cast
horseshoe, a copper neck band, a brand
mark update, and an authenticating strip
label signed by Master Distiller, Maria
Teresa Lara. “The refinements are meant
to better reflect the quality and sophisti-
cation of the tequila within and align the
packaging with the rest of the Herradura
brand family,” said Herradura Brand Man-
ager Valdemar Cantu.
The new packaging was designed by
Johnny Cardenas, Design Director for
Brown-Forman. The new Selección Su-
prema SRP is $350.
wine
Georges Duboeuf
Beaujolais Nouveau 2012:
the Spectacle Continues
The annual arrival of Beaujolais Nou-
veau is celebrated every third Thurs-
day of November, in accordance with
French law and in observation of the
tradition of this festive wine—the first
of the harvest and of the vintage.
For decades now, Beaujolais Nou-
veau has become as much about the
hoopla as the wine, but the 2012 vintage
holds special significance as the 30th
anniversary of Georges Duboeuf Beaujo-
lais Nouveau in the United States. Both
Peter Deutsch (of importer Deutsch
Family Wine & Spirits) and Franck
Duboeuf rang in the 2012 Beaujolais on
November 15
th
at the stroke of midnight
in Manhattan. The two men, continu-
ing the tradition begun by their fathers,
welcomed the fresh red wine with a cel-
ebration; 2012 was produced by experi-
ential event designer Adam Aleksander
and featured a stunning performance
by world-renowned techno-illusionist
Marco Tempest.
This year’s razzle dazzle also ex-
tended to the actual bottle: Georges
Duboeuf 2012 Beaujolais Nouveau
features a one-of- a-kind “Nouveau
Magic” Augmented Reality label that
consumers can access by downloading
the Nouveau Magic App available for
free on iTunes. Downloading the app
allows users to play a game with their
bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau and Marco
Tempest. Of course, no app is required
to enjoy Dubouef’s 2012 Nouveau (SRP
$9.99)—not even a corkscrew, since it is
under screwtop. It’s as vibrant and fruity
as ever, and best served chilled—during
Thanksgiving and for weeks to come.
Celebrations heralding the arrival of
the 2012 Beaujolais took place across the
country. Festivities in New York City had
a bittersweet edge, due to the lingering
impact of Superstorm Sandy. The Com-
pagnons de Beaujolais had originally
planned to mark their 10
th
anniversary
in NYC with a ceremony at Capsouto
Frères, replete with the block of Wash-
ington Street in front of the bistro being
renamed Rue de Beaujolias for the day.
Unfortunately, Capsouto Frères was still
unable to open by November 15, so the
event was switched to L’Express, and in
addition to an induction ceremony fea-
turing New York City officials and chef
Jacques Pepin, organizers turned the
event into a clothing drive as well.
www.BevNetwork.com
Peter Deutsch, Franck Duboeuf, Marco Tempest