Tacoma, Washington-based confectioner Brown & Haley has entered the wine business with the launch of Almond Roca Cream dessert wine to coincide with the company’s 100-year anniversary. The 14%-abv wine will retail for $14.99 a 750-ml. bottle. It will appear on shelves at Bartell Drugs, a Washington chain, on October 1 and will roll out to other West Coast retailers later that month.
Craft Tequila company Auténtico Tequila Alacrán is set to debut Auténtico Mezcal Alacrán, a joven mezcal produced with 100% agave espadín. Launched last week in New York City, the 46%-abv offering is made in Oaxaca, Mexico using a traditional wooden oven and copper still, and packaged in a matte white 750-ml. bottle. It will initially be available on the East Coast and later expand to the West Coast and Texas. Price: $48.
This month, Heaven Hill Distilleries is set to release the sixth annual edition of its Parker’s Heritage Collection of American whiskies. This new addition to the collection is a blend of select barrels of 11-year-old rye-based Heaven Hill Bourbons used in brands like Elijah Craig and Evan Williams, as well as select barrels of 11-year-old wheated Bourbons used for the Old Fitzgerald brand. The 2012 Parker’s Heritage offering is bottled at cask strength, with the first of the three dumps of the whiskey carrying a proof of 131.6 (the two ensuing dumps will each have different proofs). It will sell for $80 a 750-ml. bottle, with about 7,500 bottles produced. The Parker’s Heritage Collection is a limited annual series of rare aged American whiskies paying tribute to sixth-generation master distiller Parker Beam.
Cooperstown, New York-based Brewery Ommegang has debuted a new fall seasonal beer, Scythe & Sickle Harvest Ale. Available this month through November, Scythe & Sickle will be available on draft and in 12-ounce bottles. It’s an amber ale brewed with a variety of malts, including pils, rye flakes and oat flakes. Ommegang is currently available in 43 states across the country.