What's hitting the shelves? New beverage launches in Hong Kong

Chivas Regal has introduced new ambassadors in Hong Kong, including artists Jiggie Boy (JB), Akiko, Novel Fergus, Novel Flash, Novel Friday, and Yuri Tomiyama. They have also launched a limited-time pack designed by JB, featuring his striking graffiti art on the packaging. Inside the pack, you'll discover a special Chivas Rock Glass and a 700ml bottle of Chivas XV, a luxurious 15-year-old whisky blend finished in Cognac casks. The pack is available for $538 at the Chivas Rise We Rise pop-up at Hysan Place until December 11 and can be purchased online at hkliquorstore.com. At the Chivas Rise We Rise pop-up, guests can also explore the opportunity to buy accessories from the renowned Fierce Studio and stunning jewellery from the popular fashion brand Midnight Factory, both celebrated within the creative community.

Bar Leone, led by mixologist Lorenzo Antinori, has joined forces with Australian gin distillery Never Never Distilling Co, to release a limited edition Coffee & Cacao Gin. This new gin takes inspiration from the flavours of tiramisu, infusing them with a blend of coffee, cocoa nibs, and refreshing hints of bergamot citrus. The bottle showcases Never Never's bottle design, featuring Bar Leone's vibrant red and orange colour palette. The gin can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, or in various cocktails such as the classic highball, gimlet, or Negroni. You can also try it in Bar Leone's Negroni cocktail or their Tuxedo twist serve. This limited edition gem is available for just $500 per bottle until December on barleonehk.com. After the year-end, the price will increase to $750 per bottle.

Scottish whisky brand The Macallan has released the new instalment  to their annual gifting whisky series, A Night on Earth. Named ‘The Journey’, the new release is created in collaboration with acclaimed Chinese artist Nini Sum to create a spirit that illustrates the journey of returning home to loved ones for Chinese New Year. The bottle design features colourful accents of yellow and green against a busy blue-hued city, as well as vivid fireworks exploding over a night sky. The liquid contains notes of toasted oak, steamed rice, coconut milk pudding; all of which tie into Sum’s nostalgic memories of the lunar new year. 

The Macallan A Night on Earth - The Journey is available for global retail and can be purchased on themacallan.com for $968. 

Premium craft beer producer Young Master Brewery has partnered with local heritage design and lifestyle brand Goods of Desire (G.O.D) to create a limited edition packaging of their unfiltered pilsner beer ($120 for four) to celebrate the upcoming Year of the Dragon and pay homage to the city’s iconography. 

The design of the special release features a series of neon signs that embody the city’s spirit. Aside from the new pilsner beers, Young Master and G.O.D have also released a limited edition set of coasters ($268 for four), which also feature the colourful neon design. 

The Young Master X G.O.D’s limited edition pilsner beers and coasters are available on Young Master’s website.

Bruichladdich Distillery has recently launched the 14th edition of their annual Octomore series. Each variation in the collection is aged for five years, and possesses its own unique characteristics. Octomore 14.1 is malted to 128.9 ppm (parts per million), and is matured in American whisky casks to give it notes of oak, vanilla, caramel, and peat smoke. In contrast, Octomore 14.2, is matured in a combination of Oloroso and Amarone casks, which produces a complex single malt with notes of red currants and roasted coffee. Finally, the Octomore 14.3 combines the super-heavy peated whisky with locally harvests from Islay, matured in bourbon casks and second-fill wine casks, resulting in a barley-forward single malt with notes of sweet vanilla, toffee, and earthy smoke.

The complete Octomore 14 series is available for purchase at special whisky retailers as well as on bruichladdich.com, for $1755 and up.

Local beer producer Yardley Brothers Craft Brewery is finally launching its Stay Classy burgundy barrel-aged saison. This pale ale dates back to 2020 when the Yardley team took their Eat Your Boss saison and aged it in a Burgundy barrel for three years, which resulted in a beer that has since won accolades such as the gold medal for Strong Belgian Ale at the 2023 Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition. This aged beer has a golden tinge, an aroma that smells like rain on straw, and a light tart flavour with notes of apricot and oak.

The Stay Classy saison is limited to only 500 bottles. Purchase the beer at Yardleys Taproom in Central, The Beer Shack on Lamma Island, or on yardleybrothers.hk for $120.