Limited Edition Foods

The golden elixir that is Jameson’s Rarest Vintage Reserve is so exclusive that the entire country of Canada will only receive sixty bottles.  Bottles will retail at about $300 in Canada, and more in the United States and other countries.

It is a unique blend of the best of Jameson’s batches from the past two decades, a once in a life time opportunity to taste gold in a bottle for Jameson’s fans.

Jameson’s is one of the world’s most popular whisky makers, and each day over 1.5 million glasses of Jameson’s tasty beverages are consumed in countries around the world.  That’s over 20 glasses per second, depending on which portion of the globe is in the evening hours at any given moment.

The exquisite beverage, and its more popular siblings, were toasted this weekend at a Hollywood party featuring the stars of NBC’s How I Met Your Mother.  The party was an early St. Patrick’s Day celebration that also celebrated the end of the writers’ strike, which allows How I Met Your Mother to return to the air with new episodes this week.

Since I fell in love with Jameson’s over a decade ago at the Jameson’s Irish Whisky festival in Ireland, and I recently fell in love with How I Met Your Mother, that would have been a “Legen-DARY” party to attend … but at least I get to blog about it on the morning after.  Get a taste of the evening with the photo above, which features sitcom staple Bob Saget with Mother cast members Jason Segal, Cobie Smulders, Alyson Hanigan, and show producer Carter Bays making a toast.  In the photo below Segal laughs at a typically funny comment from cast member Neil Patrick Harris.  Controversial guest star Britney Spears, who will be appearing in future episodes of the show, did not attend the party.

While we could not be in L.A. last night for the fun, let’s all raise an amber-liquid filled glass to Ted’s quest to find true love, Lily and Marshall’s quest to stay funky while also trying to be fiscally stable, and Robin and Barney’s ability to “stay hot.”  Well, that last quote was from  the BBC’s Coupling, but you know what I mean.

One of our favorite breweries is Dog Fish Head Craft Brewery, and we are especially fond of their seasonal and limited edition beers.  The brewery recently released their schedule for their 2008 beers, which can be found after the jump.

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A limited edition version of Black Dog whisky is currently available in India, and the purchase also includes a special decanter designed just for the product. The whisky is sold in the twelve year old category, and only in select regions of the country (Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh).

India has a rapidly-growing whisky market and Black Dog launched several varieties recently in an attempt to increase its market share. Apparently the growth rate for scotch whisky is over forty percent a year, which is an incredibly tempting lure for marketers. Black Dog executives have stated their brands are targeted at affluent male consumers, and they make many sales in the Indian lounge market. Black Dog is owned by United Spirits Limited, India’s largest alcohol company.

As we have discussed many times here at Limited Edition Foods, the Indian consumer market is a haven for limited edition products as many consumers tend to be enthusiastic about trying the limited editions when they come out.

It’s never too late to look back at where you have been, especially when you are trying to map out where you are going.  Before we delve into the hot new limited edition trends that are on the way in 2008, let’s take a look back at some of the limited edition liquor that was released during 2007.

Among the most intriguing limited edition liquor products of 2007 was Absolut Vodka’s Absolut New Orleans, a mango and pepper flavored spirit that helped support the rebuilding of that famous town.  There was also a limited edition beverage that reportedly tasted like alcoholic maple syrup and made an excellent edition to a Sunday brunch of a remarkable ham glaze.

Wild Turkey toasted the American Spirit, while Canadian Club celebrated the American spirit of innovation with a salute to bootlegging.

There were also plenty of limited edition and seasonal beers in 2007, including Dogfish Head’s Burton Baton, the decadent Sam Adams Utopias, and too many pumpkin beers and holiday blends to mention.

2008 has barely begun, but the seasonal and limited edition beverages we will be sipping are already being brewed and created.  Here’s to toasting more limited editions with you in the year to come!

Georgio Armani has partnered with Grey Goose vodka and high end retailer Harvey Nichols to sell a limited edition bottle to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. 

Only 250 of the pearl colored leather cases were created, which makes them a coup for the liquor cabinet of fashion and socially conscious sippers.  They are sold only at Harvey Nichols, which means they are available only in the United Kingdom, and the retail price is approximately one hundred pounds per limited edition bottle.

Grey Goose was introduced into the United States market ten years ago, and since then it has won numerous awards and earned its place as one of the best tasting and most exclusive vodkas available today.  This is not the first time that Grey Goose has partnered with the Elton John AIDS Foundation, as the company has partnered with the foundation on many other high profile projects in the past.

I have been reading George Tabor’s Judgment in Paris: California v. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine, which is very entertaining in spite of its long and bulky title.  In the early part of the book there is a long explanation of how prohibition did not so much dampen the American thirst for wine as it changed the wine American’s craved.  During prohibition many Americans learned to create their own, usually very sweet, jug wines and so when prohibition was repealed it was jug wines like those from the Rossi vineyard that soared in popularity for the next few decades.  Carlo Rossi’s famous jug entered the wine market later, in 1975, but was no less popular than its predecessors.

To celebrate its famous jug the Rossi organization commissioned three artists to create jug wine inspired pieces, including the decanter above which was created by glass blower Joe Cariati.  Jewelry designer Jules Kim has created a necklace inspired by the wine, and designer Jason Miller created a piece of art.  To see the creations and where they can be purchased, click here.

The inspiring qualities of Carlo Rossi’s jug wine are also featured on the company’s web site, which showcases various creative efforts and invites consumers to submit their own.  The site features a number of items including jug wine chandeliers.  Of particular interest is the jug wine furniture, which would seem to be dangerous as it includes a bookshelf and a couch among other creations that usually require stability and sturdiness to be functional.  If you have an idea for a jug wine inspired item the company would welcome your suggestions.

Canadian Club whisky has issued a series of limited edition bottles entitled "Generations" to tell unique stories of the brand and its effect on history. 

It’s an interesting concept that combines education with liquor, with each bottle telling a different historical tale.  Not surprisingly, most of the stories center around the gangster-ridden Prohibition era in the United States when alcohol was forbidden and liquor from Canada was particularly prized.  Perhaps the most famous tale is of the St. Valentine’s Day massacre, which the Canadian Club folks would have you believe was directly related to Al Capone’s efforts to smuggle their premium spirit.

In other Canadian Club news, the brand has released a new ad campaign designed to reclaim whisky from girly cocktails and make it a cool masculine drink again.  The campaign is entitled "Damn Right Your Dad Drank It" and includes ads informing consumers "Your Mom Was Not Your Dad’s First."  Of course, we are in an age of multiple marriages and the millions of folks with older half-siblings probably realize this already.

Few craft beers have been celebrated with the excitement of Samuel Adams’ Utopia line. This is because the Utopia is no ordinary beer, and is designed to be more of a high end after dinner drink than a beer designed for high volume consumption. Only 12,000 bottles of the 2007 Utopias will be created, and each one will come in its own ceramic decanter shaped like a brew kettle (a previous version is shown above) and featuring a hand number from the brewery.

These special craft beers use three different types of hops, a version of yeast that is normally reserved for champagne, and a blend of flavors and processes designed to create one of the best beers in the world. Previous Utopias have received the highest review possible from Spirit Journal, which is appropriate because the 27 percent alcohol content means the Utopia is closer to a spirit than a beer.

The rarity and quality of the Utopias are reflected in the price tag. Starting price for each bottle begins at $120 to $140, but according to the brewery press release most of the sales will be in restaurants. At Morton’s Steakhouse the limited edition beer is featured on the after dinner menu, and is served in a port glass for a cost of over $200 a bottle. Brewers are also traveling the country hosting dinners, so if you simply must try the Utopia be sure to call around and see if a restaurant in your area is having one of the brewery’s many Utopia dinners.

Absolut Vodka has created a sexy and trendy brand identity, but even Absolut should consider it a coup to capture a branding partnership with platinum hitmakers Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. The vodka recently partnered with the seemingly unstoppable duo on “Ayo Technology,” a song that is on 50 Cent’s album Curtis, which was released on September 11, 2007 but it is just now getting wide radio play in September.

To promote his partnership with Absolut 100, 50 Cent hosted a party with the vodka that centered around the MTV VMAs (Video Music Awards) in September. Held at the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas, the party attracted Sean “Diddy” Combs, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Ciara, and boxer/Dancing With the Stars contender Floyd Mayweather.

According to the Absolut website, the Absolut 100 is fifty percent alcohol and is targeted primarily at male consumers. The chic and minimalist black bottle combines with the theme of the song (”She wants it … I gotta give it to her”) to create an aura of confidence for the affluent male consumer.

Absolut would like to mention that the high alcohol content does not confine Absolut 100 to being a simple shooter, however. The Absolut bartenders have created a few recipes designed to maximize the versatility of this extremely potent spirit, and they are available here.

Absolut, vodka, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent, Curtis, Ayo Technology, song

Autumn brings back the Goose Island Harvest Ale, a seasonal beer that is available as a limited edition ale in September and October. Unlike the pumpkin beers that are so popular this time of year, or the newer apple flavors, Goose Island’s fall offering is a tasty traditional pale ale that has gotten solid reviews from beer sites such as Beer Advocate.

Based on reviews the Harvest Ale has enough hops to please the beer snobs and apparently tastes good enough to hold off the wrath of folks who were sad to see Goose Island’s Oktoberfest retire for the year.

Goose Island is an Illinois brewery that introduces several seasonal and limited edition beers throughout the year. Next on the calendar is the Christmas Ale, which will be in stores from November to January.

The Christmas Ale is a dark English Style ale with a strong flavor. While the Christmas Ale also got good reviews from Beer Advocate, but some people found the flavor unappetizing.

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