In the spirits space there’s premium, and then there’s premium. Now, as the alcohol industry embraces RTD formats, pre-mixed cocktails are receiving the luxury treatment.
Liqueur maker Apologue announced this week the launch of Sunday’s Finest Gold Fashioned, a new ready-to-serve Old Fashioned cocktail made from “the finest raw ingredients sourced from specialty producers” around the world. The drink is available online and in select retail locations and sells for $150 per 750 mL bottle. Each bottle also comes packaged in a blue and gold box featuring details about the sourcing of each ingredient.
Created by Apologue co-founder Robert Haynes, the Gold Fashioned is made from a blend of 8-year Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey and 5-year Indiana straight rye, demerara syrup made from Malawian sugar, and a proprietary aromatic bitters blend featuring Herat saffron, Tahitian vanilla beans, single-origin Ecuadorian cacao, Seville orange peel and gentian root from the French Alps. Each box also contains an orange zest atomizer that can be spritzed over the cocktail to garnish.
Haynes told BevNET via email that the Gold Fashioned launch was timed to the upcoming holidays, noting the product is designed for “whiskey lovers, Scotch aficionados and high-end bottle enthusiasts.” The company is targeting higher income consumers and has built its marketing around special occasions such as parties, anniversaries and reunions.
“Now that we are hopefully rounding the corner on the pandemic and can safely commune with friends and loved ones, it felt meaningful to put out a product that was not only impeccably sourced and delicious, but also one that folks could share and enjoy in good company,” Haynes said.
Sunday’s Finest has planned a limited retail rollout for the Gold Fashioned, mainly launching in “a handful of high-integrity bottle shops” and other retailers, Haynes noted, but is mostly focused on selling online via the brand’s website. Working with a network of retail providers to ensure fulfillment stays “compliant with the three-tier system,” the product can currently be shipped to 45 states, he noted.
Haynes is a bar and spirits industry veteran who began his career in hospitality in 2007 as a member of the opening team of Chicago cocktail bar The Violet Hour. In 2012 he partnered with Letherbee Distillers to launch Swedish-style wormwood liqueur brand BËSK and has also served as an industry consultant. In 2017, Haynes co-founded Chicago-based Apologue Spirited Liqueurs, which produces a line of bottled specialty liqueurs including berry, bittersweet, spiced and herbal varieties.
With Sunday’s Finest, Haynes said the brand will aim to build around the ultra-premium Gold Fashioned format and is now planning a second release for 2022, though did not say if the brand will explore other spirits or cocktail formats.
Single-serve varieties of Sunday’s Finest creations are still “TBD,” he said, but any new products “would still be focused on sourcing premium ingredients” and telling a story around the craft.
“One thing we know is non-negotiable is Sunday’s Finest’s focus on creating exceptional cocktail experiences to be enjoyed at people’s convenience,” Haynes said. “The Gold Fashioned is the first luxury ready-to-drink cocktail and we plan on being the leader in this category we’re creating and look forward to taking the ready-to-drink cocktail segment to that next level.”