Distil Regulatory News (DIS)

26 Sep 2005 07:00

Blavod Extreme Spirits PLC26 September 2005 Blavod Extreme Spirits' Joint Venture Diamante Spirits Announces first New Product Launch FRANKLIN, Tenn. - September 26, 2005 - Blavod Extreme Spirits' (LSE:BES) jointventure Diamante Spirits, LLC, announces today that it will produce and market anew tequila, El Diamante del Cielo (Diamond in the Sky). The new product willhave a retail value between $45 to $60 depending on vintage and will becommercially available through Blavod's distribution network in the UnitedStates in early 2006. This is the first new product to be produced by Diamante Spirits, LLC, the jointventure company formed in August 2005. Diamante Spirits is a 50:50 joint venturewith Suntory, with Blavod responsible for day to day management of the company. El Diamante del Cielo will enhance BES's position in the international boutiquespirits market, where it already produces and markets Blavod Black Vodka and thePlayers Extreme range of vodkas and rums. BES also has a growing wineportfolio, and now distributes a varied list of niche Italian wines in theUnited States and the UK. The JV will produce three varieties of the tequila - El Diamante del CieloBlanco, Reposado and Anejo. The handcrafted tequilas are made with 100% blueWaeber Agave grown exclusively in the optimal conditions found in the Jaliscoregion of Mexico. In keeping with the heritage of tequila making, the Agave isharvested by hand by Jimadors, a tradition passed from father to son in Mexicofor centuries. One hundred years in the making, the tequila is bottled on anestate deep in the heart of Mexico. Jeff Hopmayer, CEO of Blavod Extreme Spirits, said: "We are very excited tobring our first new brand from the JV to the market. We anticipate that, withour partner, we will make El Diamante del Cielo a highly competitiveinternational brand within a short timeframe." Media Contacts: United Kingdom Tim Robertson 020 7930 0777 Catherine Maitland Notes to editors:Blavod Extreme Spirits, plc (LSE:BES), is an international spirits company basedin London with U.S. offices in Franklin, Tennessee. Formed by the 2003 mergerof Blavod Black Vodka plc and Extreme Beverage Company, Blavod Extreme Spiritsproduces and sells its black-colored vodka, aptly called Blavod, throughout theworld. BES also produces and sells the award-winning, intensely flavored lineof Players Extreme vodkas and rums. In the United States, BES is the exclusivedistributor of an elite wine portfolio of fine Italian wines. For moreinformation on the company, please visit www.blavodextreme.com. El Diamante del Cielo Blanco goes straight from the distillation process to thebottle making it the purest, a most fruit forward tequila in the trio. In thetriple-distilling process, the "head and tail" of the tequila is thrown out,reserving only the heart of the batch for bottling. By Mexican regulation, Reposado tequilas are aged in large oak barrels for aminimum of 60 days and a maximum of one year. To get more tequila to market,most companies bottle Reposado on the 60th day. El Diamante del Cielo Reposadois bottled on the 364th day of aging, the last day possible, to give it asmoother and fuller-bodied taste than most Reposado tequilas. Although thisaging process is more expensive, El Diamante del Cielo Reposado reaps therewards with a full-bodied vanilla and caramel taste that is supremely sippableand perfect for mixing that special tequila drink. Anejo tequilas are sealed by the government for a minimum of one year. ElDiamante del Cielo Anejo extends the aging process up to four years to make asmooth, buttery, oaky tasting tequila. El Diamante del Cielo Anejo, drippingwith flavorful spices and subtle scents of tropical fruits, is the ultimatesipping tequila. Rated at 96, El Diamante del Cielo Anejo is one the highestrated tequilas ever created. ### This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange