Campari has just announced a new RARE division which will be geared specifically towards high-end propositions in bars and restaurants. Of particular focus will be the boutique marques, made up of niche and super premium products that cater to connoisseurs who are looking for something truly unique. The intention of the RARE division is to build mutually beneficial partnerships with bars and restaurants that are well positioned in terms of clientele and creating premium experiences. The boutique marques will include Lallier champagne, Bisquit and Dubouché cognac, Montelobos mezcal, Ancho Reyes liqueur, Appleton Estate rum, Espolon tequila and O’ndina gin. All are new additions to the Campari portfolio except for Appleton Estate and Espolon.
The intention of the RARE division is to build mutually beneficial partnerships with bars and restaurants that are well positioned in terms of clientele and creating premium experiences.
Perhaps most notable amongst the new additions are the French icons which includes Lallier champagne and Bisquit and Dubouché cognac. Champagne Lallier was founded in 1906 in Aÿ, one of the few French villages classified as ‘Grand Cru’, and a prestigious name embodying Champagne’s magnificent heritage. Its distinctive winemaking philosophy aims at enhancing the individuality of a terroir, expressed through its flagship Série R, and its hand-crafted prestige cuvée Ouvrage. The core boutique champagne range also includes Grand Rosé and Blanc De Blanc variants.
Bisquit and Dubouché is a prestigious French cognac with over 200 years of heritage. The Bisquit & Dubouché brand is renowned thanks to its unique distillation method that gives it a superior concentration of aromas and smoothness and includes VSOP and XO expressions. VSOP is developed with eaux de vie from four crus Grande Champagne and matured in french oak barrels for a minimum of 4 years. While the XO is a sumptuous cognac crafted using only the most prestigious eaux de vie from the Grande and Petite Champagne crus and is slowly matured in french oak barrels for a minimum of 10 years.
Montelobos is an artisanal mezcal that explores the abundant flavours of the agave through an obsessive process of collaboration, respect for tradition, and desire for experimentation. The offering includes two expressions, Espadin and Ensamble. Espadin is a perfectly balanced mezcal with extraordinary complexity. The pinnacle expression Ensamble, offers an explosion of contrasting flavours and its body and acidity emphasizes smoke and fruits in the mouth.
Ancho Reyes is a liqueur made from the extraordinary Chile Ancho inspired by a recipe from the 1920s, originally from the city of Puebla de Zaragoza. Influenced by the old-world liqueurs, a unique blend of heat, sweetness, smoke and spice of the Chile Ancho that predates all other spicy liqueurs by nearly a century. The brand is represented by two variants, Original, being the embodiment of the old-world liqueur and Verde, which expresses the fresh, crisp spice of the Chile Poblano.
O’ndina is an Italian gin, crafted with fresh basil from Liguria and citrus from southern Italy, O’ndina enlivens the senses, just like the spirit of the Italian Riviera which inspired its creation. Its refreshing and herbaceous flavour adds an unexpected twist to a gin and tonic and makes an exquisite all-Italian Negroni.
The boutique marques are rounded out with the inclusion of two new product expressions to existing Campari brands, the Appleton Estate 15 Year Old which will sit alongside the 21 Year Old. While the addition of the Anejo expression will represent the boutique marques from Espolon with further innovations to be integrated in to the portfolio in the coming years.
The launch of the RARE portfolio is being spearheaded by Claudio Spahiu DipWSET (pictured above), commercial lead and champagne brand ambassador. A sommelier and seasoned wine and spirits professional with over 8 years’ experience in the on-premise channel Claudio will be driving the development of premium experiences. Claudio will be working in partnership with Piero Fonseca, sommelier and director of Standard Wine Company to drive the champagne portion of the portfolio.
For more information please contact your Campari representative for direction to the Campari RARE division.