More calendars and weird baby related stuff again this week, just not as weird. South Africa receives good news at the start of March while yet another Japanese whisky icon receives a record-breaking sales boost.
Fred and Friends’ Chill, Baby Li’l Lager Baby Bottle is proof that kids can pull off any kind of inappropriate gag with aplomb, in this instance by drinking from a milk bottle (BPA-free, phthalate-free plastic bottle with a food-grade silicone nipple) that looks like a bottle of beer. They may even evoke a few awws and perhaps some giggles from passers by along the way – provided you DON’T actually put beer in it of course. Even beer drinkers with a penchant for self-deprecating humour probably might get some mileage drinking out of it too. But the Cool Baby that we featured last week demonstrates that when it’s for adults, it’s just plain creepy. Fred and Friends also make moustache pacifiers, as well many other inspired items for the big babies who happen to be the legal guardian of a little one. (via Metro)
2015 may well be a year for South African wines. Trade body Wines of South Africa says that thanks to a combination of an early growing season, low rainfall, strong variation between day and night temperatures may have contributed to a quality crop this year. Decanter also reports that several winemakers have expressed their optimism and that some are comparing it to the 1974 crop, widely regarded as the best of the 1970s. Fans of New World wines, please make a note and keep your eyes peeled. (via Decanter)
On the back of Suntory’s record sales, The Spirits Business is reporting that Nikka, Suntory’s eternal rival, has seen its sales soar by 40% across Europe in 2014, with over 600,000 bottles sold in France alone. In Japan, sales grew by 20%, attributed partly to the popularity of the TV show, Massan. The series is virtually based on the lives of Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka, and his Scottish wife Jessie Roberta “Rita” Cowan, who are regarded – although Suntory would beg to differ – as the “father and mother of Japanese whisky”. With the profile of Japanese whiskies at an all time high, expect to see more price increases from the big names, but hopefully these will drive the lesser-seen Japanese distilleries like Shinshu and White Oak to the forefront. (via The Spirits Business)
For those who think crustaceans don’t get enough of their own calendars, this one’s for you. The $40 Drunk Crustacean calendar features 12 shellfish captured in various states of bliss (read: dead drunk, but in reality, quite dead). Fifty percent of the proceeds will go to the Plastic Pollution Coalition, a charity that is dedicated to removing plastic from our oceans. Top up an extra $40, and you’ll get a numbered and signed print of their most infamous social media star Kim Krustashian and her interpretation of the infamous #breaktheinternet pose for Paper. Don’t worry it’s not just you, I still have trouble making sense of what I’ve just written. (via The Drinks Business)
