Cointreau Blood Orange premiers in duty free

La Maison Cointreau has unveiled a new expression, Cointreau Blood Orange, which is to premier as a travel retail exclusive. The new liqueur joins Cointreau and Cointreau Noir, which already have leading positions in global travel retail.

Cointreau Blood Orange is an interpretation of the Cointreau style that has its roots in the century-old mastery of orange selection and distillation. Cointreau is known the world over and Cointreau Blood Orange brings a new twist to this popular liqueur.

To create Cointreau Blood Orange, Bernadette Langlais, master distiller at la Maison Cointreau, selects intensely aromatic blood oranges found on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. She then distills their peel along with those of the signature sweet and bitter oranges of Cointreau.

At her request, blood oranges are harvested just at the right moment, when their peel contains high concentrations of the essential oils that are then captured by distillation. They bestow upon Cointreau Blood Orange its distinctive, vibrant notes.

Cointreau Blood Orange is all-natural and crystal clear. It is a new expression, not a flavour-extension of Cointreau.

Langlais explains, “I have put all my passion and dedication into creating the Blood Orange expression of Cointreau. On the nose, Cointreau Blood Orange offers a voluptuous bouquet that opens to reveal a cascade of zesty citrus notes. The interplay of three orange varieties creates a profoundly rewarding complexity of taste. This is a spirit of exquisite fullness. Its natural brio offers a vibrant new twist on the classic, inimitable Cointreau signature.”

Cointreau Blood Orange is presented in the iconic square bottle of Cointreau which bears the seal ‘1849’, the year the House was established. The orange-red colour of the bottle is testament to the bold and assertive personality of this new expression. The rose gold finish is an elegant, feminine nod to the copper stills at the Cointreau distillery in Angers.

Panos Sarantopoulos, CEO La Maison Cointreau comments, “Cointreau Blood Orange is an avant-garde expression of the art of our House and a tribute to our Master Distiller’s talent. We have reserved its world premiere for travel retail, so that the millions of Cointreau lovers around the world will first discover it as a treat during their travels this year. Cointreau Blood Orange stands beautifully alongside Cointreau and Cointreau Noir. Together they give every reason to put Cointreau centre-stage in all those travel retail outlets that make a point of being ahead of the game.”

Matthew Hodges, marketing director, Rémy Cointreau GTR, adds: “A travel retail exclusive, Cointreau Blood Orange will bring new energy to the spirits category in duty free throughout 2015 and beyond. Cointreau Blood Orange encapsulates the free-spirit of ‘la Parisienne’, part of the DNA of la Maison Cointreau, and it is guaranteed to seduce independent women travellers all over the world.”

Cointreau Blood Orange (70cl 40% ABV) premieres exclusively in travel retail and will appear on shelves at selected travel retail outlets from May 2015. Its suggested retail price is in line with Cointreau 1litre.

Watch out for the official reveal of Cointreau Blood Orange at the IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas from 23 – 25 March 2015, booth 113.

23 February 2015 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor