Following the footsteps of such A-list celebs as Yao Ming and Adam Carolla, rapper/renaissance man Chingy has decided to enter the alcohol business as co-owner of a new Russian vodka named Shpilka. [All Hip Hop]

While Crown Royal is not getting into the hip hop game, it is releasing a new maple-finished edition. The maple-oak combination could prove to be an ideal mixer for holiday cocktails, or delicious with pancakes at 3am after a night out on the town. [Crown Royal]

Coming (potentially) soon to a Colorado near you: marijuana-flavored beer. Along the lines of the pizza-flavored hybrid hops concoction, this is a potential win-win scenario for on-the-go folks looking for an alternative to drinking bongwater straight. [Coloroadoan]

Elsewhere in vodka news, Vixen Vodka looks to make its debut this month in its home state of Georgia, with a nation-wide release to follow shortly. Crafted by Colorado’s Mile High Spirits, it is distilled five times and gluten-free. [PR Newswire]

And finally, a surplus of 10,000 bottles of Chateau Lafite Rothschild was discovered in an abandoned home in China. Authorities are suspecting the bottles to be forgeries, but if not the supply could be valued at close to US$16 million. [Digital Spy]

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