Jack Daniel’s Maker Releases First New Bourbon In 20 Years
Brown-Forman, the maker of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and Woodford reserve whiskeys, is adding another bourbon to its lineup, the company announced on Monday.
The new bourbon, Coopers’ Craft, will be the first new bourbon developed by Brown-Forman since it launched the rather pricey Woodford Reserve 20 years ago. The 150-year-old family business said Coopers’ Craft would retail for $29 for a 750ml bottle.
Coming to a snifter near you: Coopers’ Craft, the 1st release by Brown-Forman in 20 years. https://t.co/k67LXq5IEg pic.twitter.com/bOaXfwKJbj
— Food Republic (@foodrepublic) April 18, 2016
At 82.2 proof, Coopers’ Craft packs a pretty mean punch, but still couldn’t hold a candle to its sibling brands of Woodford Reserve and Old Forester.
The bourbon will be available this summer in Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
“Coopers’ Craft is the result of decades of experience in mastering barrel-making and maturation techniquest to create truly unique bourbons,” Lawson Whiting, executive vice president and chief brands and strategy officer for Brown-Forman Brands, said in a statement, via the Lexington Herald-Leader. “Owning our cooperage is a testament to this expertise and brings to life the notion that what matters most, we do ourselves.”
Brown-Forman master distiller Chris Morris, whose production team spent more than a decade creating Coopers’ Craft, said “the time for a new style of bourbon has arrived.”
Fortune suggests the debut of a new bourbon brand indicates Brown-Forman is making a bigger bet on whiskeys at a time when Americans and drinkers in key foreign markets like Australia and Germany are being lured by the category away from vodka and other competing alcoholic beverage rivals.
According to the Distilled Spirits Council, Brown-Forman’s sales increased 7.8 percent to $2.9 billion last year.
The new whiskey’s name is a nod to the barrel-making history at Brown-Forman, as the company operates its own barrel-making facility known as the Cooperage, reports Fortune. By aging whiskey in barrels, the spirit draws in the wood for its color and flavor.
This is where the magic happens. pic.twitter.com/ZqqElrTuwt
— Jack Daniel's (@JackDaniels_US) April 13, 2016
Brown-Forman spokeswoman Andrea Duvall told the Lexington Hearld-Leader that Coopers’ Craft is made in Louisville, Kentucky, from a slightly different mashbill than Old Forester. Coopers’ Craft has slightly more corn and slightly less rye than Old Forester, giving it a less spicy flavor.
Coopers’ Craft uses a special beech and birch charcoal filter finishing process. After the bourbon has aged four to six years, it is filtered through charcoal made from beech and birch wood, giving it extra smoothness and oakiness, she said.
“It’s a lighter, softer flavor that brings out the oak, with a bit more citrus notes,” Duvall said. “Because of its a lighter flavor profile… it’s versatile, very mixable, and intended to be really good in cocktails that are easy to make at home.”
The brand has reportedly been in the works for more than a decade and is meant to fill a different niche in the bourbon market than Brown-Forman’s premium Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, or bargain-priced Early Times, Duvall said.
Woodford Reserve, the brand’s last release, is already undergoing a $36 million expansion. Brown-Forman has a contract to purchase 117 acres in Woodford County with plans to build up to 12 large warehouses there within the next 10 years, a $22 million investment.
The company is also building a distillery in downtown Louisville to produce its oldest brand, Old Forester bourbon.
[Photo from Pixabay]
