News Briefs for June 14, 2024

•Campari-owned Russell’s Reserve has announced a new limited edition 15-year-old Bourbon. The whiskey, created by master distiller Eddie Russell and his team, is bottled at 58.6% abv and non-chill filtered. The company calls Russell’s Reserve 15-Year-Old 2024 Limited Release the “spiritual successor” to the company’s 13-year-old limited edition bottling. The whiskey will be available beginning July 1 in select retailers in the U.S. and Asia for a suggested price of $250 a bottle. Last year, Russell’s Reserve was up 10.6% to 93,000 cases in the U.S., according to Impact Databank.

•Roselle, New Jersey-based Penelope Bourbon has released the 2024 edition of its Rosé Cask Finish Bourbon. The release, the eighth batch in the series, is made from a mash bill of 74% corn, 16% wheat, 7% rye, and 3% malted barley and is bottled at 47% abv. The whiskey is now available in limited quantities across Penelope’s 40-state footprint for a suggested price of $50 a bottle. Penelope is owned by MGP Ingredients, through Luxco, which houses the company’s branded products.

•Diageo has partnered with the Premier League to make Guinness the official beer of the English football league. The deal brings the league and the beer together for four years and also sees the non-alcoholic brew Guinness 0.0 named the official non-alcoholic beer of the Premier League. The partnership will include Guinness branded fan activations, as well as a new Guinness campaign, set to kick off in August. The new platform will accompany in-bar and in-store activations from the beer brand.

•Brown-Forman’s Woodford Reserve has announced a series of seven limited-edition Father’s Day whiskies, blended by master distiller Elizabeth McCall and her father. The whiskies are all bottled at 45.2% abv and each release is a blend of two different barrels. Woodford Reserve’s Father’s Day collection is now available at the brand’s Versailles, Kentucky distillery and for DTC purchase. Each whiskey comes in a 1-liter bottle for $80. Last year, Woodford Reserve was up 11.1% to 1.42 million cases in the U.S., according to Impact Databank.

•Italy’s Franciacorta region has inked a deal to become the exclusive sparkling wine partner of the Michelin Guide ceremonies in the U.S. The new accord extends the partnership between the two parties, with Franciacorta serving as destination partner of the Michelin Guide in Italy since 2021. The U.S. collaboration will kick off at the California Michelin Guide ceremony later this year. The methode champenoise sparkling wine from Italy’s Lombardy region has also boosted U.S. visibility via a partnership with the Emmy Awards in recent years.

Tagged : Brown-Forman, Campari, Diageo, Guinness, Luxco, MGP, Penelope, Russell's Reserve, Woodford Reserve

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