News Briefs for October 4, 2024
October 4, 2024•Blended Scotch giant Johnnie Walker has unveiled a new, limited edition collaborative whisky package with the popular Netflix show “Squid Game” in celebration of the series’ upcoming second season. Johnnie Walker, a sponsor of the 76th Emmy Awards last month, is increasingly seeking so-called “branded sponsorship” content like many big players, but Squid Game is certainly a new and different departure. Whisky Advocate has the full story.
•Bardstown Bourbon Co. has completed a major expansion project, which has pushed its capacity to more than 18 million proof gallons. The expansion includes adding a second distillery to the 400-acre property. The company’s campus now has three column stills and 48 fermentation tanks, a state-of-the-art bottling and logistics facility and aging warehouses accommodating nearly 2 million barrels. It’s intended to boost capacity for Bardstown’s own brand as well as its 300 custom distilling and bottling partners. Bardstown Bourbon Co. opened in 2016 with a capacity of 25,000 barrels a year, and has now expanded to reach 289,000 barrels annually.
•Campari has released the latest limited offering from Russell’s Reserve’s Single Rickhouse Collection: Camp Nelson B. The Bourbon, the third release in the series, is sourced from barrels aged on the sixth floor of its namesake rickhouse and comes in at 60.1% abv after years of maturing in one of the hottest sections of the rickhouse. The whiskey carries a suggested price of $300 a bottle and is now available in limited quantities across the U.S. Last year, Russell’s Reserve jumped 10% to 93,000 cases, according to Impact Databank.
•Shelbyville, Tennessee’s Uncle Nearest Inc. has launched Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey, a new lower-priced whiskey aimed at bringing newer whiskey consumers into the brand. The 42% abv whiskey was created by master blender Victoria Eady Butler and carries a suggested price of $30 a bottle. The whiskey is now available to order through ReserveBar, with distillery sales beginning on October 5, and the on- and off-premise rollout to follow beginning with the brand’s home state. Last year, Uncle Nearest was at just under 150,000 cases in the U.S., according to Impact Databank.
