LEXINGTON, Ky. – Brown-Forman, the Louisville-based parent of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and Woodford Reserve premium bourbon, is adding the first new bourbon to its permanent lineup in 20 years.
The company announced Monday the upcoming release of Coopers’ Craft, which will be available this summer in Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee for about $30 for a 750-millileter bottle.
The name honors the importance of barrel makers, or coopers. Brown-Forman is the only whiskey-maker with its own cooperages. Coopers’ Craft will use a special beech and birch charcoal filter finishing process, according to the company.
“Coopers’ Craft is the result of decades of experience in mastering barrel-making and maturation techniquest to create truly unique bourbons,” said Lawson Whiting, executive vice president and chief brands and strategy officer for Brown-Forman Brands, in a statement. “Owning our cooperage is a testament to this expertise and brings to life the notion that what matters most, we do ourselves.”
The barrel contributes much to Kentucky bourbon, imparting all of the color and at least half of the flavor, according to Brown-Forman master distiller Chris Morris.
It’s unclear if the new bourbon will be produced primarily in Louisville or in Woodford County, outside Lexington. Brown-Forman has a contract to purchase 117 acres in Woodford County with plans to build up to 12 large warehouses there over the next decade, a $22 million investment.
The last major bourbon introduction for Brown-Forman was Woodford Reserve, which is already undergoing a $36 million expansion.
The company also is building a distillery in downtown Louisville to produce Old Forester bourbon, its oldest brand.
Both Woodford Reserve and Old Forester have been on growth spurts: In March, the company reported that Woodford Reserve sales had jumped 29 percent for the quarter and Old Forester sales were up double digits as well.
Brown-Forman, like other Kentucky and Tennessee whiskey makers, has been riding a boom in bourbon sales world wide, with sales up 7.8 percent to $2.9 billion last year, according to the Distilled Spirits Council. The growth has lead to a building boom in the state, with many distilleries expanding their capacity for making and storing bourbon and for accommodating the increase in tourists who want to see where whiskey is made.
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