Louisville, Ky. – Kentucky bourbon whiskey is commonly mixed with water or soda, but wine?
Brown-Forman Corp. has put a new twist on its premium Woodford Reserve bourbon with a limited-edition variation distinct for spending a few months aging in the company’s Sonoma-Cutrer wine barrels.
The experiment blends California chardonnay with Kentucky whiskey culture.
The result is called Woodford Reserve’s Sonoma-Cutrer Finish, produced at the Woodford Reserve distillery in the heart of bluegrass country near Versailles, Ky.
It’s the second time Brown-Forman has dabbled in a special whiskey that’s an offshoot of its small-batch Woodford Reserve brand. The goal is to build a bigger following for Woodford Reserve in the competitive super-premium bourbon category, and this time perhaps win crossover business from wine drinkers.
Overall, sales in the bourbon category are up about 2 percent, driven mainly by demand for premium and super-premium brands.
Still, those premium categories aren’t close to reaching maturity, said Wayne Rose, Woodford’s global brand director.
In the tequila category, about 13 percent of volume comes from super-premium products, he said. For scotches, super-premiums account for about 9 percent of sales, but for bourbon it’s only 3.5 percent, he said.
“This category is highly underdeveloped,” Rose said.
The Sonoma-Cutrer Finish whiskey will be sold in a number of states, including Colorado, starting this month, retailing at $89.99 per bottle, compared with about $30 for the regular Woodford Reserve.
Only 900 cases will be available.
