Twenty-Two Years After Pioneering the Small Batch Bourbon Category, the World’s #1 Selling Super Premium Bourbon Highlights its History of Big, Full Flavor on TV
Knob Creek Bourbon, the World’s #1 Selling Super Premium Bourbon, debuts its first-ever television commercial today. The new advertisement, which will air nationally throughout the year, highlights the big, full flavor of Knob Creek, as well as the brand’s long-time dedication to crafting quality, pre-prohibition bourbon. The campaign, titled “Bookerisms,” features the brand’s creator and original steward, Booker Noe, a charismatic sixth-generation master distiller who represented the authenticity and craftsmanship of Knob Creek. Noe was integral in the world of bourbon, having pioneered The Small Batch Bourbon Collection.
The Knob Creek portfolio, which in addition to their original Bourbon also features Knob Creek Rye, Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve and the new Knob Creek Smoked Maple, has grown 20 percent in the past year, outpacing the overall bourbon category which has seen a 14 percent increase in the same period*. Riding this strong momentum, Knob Creek aims to reach new consumers and current fans through its television commercial while deploying a 300 percent increase in media investment.
“While super premium bourbons have become more popular in recent years, Knob Creek has always been the category leader – even without the use of television advertising,” said Rob Nelson, Senior Brand Manager of Small Batch Bourbons at Beam Inc. “As we continue to grow this authentic, legendary bourbon brand, we’ve decided the time is right to take things up a notch and allow Knob Creek to reach new audiences on TV.”
The new advertisement, part of a broader brand campaign that also spans digital media and retail activation, takes on a non-traditional, animated format and focuses on the product’s age, flavor, trusted quality and true bourbon heritage, highlighting a memorable quote from Noe: “If you’re not completely satisfied with the big, full flavor of our bourbon, just send back the unused portion and we’ll drink it for you.”
“More than 20 years ago, dad set out to distill a pre-prohibition style bourbon with big, full flavor, not knowing it would become the World’s #1 Selling Super Premium Bourbon,” said Fred Noe, seventh-generation Beam Master Distiller, 2013 Bourbon Hall of Fame Inductee and Booker Noe’s son. “He would be proud to see the growth of his brand and watch his words inspire TV viewers as they’ve done for bourbon drinkers for decades.”
Knob Creek worked with Chicago-based marketing and advertising agency Walton Isaacson to develop the concept and bi-coastal digital production and creative design studio Brand New School to bring the advertisement to life.
Knob Creek’s first-ever television advertisement premieres nationally on television networks such as AMC, FX, TBS and NBC Sports, as well as digitally on the AOL, Microsoft, Scripps and NBC family of websites. For more information on Knob Creek, visit: www.KnobCreek.com or www.facebook.com/KnobCreek or follow @knobcreek.
*Nielsen Dollar Sales Data (3/29/14)
About Knob Creek Bourbon
Knob Creek has been handcrafting extraordinary full flavored bourbon with intriguing taste and bottled in unique flask shaped packaging for over 20 years, which has helped make it the #1 selling Super Premium bourbon in the world. Aged for a full 9 years in new, charred American Oak barrels and bottled at an honest 100 proof, Knob Creek upholds the standard for what great bourbon ought to be with its big, full signature flavor. Launched in early 1992, at a time when the terms “craft” and “super premium” bourbon didn’t exist, Knob Creek is named after the small town in Kentucky where President Abraham Lincoln was born. In recent years, Knob Creek has expanded its portfolio releasing Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve (120 proof / 60% alcohol by volume) in 2011, Knob Creek Rye (100 proof / 50% alcohol by volume) in 2012 and Knob Creek Smoked Maple (90 proof / 45% alcohol by volume) in 2013. For more information on Knob Creek, visit www.knobcreek.com.
About Beam Inc.
As one of the world’s leading premium spirits companies, Beam is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including Jim Beam Bourbon, Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Pinnacle Vodka, Canadian Club Whisky, Courvoisier Cognac, Teacher’s Scotch Whisky, Skinnygirl Cocktails, Cruzan Rum, Hornitos Tequila, Knob Creek Bourbon, Laphroaig Scotch Whisky, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, Larios Gin, Whisky DYC and DeKuyper Cordials. Beam is focused on delivering superior performance with its unique combination of scale with agility and a strategy of Creating Famous Brands, Building Winning Markets and Fueling Our Growth. Beam and its 3,200 passionate associates worldwide generated 2013 sales of $2.55 billion (excluding excise taxes), volume of 37 million 9-liter equivalent cases and some of the industry’s fastest growing innovations.
Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BEAM and is included in the S&P 500 Index and the MSCI World Index. For more information on Beam, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamglobal.com and www.drinksmart.com.
