Four Roses Named Whiskey Industry's Top Innovator
Honors for distillery and master distiller top year of expansion, accolades
LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. (December 3, 2007) – Four Roses Bourbon was selected from among all North American bourbon and whiskey producers to receive Whisky Magazine's Innovator of the Year award. Master Distiller Jim Rutledge, resident of Lebanon, Ky., also was named the industry's American Whiskey Ambassador of the Year, at the global trade magazine's Icons of Whisky Awards held this month in Louisville.
The past year has been a "whirlwind" for Four Roses, Rutledge said.
In April, Four Roses began its re-introduction to markets outside of Kentucky, where the brand hasn't been seen on bar or store shelves since 1960. The modern-day Four Roses products include the premium Four Roses Small Batch and Four Roses Single Barrel, which since its introduction in 2005 has grown to become Kentucky's top-selling single-barrel Bourbon. This year, Four Roses introduced its lineup to New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Tennessee, and the U.S. expansion will continue next year.
The Four Roses Distillery's September release of a special, limited edition "Barrel Strength" bottling - paying tribute to Rutledge's 40 years in the industry - began with buzz at this year's Kentucky Bourbon Festival and culminated with Whisky Magazine's "Innovator of the Year Award." Just 1,500 bottles of this uncut, unfiltered bourbon were produced and sold quickly.
"I was in total shock when Four Roses was announced as the winner for our first limited edition bottling," said Rutledge. "I'd heard what Rob (Whisky Magazine editor) was saying, but it still didn't register at first. I was at a loss for words when I went up to accept our award."
That wasn't the end. Rutledge also accepted the American Whiskey Ambassador of the Year, awarded to an individual who has demonstrated an immense effort in promoting the whiskey industry.
Rutledge's "whirlwind" year involved speaking engagements around the world, a fifth time promoting the entire Bourbon industry as chairman of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, fifteen years as a board member of the Kentucky Distillers Association, expanding Four Roses into new U.S. markets and creating a presence at industry events and tastings.
"As I was accepting the award, it was difficult to hold the tears back," Rutledge said. "I remember just a few years ago going to restaurants and bars nearly every night of the week, ordering a Four Roses on the rocks…knowing they didn't have it…and I'd be told there wasn't a Four Roses Bourbon. After some talk, I'd convince the bartender, or manager, that Four Roses was once again available in Kentucky, and ask that they give it a try, and I would be back to help with promotion."
In October, Malt Advocate Magazine presented Rutledge with its Lifetime Achievement Award at WhiskyFest New York. That same month, Four Roses Single Barrel and Four Roses Small Batch received rare, five-star reviews from F. Paul Pacult of the leading liquor industry publication, Spirit Journal.
About Four Roses Bourbon
Produced at a historic Spanish-mission style distillery in Lawrenceburg, Ky., Four Roses production dates to the 1860s and grew to become the top-selling Bourbon in the U.S. throughout the 1930s, '40s and '50s. In the late '50s, then owner Seagram decided to market the brand solely overseas. Four Roses currently is the top-selling Bourbon brand in Japan and among the leading brands throughout Western Europe.
Kirin Brewery bought Four Roses in 2002 and, at Master Distiller Jim Rutledge's urging, reintroduced it to America - starting in Kentucky. Four Roses Single Barrel has grown to become the top-selling single barrel Bourbon in Kentucky and Four Roses Small Batch, introduced two years ago, quickly sold out of its first bottling run, forcing a second bottling sooner than anticipated.
Four Roses is now available in Kentucky, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Tennessee, and will continue to expand to other U.S. markets in 2008.
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