US wine company Jackson Family Wines has entered the spirits sector with the release of Stonestreet Kentucky Straight Bourbon.
Jackson Family Wines said the move was “born out of” the family’s involvement in horse racing, based at its Kentucky-based Stonestreet Farms.
“My family's passion for excellence underpins everything we do. From racing our first thoroughbred in 2005 to the release of our inaugural bourbon, we will never stop pursuing what is possible while respecting those who have ventured before us,” Jackson Family Wines co-owner Christopher Stonestreet Jackson said.
Mr Jackson is the brand’s master blender. The Stonestreet moniker for the brand comes from Jackson Family Wines’ founder Jess Jackson’s middle name.
Stonestreet Kentucky Straight Bourbon is produced in small batches. Aged for five years, the whiskey is 47% abv. In its first run, 131 barrels were produced.
The liquid will be available in Kentucky and “most major markets” in the US, Jackson Family Wines have said. Stonestreet Kentucky Straight price point has been set at $60 per 750ml bottle.
Founded in 1982, Jackson Family Wines owns 40 wineries across the US, Canada, France, Italy, Australia, Chile and South Africa. Its wine brands include Sonoma County’s Kendall-Jackson, Napa Valley’s Freemark Abbey and McLaren Vale, Australia-based Yangarra Estate.
Last year, Jackson Family Wines launched a range of English wines through a production contract that saw it enter the English wine category.
The Californian business said the UK’s climate would “complement its vineyard and winery holdings in cool-climate wine growing regions around the world”.
