Whiskey Tourism in the US
Mark Brown, President & CEO of Sazerac Company Inc
Tastes like heaven. Burns like hell. Sazerac’s Fireball Cinnamon Whisky has set a blaze to duty free
Communicating craftsmanship
Some 55 miles from Louisville lies Buffalo Trace Distillery, located in Frankfort, KY. The award-winning distillery, owned by Sazerac, is over 200 years old. The 440-acre distillery sits along the Kentucky River, the original buffalo migration route, hence its name. The distillery is home to brands like Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare and Sazerac Rye. Americas Duty Free connected with Mark Brown, President & CEO of Sazerac Company Inc, to get his take on the global growth and domestic revival of the brands that fall under the Sazerac umbrella. Like many in the industry, he touches on the fact that the heritage and nuance around bourbon has always existed, but is only now being communicated properly. “Distillers are now properly communicating the amazing product story – quality, heritage, craftsmanship and time that goes into making each bottle of bourbon, and it’s every bit as complicated as making
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fine wine,” Brown explains. “It is very sustainable. The global opportunity could last for 100 years.” Sazerac brand Fireball Cinnamon Whisky is notably one of the most popular brands in the Americas regions. The value-based spirit performs well in duty free as it appeals to a large demographic of travelers. “Fireball has become a firm fan favorite across the entire consumer spectrum and global market, quite remarkable, and we feel honored,” says Brown. “We have been very pleasantly surprised with sales of Fireball in the duty free channel given current channel trends. It reinforces to us the universal appeal of the brand as it has become a staple brand in our consumers’ entertainment repertoire.”
“If we could make it faster, we wouldn’t”- Maker’s Mark
Located in picturesque Loretto, KY, an hour-and-a-half away from all civilization