Following the runaway success of Green River Full Proof, which sold out a year’s forecast in under a month, Owensboro, Kentucky-based Green River Distilling Co. will introduce a new bourbon geared toward becoming a staple in the on-premise. Green River has become known for its value and quality in the super and ultra-premium categories this portfolio extension offers the same approach to value in a different price segment. Green River 1885 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey will be available in nine markets starting in August.
Founded by J. W. McCulloch in 1885 as Kentucky’s 10th oldest distillery, Green River was celebrated for its quality and became known as “the Whiskey Without Regrets” before being lost to history after prohibition. Green River 1885 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey honors this history while bringing new life to the cocktail bars of today, offering generous flavor and blended with bartenders’ creativity in mind.
On the nose, delicate hints of almond and zesty orange peel dance with warming cinnamon. On the palate, lightly-spiced oak and clove carry into a clean and welcoming finish – classic with caramel, vanilla, baking spice and Honeycrisp apple.
Comprised of a mash bill of 76 percent local corn, 15 percent rye and 9 percent malted barley, Green River 1885 is aged a minimum of four years, presented at 85 proof (42.5% abv) and offered exclusively in 1L packaging for a suggested retail price of $21.99.
Green River 1885 will initially be available in nine markets including Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan, Texas, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia.
“Green River 1885 was blended with classic cocktails in mind, and is the ideal combination of flavor and value,” said Caryn Wells, national brand ambassador for Green River Distilling Co. “Like all Green River products, we honor our history while presenting bourbons that are relevant to what and how people drink today. It’s awfully easy to say on your next cocktail order, ‘make mine an ’85.”
Green River Distilling Co. was purchased by Bardstown Bourbon Co. in July 2022. Since then, the brand has launched three new everyday products, and has expanded both within the U.S. and Australia. This year, Green River will be sold in 32 markets with the addition of Nevada, Arizona, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Massachusetts. Green River is expecting to achieve nationwide U.S. distribution in the coming years.