Can You Believe It’s Not Butter? Country Crock Collabs on a ‘Buttery Smooth’ Rye Whiskey for a Cause

Country Crock is collaborating with Kansas City distillery J. Rieger & Co. on Cover Crop Rye Whiskey. (Photo: Cover Crop Whiskey)

A new whiskey is available now from an unexpected source. Popular buttery spread brand Country Crock has teamed up with The Cover Crops Project and renowned advertising agency Ogilvy’s to make and brand Cover Crop rye whiskey.

The brands are selling the whiskey to raise awareness for sustainable farming and The Cover Crops Project. The Cover Crops Project provides Kansas-area farmers with financial resources and training to plant cover crops. Country Crock’s products rely on soybeans grown by Kansas-area farmers, so the partnership with Cover Crop makes sense.

Farmers are dealing with soil fatigue from planting and harvesting the same crops over and over again, which leads to soil erosion and deteriorating nutrients in the soil, the brands explained in a news release.

Country Crock’s sustainable solution is cover crops. These are plants grown in between harvested crops to improve soil health by returning nutrients, minimizing pests and increasing water retention. This, according to the project, has proven to be a sustainable way to keep the land healthy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by returning carbon to the soil as a nutrient. Still, many farmers haven’t adopted the use of cover crops, and the concept is still largely unknown to the public.

“Cover crops are a game-changer for maintaining healthy farmlands,” said Chris Turner, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy. “We were thrilled that Ogilvy could help raise awareness for sustainable farming practices through this limited-edition Cover Crop Whiskey.”

As part of The Cover Crops Project, Country Crock asked Kansas City distillery J. Rieger & Co. to make a limited-edition rye blend made with a whiskey distilled with cover crop cereal rye.

Cover Crock Rye Whiskey is a small-batch whiskey limited to a 500-bottle run. Bottled at 93 proof, the whiskey is available from Mash&Grape for $40 per 750-milliliter bottle.

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