Old Forester Teams Up With America’s Largest Ranch to Launch ‘Big, Bold’ Bourbon Exclusively to Texas

(Photo: Old Forester)

On Tuesday, Louisville, Kentucky distillery Old Forester announced the release of a whiskey created in collaboration with King Ranch, the largest ranch in the U.S.

Old Forester King Ranch Edition launched Tuesday exclusively to Texas and will be “the first iteration of the limited-edition expression that celebrates the rich history of the Brown family of Brown-Forman and descendants of King Ranch founder Richard King,” Old Forester said in a news release. The bourbon sells for a suggested retail price of $69.99 per 750-milliliter bottle.

Located in South Texas, King Ranch has owned three Kentucky Derby winners, including 1946 Triple Crown winner Assault. The Derby is a connection between the ranch and Old Forester, whose bourbon is the spirit in every Mint Julep sold at Churchill Downs.

“This new product represents [Brown-Forman Chairman] George Garvin Brown’s lasting legacy and Old Forester’s commitment to quality bourbon,” Brown-Forman scientist Cole Irvin, who helped craft the King Ranch Bourbon, said in the news release. “It’s a big, bold flavor – to match the big, bold King Ranch in South Texas.”

Bottled at 105 proof from a batch of Old Forester Bourbon using heavily charred barrels, Old Forester King Ranch Edition is finished through King Ranch mesquite charcoal. The charcoal was created from mesquite trees harvested from King Ranch.

“Bourbon lovers across Texas are in for a rare and special treat that both whiskey connoisseurs and hardworking people can savor,” said Robert Hodgen, CEO at King Ranch. “We’re proud of the product as well as our partnership which captures American history in a bottle.”

Wild Turkey’s Longbranch Bourbon — a collaborative brand with actor and Texan Matthew McConnaughey — also uses mesquite filtration.

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