Jack Daniel’s releases Frank Sinatra edition

Jack Daniel’s is marking the run-up to the centenary of Frank Sinatra’s birth with the launch of Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select – a new luxury expression initially only available in travel retail.

Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select will be released as an homage to the late singer-songwriter Frank

Sinatra would typically offer a toast using a glass of Jack Daniel’s during his concerts from the 1950s to the 1990s. “I can assure you he was very fond of Jack Daniel’s for many years,” said his son, Frank Sinatra Jr, at the global launch in Cannes today (23 October).

Bottled at 45% abv, Sinatra Select is matured for longer than the core Jack Daniel’s bottling and made using whiskey matured in “Sinatra barrels” – which have carved grooves on their interior to expose the spirit to more wood.

The technique, used for the first time as the main component of a Jack Daniel’s blend, results in a faster-maturing whiskey with more noticeable spicy and smoky flavours and a richer character.

Global first for Jack Daniel’s

Sinatra Select will be released with an initial suggested retail price of US$150, launching in Las Vegas Airport in December, chosen because of Sinatra’s historical association with the city.

It will then be rolled out to multiple airport locations around the world in January, targeting about 200 airports in total.

It will also be available from the Jack Daniel’s distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee in 2013, and will eventually be sold in domestic markets too.

The whiskey is packaged in a one-litre bottle with gift box and book, with the interior of the gift box mirroring the grooves on the inside of the barrels. Orange is used as a highlight as a salute to Sinatra’s love of what he called the “happiest” colour.

“We hope people will both collect it and consume it,” said Jim Perry, managing director of Brown-Forman Travel Retail, promising a raft of in-airport marketing initiatives, including POS material and experiential activity.

“The year 2015 will be Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday. Over the next couple of years, we’ll be building up to that moment,” he added.

“This is the first ever global launch for a Jack Daniel’s product, and the first time we’ve launched any product or any brand in multiple markets at the same time.”