Brown-Forman outsources RTD production

American spirits company Brown-Forman is repurposing its Pinnacle warehouse to focus on its super-premium American whiskey portfolio.

The 80,000-square-foot facility was the manufacturing site for Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails. The ready-to-drink (RTD) products will now be produced at an undisclosed external manufacturing site.

The products have been made in the facility – located on the same campus as the main Brown-Forman distillery, where Old Forester Bourbon is made – for 30 years, having first launched in 1992. Brown-Forman’s main distillery is currently in the midst of a US$95m expansion to meet growing demand for its American whiskey.

Elizabeth Conway, director of brand and external communications at Brown-Forman, said: “We are repurposing the Pinnacle operation, located near the Brown-Forman Distillery operations in Louisville, Kentucky, to support the filling, storing, filtering, and disgorge of our super-premium American whiskey portfolio.

“To enable this, Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails will be transitioned to our external manufacturing organisation.”

The Country Cocktails range is the world’s seventh biggest-selling ready-to-drink (RTD) brand – selling 3.9 million nine-litre cases in 2022. The range includes flavours such Black Jack Cola, Cherry Limeade and Berry Punch.

The company recently reported slower sales than anticipated for the first half of its 2023 fiscal year, citing the decline of whiskey and Tequila.

Brown-Forman’s whiskey division reported a 1% decline in the first half of its 2024 fiscal year, however Jack Daniel’s RTD range rose by 1%, boosted by its co-branded Coca-Cola product.

The company expects organic net sales for fiscal 2024 to increase by 3% to 5% and operating income to grow between 4% and 6% due to ‘continued input cost pressures’.