Four Roses debuts £400,000 UK campaign

Kentucky Bourbon brand Four Roses has invested £400,000 (US$506,000) in its first advertising campaign in the UK.

The digital outdoor and social media campaign, titled Don’t Mention It, was commissioned by the brand’s distributor, Spirit Cartel.

The campaign initially focused on the country’s two Bourbon-selling hotspots, London and Manchester, with additional national work planned for early 2024.

The campaign kicked off with the reveal of a 7m spray-painted wall in Shoreditch, London – which was ‘vandalised’ to hide the Four Roses brand name. The covering-up effect will be replicated across all digital executions.

The advertising push aims to ‘spark a sense of discovery and stand in stark contrast’ to imagery that is more commonly used in Scotch and Irish whiskey.

Research from Spirit Cartel found that younger Bourbon drinkers were seeking ‘hidden gems’ in the category.

Jane Bulankina, head of marketing at Spirit Cartel, said: “We’ve managed to build a strong and knowledgeable base of core drinkers for Four Roses. Now the time’s right to speak to a wider, younger, audience – drinkers that like to discover things for themselves and want to be the first amongst their peers to do so.

“This eye-catching campaign enables just that and is part of our broader work to demonstrate Bourbon’s classic, yet relevant, appeal.

“The profile we’re giving it will encourage more drinkers into the category – and, with Bourbon’s mixability and complexity, they’re likely to remain in it.”

To mark its 135th anniversary this year, Four Roses refreshed its packaging design for the first time since 2006.

Four Roses is owned by Japanese drinks conglomerate Kirin.