Is it possible for England to have their own bourbon?
Made in Kentucky. Finished in England. Never Say Die's audacious attempt should be applauded, but how far will "premium differentiation" go?
In the neverending world of the spirits industry attempting to innovate and differentiate, a group of Kentuckians and Englishman decided that it would be a good idea to make “history.”
Their creation is Never Say Die Bourbon, a high-rye Bourbon distilled and matured in original American charred oak barrels in Danville, Kentucky. Then, they send the barrels on a six-week journey across the Atlantic Ocean to White Peak Distillery in Derbyshire, England, to finish its maturation process.
It is alleged that Never Say Die will be England’s first Bourbon.
“The process of bringing Kentucky straight Bourbon in original barrels across the ocean to further mature in England has never been done before,” said Martha Dalton, co-founder of the Bourbon Alliance and Never Say Die, to The Spirits Business. “We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved, creating a world-class whiskey that is rooted in Kentucky provenance but with an undeniably English character.”
It’s important to note that this Bourbon was a part of a campaign by the aforementioned Bourbon Alliance to bring down a significant 25% tariff enforced by the British Government on imported American Whiskey due to a trade dispute over steel. I’m sorry, but my British brothers and sisters got the wrong end of this failed negotiation.
So yes, this juice is the windfall of lifting an expensive tax. Capitalism and geopolitical negotiation at their finest. But will the Bourbon be worth it?
“Our philosophy is to only produce the best and most interesting whiskey possible for drinkers around the world,” said Never Say Die’s master distiller, Pat Heist. “As such, Never Say Die is made using only the finest ingredients. Our custom mash bill has been designed to highlight the essence of the small grains with consistency, using carefully selected local grains. It is a pioneering sweet mash which results in a smoother, more flavourful whiskey.”
What’s also somewhat interesting is the Bourbon’s name, which I assumed was inspired by a James Bond movie. Alas, I confused “Never Say Die” with actual Bond films “Never Say Never Again” and “No Time To Die.”
Nope, this “Never Say Die” inspiration comes from a racehorse that was “revived with a shot of whiskey following a traumatic birth .”Three years later, the American-born horse won a race as a heavy underdog (33-to-1 odds) with Queen Elizabeth II (RIP) and Sir Winston Churchill in attendance.
Never Say Die Bourbon will retail for $88 and is bottled at a cask strength of about 56%-61% ABV. (112-122 proof)
Like many spirits, a story and an idea have been mashed together to inspire something more remarkable in the spirit itself.
What Never Say Die is attempting is inspiring, and I hope the spirit delivers. I can’t wait to try it.
However, I’m mindful that it’s not the first Bourbon to be tapped for a voyage across international waters.
Jefferson’s Ocean Aged at Sea Bourbon’s concept is similar to Never Say Die. Per their website, their barrels “travel aboard ships that visit ports all around the globe,” and “the constant motion of the sea churns the whiskey, increasing its interaction with the wood of the barrel.”
The net result is a potent and flavorful bourbon. The high variance weather of hot and cold and everything in between creates a unique aging process for the spirit in the barrel. It’s similarly priced to Never Say Die, as Jefferson’s Ocean retails for ~$80.
After tax, that’s nearly $100, and I’m not one to regularly spend nearly that much for Bourbon. It doesn’t mean it’s not worth it, as those who can afford a premium product won’t wince at the bottle cost that’s about the same as some Nike Air Force 1s. Also, this bottle would easily make for a great gift.
Me specifically, if I can find a bottle in the wild, I’ll probably buy it and stash it to sip on a day when friends are over. Then I’ll be able to share the story, and I’ll probably be an apostle for Never Say Die’s journey. And then the cycle will continue and continue.
I wish Never Say Die good luck because I hope these experimentations can pay off. In any industry, those who innovate and push the envelope will be the ones who ultimately win. As spirit enthusiasts, we win, too, because we want good juice to sip. Plus, we want to feel good about the spirit we consume. It’s why Uncle Nearest will always be a success story.
However, I can be a pessimist about this too. How far will these concocted stories and experiments go? Will we send a barrel to space with Elon Musk at some point? Will the lack of gravity create a unique space juice sold for $1000 a bottle? Will someone find out that a former basketball player for the ABA’s Kentucky Colonels scored 55 points in a game and was dating a British student on a study abroad and then create a brand named “Red Robbins Bourbon”? (Red Robbins is a real player who played center for the Colonels from 1973 to 1975, averaging 7.2 points per game.)
I’m being dramatic, but you get my point.
Do a borrowed story and a quirky process deserve $100? I’ll let you know as I transfer my sneaker budget funds into the bottle budget account.