Chicken Cock American Whiskey goes old school with
new flavor launch: Cherry Bounce.
Leave it to the wife of the father of our country to mix up the mother of all cocktails. Martha Washington’s original recipe for Cherry Bounce, one of 18th century America’s most popular and high-spirited libations, contained 20 pounds of well ripened Morella cherries mixed with 10 quarts of distilled spirits and sweetened with a little white sugar to taste. Enter Chicken Cock American Whiskey, one of the hottest craft liquor brands to launch (or rather re-launch) last year.
Founded in 1856, the original Chicken Cock American Whiskey rose in popularity during the 19th century and was infamously a staple of Prohibition-era speakeasies, including the Cotton Club, where it would be smuggled inside in non-descript tin cans. After almost a century-long hiatus following the destruction of its original distillery, Chicken Cock is back with a vengeance, selling more than 150,000 bottles (12,000 9L cases) in 2013.
This March, the brand adds Cherry Bounce as the fourth flavor in its popular line of flavored whiskeys. Cherry Bounce is a 70 proof cherry cola flavored whiskey based on one of the country’s oldest liquor recipes. The original recipe rose to prominence in Colonial America, with George Washington taking canteens of it on his explorations following the Revolutionary War.
“As a brand with roots tracing back nearly 160 years, it was only appropriate that we dig through the archives to introduce our next flavor. We’ve given our Cherry Bounce flavor a modern spin by making it a cherry cola infusion,” said Matti Anttila, president of Island Club Brands, which owns Chicken Cock. “We think Martha and George would approve.”
Cherry Bounce joins the current Chicken Cock Whiskey flavor range featuring Southern Spiced, Cinnamon and Root Beer, all launched in 2013. Flavored whiskeys are the fastest growing segment in the bourbon industry, accounting for nearly 75 percent of growth among all whiskeys (Source: New York Times and Neilsen).
Cherry Bounce can be enjoyed as a cold shot, benefiting from Chicken Cock’s specially designed, quick-chill aluminum bottle, a nod to the brand’s distinctive bootlegged tin cans. It can also be served with cola and other similar beverages.
Cherry Bounce will begin shipping in mid-March to select retailers in South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Virginia and Florida.
Island Club Brands (ICB) is a wine and spirits company focused on the creation of truly innovative new products and redevelopment of historically significant brands. Current spirits brands include Chicken Cock American Whiskey, a rebirth of the former house whiskey at the Cotton Club during Prohibition, Cabana Cachaça, named one of the top 50 spirits in the world by Wine Enthusiast Magazine in 2011, and General Beauregard Dixie Vodka, a recently released handcrafted vodka produced in Charleston, S.C.
