Bourbon Competitors

Competitive Review

Bourbon whisky has evolved tremendously since it was first introduced in 1783 by the Samuels Family. The first bourbon distilleries were opened in the 1800s, and in 1870 bourbon brands decided to sell their product in a jug instead of barrels (Graham, 2015). In addition to these changes, bourbon whiskey offers several hints of different flavors today from chocolate to tropical, and floral to coffee.

There are a number of distilleries producing bourbon in the US, which has allowed for a competitive market. Most brands own a few distilleries. For example, Beam Suntory owns Jim Beam. Beam Suntory also owns Booker Noe Distillery, and Maker’s Mark Distillery. At these distilleries, different types of bourbon are made. For the

The price of bourbon typically ranges from $20 to $100 or more. Key competitors to the Jim Beam brand include:

Jack Daniel’s (Brown-Forman Corporation): Jack Daniel founded the Jack Daniel’s distillery in 1866 in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Jack Daniel’s lets their whisky drip through 10 feet of charcoal to give their Tennessee Whisky that distinct taste. They also use iron-free cave spring water in their whisky. In the 1950s, Frank Sinatra endorsed Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 as his favorite whiskey, and later became his signature whisky (Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, 2015). Brown-Forman Corporation’s net sales for 2014 were $3,946 million (Brown-Forman Corporation 2014 10K, 2015).

Wild Turkey (Davide Campari Milano-S.p.A): Austin Nichols founded Wild Turkey in 1855, and opened their distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky in 1869. Wild Turkey uses the best ingredients for their bourbon. In addition, the Wild Turkey distillery claims, “we won’t use anything but our specially grown, non-GMO grains, which are tested at four separate times” (Wild Turkey Bourbon - Our Story, 2015). They also use non-acidic, limestone-filtered water from the Kentucky River to cook their grains. Wild Turkey has stated that they create one of the smoother flavors without sacrificing flavor. Davide Campari Milano-S.p.A’s net sales for 2014 were $1,772 million (Davide Campari-Milano-S.p.A. 2014 10K,