Early Times is a brand of Kentucky
whiskey
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...
produced by the
Sazerac Company
Sazerac Company, Inc is a privately held American alcoholic beverage company headquartered in Metairie in the metropolitan area of New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans ( , ,[Shively, Kentucky
Shively is a home rule-class city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States, and a suburb of Louisville within the Louisville Metro government. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 15,264, reflecting an increase of 107 (+0.7%) f ...]
, by the
Brown-Forman Corporation, another of the largest
North American
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...
-owned companies in the
spirits and
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are ...
business.
While Early Times is marketed outside the U.S. as
bourbon Bourbon may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash
* Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels
* Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit
* A beer produced by ...
, the whiskey does not meet all the U.S. regulated criteria for bourbon
– and hence, is marketed within the U.S. as whiskey (rather than as bourbon whiskey). In 2010, Brown-Forman introduced ''Early Times 354'' in the U.S., which meets the regulated criteria for
straight whiskey
Straight whiskey (or straight whisky), as defined in United States law, is whiskey that is distilled from a fermented (malted or unmalted) cereal grain mash to a concentration not exceeding 80% alcohol by volume (abv) and aged in new charred oa ...
.
History
The Early Times Whisky brand production started at Early Times Station,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...
,
[ and was introduced in 1860. The Kentucky water surrounding the "Station" was used for making the whiskey. The water naturally filtered through limestone springs. Early Times was not popular until 1920 when Congress passed the ]Volstead Act
The National Prohibition Act, known informally as the Volstead Act, was an act of the 66th United States Congress, designed to carry out the intent of the 18th Amendment (ratified January 1919), which established the prohibition of alcoholic d ...
and Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
began. The brand prospered due to its maker having a license to continue production for medicinal purposes.[
The Brown–Forman Company acquired the Early Times brand in 1923,][ and over the next 30 years made Early Times the best-selling whisky in the country.][ It later became sold in over 40 countries.][ It ranks as one of the top four selling Kentucky whiskeys in the world, and in 2005 it became the top selling Kentucky whisky in Japan.][The Early Times Story](_blank)
Early Times official web site
In mid-2020, the brand was sold to the Sazerac Company.
Production and products
Before the sale to Sazerac, the brand was owned by Brown-Forman and was produced at the Brown-Forman Distillery in Shively, Kentucky
Shively is a home rule-class city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States, and a suburb of Louisville within the Louisville Metro government. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 15,264, reflecting an increase of 107 (+0.7%) f ...
. Most of the Early Times which is now sold in the U.S. cannot legally be labeled as a bourbon whiskey
Bourbon () is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn. The name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbon ...
within the U.S., so it is labeled as "Kentucky Whisky". Some of the spirits in Early Times are aged in used barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...
s, while bourbon must be aged in new barrels according to the legal requirements for bourbon sold within the U.S. It is bottled at 40% alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...
.
Marketing activity
In 1987, Brown–Forman contracted with Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...
to market Early Times mint juleps as the "official drink" of the Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-yea ...
. Until 2015, Early Times Mint Juleps were sold during Derby Week each year. The highest-priced mint juleps at the event use bourbon from the Brown-Forman sister brand, Woodford Reserve, which is marketed as the "official bourbon" of the Kentucky Derby. Old Forester
Old Forester is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced by the Brown–Forman Corporation. It has been on the market continuously for longer than any other bourbon (approximately 150 years as of 2020), and was the first bourbon so ...
, a bourbon also made by Brown-Forman, later replaced Early Times as the standard Kentucky Derby whisky for the lower-priced mint juleps.
See also
* Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's is a brand of Tennessee whiskey. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee, by the Jack Daniel Distillery, which has been owned by the Brown–Forman Corporation since 1956.
Packaged in square bottles, Jack Daniel's "Black Label" T ...
* Jim Beam
* Evan Williams Evan Williams may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People In sport
* Evan O. Williams (c. 1889–1946), American football and basketball coach
* Evan Williams (footballer) (born 1943), Scottish football goalkeeper
* Evan Williams (jockey) (1912–2001), horse ...
* Maker's Mark
Maker's Mark is a small-batch bourbon whisky produced in Loretto, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is bottled at 90 U.S. proof (45% alcohol by volume) and sold in squarish bottles sealed with red wax. The distillery offers tours, and is part of ...
References
External links
Early Times website
{{Alcoholic drinks
Brown–Forman brands
Bourbon whiskey
Economy of Louisville, Kentucky
American brands
1860 introductions
1860 establishments in Kentucky