Molson Coors Beverage’s subsidiary, Coors Whiskey Co. is launching Barmen 1873 Bourbon, the alcohol producer’s first true bourbon, the company said in a statement.
Named after the Coors family’s German hometown and the year Coors Brewing was founded, Barmen 1873 will be sold alongside Coors Banquet beer in select locations. In bars, the two brands will be advertised as “Banquet and Barmen.”
The new bourbon further blurs the line between beer and spirits producers. It also builds on Molson Coors’ broader goal of redefining its portfolio to include beverages other than its namesake beer amid rapidly changing consumer tastes and preferences.
Since Gavin Hattersley took over at Molson Coors in September 2019, he has become an expert in energy drinks, THC drinks, hard seltzers, and plant-based diet sodas, ready-to-drink cocktails, and now bourbon.
Of course, the Chicago-based company still derives most of its sales from beers such as Miller Lite, Coors Light, and Molson, but as recent launches show, Molson Coors is set to expand its presence into new categories – many of them with a focus on premium offerings that are growing rapidly in the alcohol segment.
According to IBISWorld, the whiskey and bourbon market is worth USD 5.7 billion. It is noted that the category grew by an average of 4.4% per year from 2018 to 2023.
Moving into beverages other than beer not only allows Molson Coors to lay the foundation for future growth, but also puts the company in a better position to respond to changing consumer tastes, as it is more likely to have a brand in this space if consumer tastes change.
Molson Coors also appears to be targeting Barmen 1873, at least in part, at beer enthusiasts. This may increase the likelihood that someone who is thirsty will turn to Molson Coors products if they are not in the mood to drink beer or want to diversify their alcohol consumption for a particular occasion.
“Barmen plays in the space of sweetness at the beginning and a long, lingering spicy finish at the end, and it will be sold at an affordable price point for bourbon fans,” said David Kors, vice president of next-generation beverages. “Our entry into the whiskey market began in 2021, but Barmen 1873 gives new meaning to our 150-year heritage in beverage.”
Molson Coors has produced whiskey before, but it was not considered bourbon. To be classified as bourbon, an alcoholic beverage must meet several specifications.
In 2021, Molson Coors released its first alcoholic beverage: a blended American whiskey called Five Trail. The 95-proof ultra-premium drink is produced in partnership with Bardstown Bourbon Co. from Kentucky and is a blend of Colorado single malt whiskey made with Coors malt and three bourbons aged to strength with water from the Rocky Mountains.
The collaboration with Five Trail has undoubtedly given the company the experience it needed to create and launch Barmen 1873. Barmen, a straight bourbon whiskey blend bottled in Bardstown, Kentucky, is 92 proof and 46% alcohol by volume. The company says it has notes of caramel, vanilla and toffee, enhanced by roasted peach, dark chocolate and coffee, with a lingering finish of cinnamon, ginger and baking spices.