Partnership between Brown and Ole Smoky Began with a Charity Concert Benefiting Wildfire Victims
NAPA, Calif., July 26, 2023 – Z. Alexander Brown Wines®, producer of acclaimed California wines, and Ole Smoky Distillery®, one of the fastest-growing American Whiskey brands in the U.S.1, announced today that they have partnered to craft a new Cabernet Sauvignon aged in select Ole Smoky whiskey barrels. The 2021 Z. Alexander Brown 2021 “Uncaged” Whiskey Barrel-Aged Cabernet Sauvignon, from GRAMMY® award-winning musician Zac Brown’s wine brand, Z. Alexander Brown, and Tennessee-based Whiskey producer, Ole Smoky Distillery, launches nationwide this month.
The new wine offers consumers a compelling entrant in the fast-growing Ultra-Premium Spirits-barrel aged category, which is currently up 26% in dollar sales2in the U.S. versus a year ago.
The partnership between Zac Brown and Ole Smoky Distillery began with a relationship that was literally forged in fire, in the wake of devastating wildfires that consumed parts of the East Tennessee Smoky Mountains in 2016. Moved to help, the Zac Brown Band and team traveled to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, home of Ole Smoky Distillery, to headline the “Mountain Tough Benefit” concert, sponsored by Ole Smoky and other local businesses, to raise funds for wildfire victims. Brown’s support of the East Tennessee community extended to sending the band’s 18-wheeler truck, fitted with a commercial kitchen, to Gatlinburg to provide food for those who lost their homes.
“It’s important to me to collaborate with like-minded people with great community and family, and we’ve found that with the folks at Ole Smoky Distillery,” commented Brown. “It was exciting being able to combine a great Cab with Ole Smoky barrels and to see how this aging process resulted in a wine with distinct character,” continued Brown. “This is a wine intended to be accessible and appreciated for the full, bold flavor profile that’s lent from aging in Whiskey barrels,” he noted.
1 Source: Nielsen Total U.S. xAOC + Liq Plus Conv, Latest 13 weeks ending 6/17/23
2 Source: Circana (formerly IRI) Total US – Multi Outlet + Conv, 13 weeks ending 6/18/23
Joe Baker, founder of Ole Smoky Distillery, echoed Brown’s remarks on collaboration: “I have so much respect for Zac and his work, all the way back to his tremendous support of our hometown in 2016. This same type of passion and care are values we hold dear at Ole Smoky Distillery, and are evident in Z. Alexander Brown wines, which is what also made this a natural partnership for us.”
Baker continued, “Using Ole Smoky’s premium, white oak Whiskey barrels to age an already superior wine has created a Cabernet Sauvignon with a unique character and story, one that I think will attract fans who appreciate the craft of winemaking and the bold flavors that come from maturing in fine oak.”
Andrew Blok, Portfolio Director for Delicato Family Wines, producers of Z. Alexander Brown Wines, noted that “Southern roots, family ownership and a shared value in the importance of community made this a natural partnership for Zac Brown and Ole Smoky. Z. Alexander Brown Wines already ranks among the U.S.’s Top 20 domestic wine brands; collaborating with Ole Smoky extends the brand into a hot category and expands its appeal to new consumers—both of which are key growth drivers in today’s ultra-competitive wine market.”
Alexander Brown Uncaged Whiskey Barrel-Aged Cabernet Sauvignon launches at retail nationwide in September 2023 at a suggested retail price of $22. Sourced from premier California Cabernet vineyards, the Whiskey Barrel-Aged Cabernet Sauvignon is a bold expression of the rich, smooth and balanced taste profile that defines the “uncaged” wine style of Z. Alexander Brown. A portion of the wine was aged in Ole Smoky Whiskey barrels for a minimum of three months.
For more information, visit www.zalexanderbrown.com. To join the Z. Alexander Brown social community, visit Facebook and follow @zalexanderbrown on Instagram.
About Z. Alexander Brown
Z. Alexander Brown wines highlight the quality of California’s best growing regions, unveiling a robust style reflective of the unlimited potential that can result when a passion for bringing food, people and a sense of place come together. The Z. Alexander Brown wine portfolio includes Uncaged Proprietary Red Blend, Uncaged Cabernet
Sauvignon, Uncaged Pinot Noir, Uncaged Chardonnay, and Uncaged Sauvignon Blanc from California’s finest winegrowing regions and are produced and distributed by Delicato Family Vineyards.
About Delicato Family Wines
Delicato Family Wines is a fourth-generation, family-owned company founded in 1924 and ranks among the largest wine companies in the U.S. Delicato’s diversified portfolio of leading wine brands includes Bota Box, Coppola Diamond Collection, Noble Vines, Gnarly Head, Z. Alexander Brown, Coppola Director’s Cut, Black Stallion, Three Finger Jack, Sofia, 1924, and Schmitt Söhne Family Wines (Germany). Transcendent Wines, Delicato’s fine wine portfolio, includes such luxury brands as Black Stallion Limited Release (Napa) and Diora (Monterey, Calif.) in addition to imported luxury estate wines such as Stoneleigh (New Zealand) and Torbreck Vintners (Australia). For more information, visit www.delicato.com and follow on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/delicato family-wines) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DelicatoFamilyWines).
About Ole Smoky® Distillery LLC
Ole Smoky is the leading distiller of premium moonshine in the world, the leading craft distiller in the U.S. and the first federally licensed distillery in the history of East Tennessee. Founded in 2010, Ole Smoky’s roots are traced to the Smoky Mountains’ earliest settlers, families who produced moonshine with enduring pride and Appalachian spirit. Ole Smoky has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 List of the fastest growing private companies in America for three consecutive years – 2020, 2021, and 2022, as well as receiving the 2022 Shanken Communications’ Impact Hot Brand Award and 2023 Growth Brand Awards from Beverage Information Group. Today, Ole Smoky’s 25 creative moonshine flavors and 17 inventive whiskey flavors can be found in all 50 states, 20 countries and at the company’s four famed distilleries in Tennessee: The Holler and The Barrelhouse in Gatlinburg, The Barn in Pigeon Forge, and 6th & Peabody in Nashville. For more information, please visit olesmoky.com and follow Ole Smoky on social media @olesmoky.
