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Jefferson’s Bourbon Introduces Aged at the Mercy of the Sea Campaign

Jefferson's Aged at the Mercy of the Sea

Jefferson’s Bourbon has introduced a new advertising campaign for Jefferson’s Ocean, Aged at the Mercy of the Sea. The new creative campaign embodies the brand’s adventurous and pioneering mindset, and captures the essence of the Pernod Ricard-owned brand’s unique approach to the whiskey aging process.

Aged at the Mercy of the Sea was shot in part on the ocean-faring research vessel OCEARCH. Enjoying a glass of whiskey with OCEARCH founder and friend from Kentucky, Jefferson’s founder Trey Zoeller observed the way the ocean movement affected the whiskey in their own glasses. The result was a hyper-aged, darker, richer, caramelized bourbon. Thirteen years and twenty-three voyages later, Jefferson’s Ocean continues to grow in popularity.

Jefferson’s Ocean is a blend of straight bourbon that is hyper-aged at sea on ships that cross the Equator up to two times, visits five continents and anchors at over 25 ports on average while sailing. “This unique maturation process transforms our bourbon. The constant movement of the ocean and extreme temperature fluctuations as the ships traverse the globe deliver a whiskey that is dark, rich, and caramelized,” said Zoeller.

“Jefferson’s Bourbon is a standout brand in the category and this campaign captures the right history, complex flavor and sea spirit that comes with every sip of Jefferson’s Ocean,” said Pam Forbus, CMO at Pernod Ricard North America. “Our goal is to establish that fact and differentiate the brand for consumers through memorable creative that gets everyone excited about the unique aging process and deliver on the adventurous mindset of our consumer. “

Pernod Ricard acquired Jefferson’s in 2019 and the brand has experienced dramatic expansion since it launched in 1997. To continue this trajectory and unleash the brand ethos and product proposition of this rich product, Pernod Ricard North America and creative agenc Tombras built a national campaign in partnership with Director Ole Peters to bring this to life through an infusion of live footage and state-of-art technology/CGI.

The campaign launched on May 26, 2021 and is inclusive of a 30-second spot supported by CTV/OTT, digital and social efforts.   

For more information, head over to Jefferson’s official website.

Credits  

Trey Zoeller, Founder & Master Blender, Jefferson’s Bourbon  
Chris Fischer, Founding Chairman & Expedition Leader, OCEARCH   
Fernanda Ubatuba, President & COO, OCEARCH  
Ann Mukherjee, CEO, PernodRicard USA   
Pam Forbus, CMO, PernodRicard USA  
Craig Johnson, Vice President, Pernod Ricard USA 
Dooley Tombras, President, Tombras  
Jeff Benjamin, Chief Creative Officer, Tombras 
Jonathan Kerr, Group Account Director, Tombras  
Ole Peters, Director 
Antfood, SFX  
Interrogate, US Production  
Sehsucht, CGI 

In March, Jefferson’s Bourbon released Jefferson’s Rye Cognac Cask Finish Whiskey. The offering from the Kentucky Artisan Distillery is just the second rye released in the history of the brand, the first came in 2008.

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