Coors Malt To Be At Center Of New American Whiskey From Molson Coors

by Nino Kilgore-Marchetti
August 2, 2021

Molson Coors Beverage Company has long been known to American consumers for its extremely popular Coors Banquet Beer offering, among many others. The Colorado firm is now heading into new waters, announcing its first full strength spirit, an American whiskey.

The new Five Trail American blended whiskey, according to those behind it, is launching at the beginning of September under the banner of the new Coors Whiskey Co. It is made in part from Coors malt and Rocky Mountain water, being distilled, blended and bottled in partnership with Bardstown Bourbon Co. in Bardstown, Ky.

“This is not just about acquiring a brand or working with a distiller on a blend,” said Kimberli Fox, Molson Coors’ marketing manager for wine and spirits, in a prepared statement. “This is a true collaboration that marries Colorado provenance with innovative distilling techniques of pioneering Kentucky-based distillers.

Coors Whiskey Five Trails Whiskey (image via Molson-Coors)

“While whiskey drinkers are a very loyal group, discovery is a key theme. They love to explore, expand their collections and try new things. That makes this a very interesting place for us to play as a beverage company.

“Within whiskey, there’s so much rich territory to explore and you don’t have to stay within the confines of a singular consumer expectation.”

The whiskey is specifically made from a blend of Colorado single-malt whiskey and three bourbons, cut to proof with Rocky Mountain water. It is packaged in 750-ml bottles and will carry a suggested retail price of $59.99. It will initially be for sale “at better liquor retailers” in four markets: Colorado, Georgia, Nevada and New York.

In developing this product, it is said, the company considered three factors before getting into whiskey – “the spirit’s unbridled growth over the past two decades, a built-in affinity of beer drinkers for a whiskey produced by a brewery, and a desire to build more premium offerings within the company’s portfolio.”

Fox noted Coors Whiskey Co. will be producing expressions on-going, crafting “unique, limited-edition whiskeys made with high-country barley from its malthouse in Golden, Colo., and recipes that could change year-to-year.”