How Pernod Ricard is backing its sea-aged ‘Ocean’ bourbon

Thirteen years ago, Jefferson’s Bourbon founder Trey Zoeller had an epiphany aboard the marine research vessel Ocearch while watching his glass of whiskey slosh around in choppy waters: If the sea was churning his drink on deck, surely it would do the same to gallons of bourbon aging in a barrel. Today, long after the successful launch of the Jefferson’s Ocean variety that was inspired by that observation, Jefferson’s has unveiled a new campaign that harnesses that same power of the sea (and CGI) to advertise its 90-proof whiskey that’s uniquely aged aboard ships as they circle the globe. “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,” Zoeller says of the Jefferson’s Ocean blend, which ages on ships that visit an average of 25 ports per voyage. Created by Tennessee-based agency Tombras, the new “Aged at the Mercy of the Sea” campaign was shot in part aboard the Ocearch vessel where Zoeller was first inspired to create a sea-aged bourbon in 2008. Since its founding, barrels of Ocean have sailed the seas on 23 separate voyages, each of which are logged on Jefferson’s website. The product’s most recent expedition took it from Savannah, Georgia through the Panama Canal and across the equator as it set course for Tahiti in the South Pacific Ocean. Anchored by a 30-second spot running on connected TV and over-the-top channels, and complemented by social and digital elements, “Aged at the Mercy of the Sea” leans on computer-generated imagery as it shows what the sea can do from the perspective of a whiskey barrel’s bung hole. (Yes, that’s really what it’s called.) “The ocean doesn’t care,” a rugged narrator says in the ad, directed by German filmmaker Ole Peters. “In seconds, it can turn a ship to splinters; in days, break even the bravest soul; in years, beat the rock shore smooth. So if it can do all that, just imagine what it does to Jefferson’s Bourbon.” It’s worth noting that not all of Jefferson’s bourbons are barrel-aged on oceangoing ships; the alcohol maker, originally founded in 1997 and acquired by Pernod Ricard in 2019, also makes a variety of small-batch, reserve and cask-strength whiskies that are aged the traditional way: on dry land. “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,” says Pam Forbus, chief marketing officer 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,” she continues. “Aged at the Mercy of the Sea” comes as Jefferson’s looks to exit the COVID-19 pandemic and maintain its course of healthy growth in the super-premium bourbon category that has been sustained in recent years. In 2020, Jefferson’s Ocean in particular was a star, seeing sales growth above 60% to become the top-selling U.S. bourbon over $70, according to Jefferson’s senior brand manager Killian Lee. The new creative from Tombras employs a bolder tone for Jefferson’s Ocean than its previous campaigns have, though some elements in its advertising have proven to be constant. The ship Ocearch and its founder Chris Fischer, for example, featured prominently in a 2018 spot for the sea-aged bourbon brand, according to iSpot.TV.

How Pernod Ricard is backing its sea-aged ‘Ocean’ bourbon

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