The new Canadian-American blended whisky is an ode to Bublé’s roots in British Columbia.
Singer and songwriter Michael Bublé has become the latest musician to take the plunge into whisky. Named after two rivers in Bublé’s native British Columbia, Fraser & Thompson is a blend of Kentucky bourbon and Canadian whiskies. It was released in partnership with Heaven Hill and drinks incubator WES Brands.
The Fraser & Thompson blend comprises three whiskies ranging from 3 to 9 years old. The bourbon parcel, which makes up 7% of the overall blend, is sourced from Bardstown, Kentucky’s Heaven Hill Distillery. The distillery is also responsible for blending and bottling the expression. The remainder of the blend is made up of corn, single-grain rye, and two-grain rye Canadian whiskies, which were produced by co-founder and master distiller Paul Cirka, owner of Cirkia Distilleries in Montreal, and Heaven Hill’s Black Velvet Distilling Co. in Lethbridge, Canada.
This is the third spirit to join WES Brands’s portfolio. Celebrity backing is quickly becoming a thumbprint for the Dallas-based incubator, which also owns both Jamie Foxx’s BSB flavored whiskey and Mark Wahlberg’s Flecha Azul tequila. WES initially teased Fraser & Thompson when it announced an upcoming collaboration with Heaven Hill back in August. Details were scarce, but a launch was slated to come in the following weeks. Those weeks came and went with no news. But now, two months later, the whisky is finally here.
Fraser & Thompson will be available across the U.S., and in select international markets, including Canada, at a retail price of $30 a bottle. The whisky will also be available online via ReserveBar.
If you’re looking to pick up Fraser & Thompson at your local store right away, or if you live in a state with strict shipping laws, you might need more than a bit of luck to grab ahold of a bottle. While the price may be approachable, the retail availability is anything but. The whisky has launched in very limited quantities, with its creators admitting that there just aren’t enough bottles to move into most major markets yet.
“While you’re patiently waiting for our whisky to hit your local shelves, just know I waited three years for Michael to pick his favorite blend,” said co-founder Paul Cirka, adding that “Everything good is worth waiting for.” We’ll keep you posted on how good it is in due time.
You can read more about Fraser & Thompson, and other new whiskies, in this week's edition of Whisky Weekend.
