With Kendall Jenner and George Clooney touting their own tequila brands, Peyton Manning’s top-rated Tennessee bourbon, and Ryan Reynolds’ gin, a new collaboration hits the market: Arby’s Smoked Bourbon.
The bourbon launch follows the November 2021 launch of the restaurant’s 80-proof vodka which was inspired by their signature curly fries.
The new bourbon is smoked for 13 in an Arby’s Smokehouse Brisket, which gives the spirit hints of hickory, mesquite, and pecan wood, according to the media release.
Is This a Trend?
Claire Lancaster, the head of food and drink at trend forecasting company WGSN, told Newsweek that she’s seen an increasing number of limited-time product collaborations between popular food or restaurant brands and alcohol makers.
“These aren’t products that consumers are setting out looking for, they’re activations by brands looking to have fun and make novelty offerings that are going to go viral,” Lancaster said. “While the partnerships aren’t brand pairings you might traditionally expect, these collabs have consistently sold out, and have been successful in helping both brands get noticed.”
As for the potential for other restaurants to take a turn at selling alcohol, Lancaster said it is a way for brands to experiment in an organic way with their consumers or fans.
“The products are really functioning as cross-sell opportunities, and as a way to grow brand awareness with new audiences,” she said. “As more and more Gen Z consumers come of legal drinking age, we’ll continue to see brands experiment in this space as a way to gain organic (vs paid) attention in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”
Currently, Arby’s Smoked Bourbon is only available in seven states around the country: New York, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Florida, Colorado, California, and the District of Columbia.
Branding Controversies
In February 2022, Kendall Jenner’s company 818 Tequila faced a lawsuit claiming the branding is ripping off a Texas-based tequila business.
The other company––Tequila 512––claimed Jenner’s company knocked off their “distinctive” logo, and color scheme.
Jenner also faced controversy immediately after launching 818 Tequila––many accusing the star of cultural appropriation.
In September 2020, Taco Bell announced that they were entering the wine business with a limited-edition ‘Jalapeño Noir’ available only in Canada.
The popular chain also announced a co-branded product with Mountain Dew: a canned, alcoholic Baja Blast in August 2021.
Burger King also joined the market back in June 2020 after announcing a partnership with a Danish brewery to produce a non-alcoholic beer.
