Today, Grammy-winning, multi-platinum superstar Michael Bublé announces the launch of Fraser & Thompson, his new whiskey brand, in partnership with longtime friend and award-winning Master Distiller and Blender Paul Cirka. Michael took to social media to share the news, as if a project three years in the making could come together with just the push of a button. The plan is to support the brand with an integrated marketing campaign to be announced soon, assuming Michael has enough time within his schedule of touring, squeezing in a mid-day nap, and knotting the perfect bowtie (it’s harder than it looks).
This North American Whiskey, a first for the whiskey category, brought to market by fast-growing spirits incubator WES Brands, blends and bottles Canadian Whiskies with Kentucky Bourbon in Bardstown, KY.
This whiskey is a triumph, an achievement, the product of years of hard work and collaborative efforts involving dozens of beverage alcohol professionals, yet we haven’t received much more than a winking emoji from Mr. Bublé when asked how we should advertise it. It strikes us as supremely ironic that a guy with such an extensive catalog of music has mastered radio silence. We toyed with the idea of constructing an attractive, well-dressed scarecrow stuffed with hay next to a tape recorder playing “Haven’t Met You Yet,” but the coincidental sentiment felt too on-the-nose for our marketing team, whose calls keep getting bounced between assistants. Through the grapevine, we hear that it’s “fine :),” “everything will work out,” and “have you tried meditating?”
At some point, from somewhere, he released this very nice statement that we’d like to share with you now:
“I spent many summers with my grandfather at the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson rivers in British Columbia,” said Fraser & Thompson founder Michael Bublé. “When I heard Paul’s vision for creating a new kind of whiskey, I knew instantly what I wanted to call it. For the last three years, we worked together to perfect a whiskey blend that is equally elegant and approachable. We can’t wait to pour you a glass!”
Isn’t that great? As if Michael is just the salt of the earth, sitting on a porch somewhere, talking to the neighbors, and pouring you a glass of his smooth, delicious whiskey. This overbooked, overextended, sentient tuxedo of a man is thousands of miles away telling us, “Easy, now,” like he’s gone fishing instead of playing sold-out shows in a new city every night.
Regardless of any personal feelings for this still-buffering campaign, Fraser & Thompson is genuinely fantastic. The creative blending process curated by award-winning Master Distiller and Blender Paul Cirka, co-founder of the brand with Bublé, sets Fraser & Thompson apart. Cirka hand-selected aged liquid to blend into an inviting whiskey, with sweet fig and blood orange on the nose, and a subtle finish of caramel, vanilla, and a hint of spice.
I mean, sure, we have one of the best voices of our time as a face for this campaign, but we could let the whiskey speak for itself, I suppose. And this Cirka character sounds like an upstanding guy.
“Michael and I bonded over our shared passion for whisky and wanted to create a blend that was flavorful but more light-hearted than the category at large can be known for,” says Fraser & Thompson co-founder and Master Distiller and Blender Paul Cirka. “We stumbled upon creating something new for the category, a blended North American Whisky. I would be delighted if you would call my personal cell, and I can explain everything about this beautiful whisky: (929) 867-7490.”
Well, there you have it. I guess we just launched Fraser & Thompson. Tell the concierge at Michael’s hotel to pass along a thumbs up from us so we don’t interrupt his beauty sleep. We wouldn’t want to harsh Mr. Bublé’s mellow.
Fraser & Thompson North American Whiskey is blended and bottled by Heaven Hill in Bardstown, KY. The brand is sold in 750ml bottles at 42% ABV and is available in limited quantities in the U.S. and select international markets, including Canada, for $29.99, as well as on Reserve Bar. And by “limited,” we mean “limited,” as we don’t yet have enough product produced at the time of this announcement to sell into most major markets. I think this is an issue, but when I raised it with Michael, his response was, “You’re welcome.”
This should be interesting.
