Ancient Ancient Age 8 Year Old

[cowdery]

Age is one of those brands that is very distributor-dependent in terms of what's available in a given market. I'm told by BT that 10 Star is six years old and is in something like 22 states, while the 10-year-old is only available in Kentucky and Chicago. Also, while BT/Sazerac is very involved with the brand, and makes it obviously, they don't own or ultimately control it. The company Age International still exists and controls Age, Blantons, ETL, Rock Hill, etc. Most of the single barrels, though not Eagle Rare. I don't really know who Age International is, but they have their own offices in downtown Frankfort. Since most of the people I've met who are part of Age are Japanese, I suspect it is a subsidiary of Takara Shuzo, a Japanese company.

Because Sazerac is a private company they are able to keep a lot of things about their business quiet and choose to do so. President Mark Brown is very good about it, though, in that he doesn't dodge questions, he just politely declines to answer them.

[ThomasH]

I have the AAA 10yr, the 10 star (available in Ohio) as well as the BIB. The AAA and BIB are available in Ky. Party Source also has there own private barrel offering of AAA of which I also have a bottle!

Thomas

[G.H.Adams]

AAA 10 y/o is a favorite value pour for me and I buy it by the liter. It's not sold in New Mexico so I have to order it from Kentucky. Shipping sucks but it is what it is.

[Josh]

Age is one of those brands that is very distributor-dependent in terms of what's available in a given market. I'm told by BT that 10 Star is six years old and is in something like 22 states, while the 10-year-old is only available in Kentucky and Chicago. Also, while BT/Sazerac is very involved with the brand, and makes it obviously, they don't own or ultimately control it. The company Age International still exists and controls Age, Blantons, ETL, Rock Hill, etc. Most of the single barrels, though not Eagle Rare. I don't really know who Age International is, but they have their own offices in downtown Frankfort. Since most of the people I've met who are part of Age are Japanese, I suspect it is a subsidiary of Takara Shuzo, a Japanese company.

Because Sazerac is a private company they are able to keep a lot of things about their business quiet and choose to do so. President Mark Brown is very good about it, though, in that he doesn't dodge questions, he just politely declines to answer them.

From the Age International thread, I was under the impression that only Ancient Age and Blanton's are owned by Age International and the rest of the Brands produced at BT, including Hancock, RHF and ETL are owned by Sazerac.

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forum...ad.php?t=13919

[T Comp]

From the Age International thread, I was under the impression that only Ancient Age and Blanton's are owned by Age International and the rest of the Brands produced at BT, including Hancock, RHF and ETL are owned by Sazerac.

Josh, I thought the same but a search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/index.jsp for ETL shows an assignment from owner Age Interational Inc. to R. H. Farms, a Delaware Corporation., on January 19, 1993. I cannot find any information on R.H Farms Inc. of relevance on the Delaware corportion site.

A search of Rock Hill Farms shows the same assignment at a different time and the assigned owner R.H Farms Inc. as a New York corporation.

Got to get to work and didn't do Hancock.

[Josh]

Josh, I thought the same but a search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/index.jsp for ETL shows an assignment from owner Age Interational Inc. to R. H. Farms, a Delaware Corporation., on January 19, 1993. I cannot find any information on R.H Farms Inc. of relevance on the Delaware corportion site.

A search of Rock Hill Farms shows the same assignment at a different time and the assigned owner R.H Farms Inc. as a New York corporation.

Got to get to work and didn't do Hancock.

Interesting. Thanks Thad!

[clingman71]

So is Ancient Age, and their assorted brands contract distilled at BT? Sort of like the VW arrangement? And could this have something to do with the renaming of the distillery, and BT being their flagship bourbon? When did Sazerac buy the distillery? Does this difference in who owns what coincide with the two different mashbills?

Just curious, I like bourbons from both mashbills. I also like 1792 which also happens to be Sazerac, coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.

[rocky480]

I also like 1792 which also happens to be Sazerac, coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.

1792 is Sazerac now, but most recently, until early 2009, was a product of Barton Brands which was under of Constellation Brands before they decided to focus more on their wine business.

[cowdery]

Because of a project I'm working on, I had occasion recently to confirm directly with Buffalo Trace that Ancient Age, Blanton's, Rock Hill Farms, Hancock's President's Reserve, and Elmer T Lee are all owned by Age International. Buffalo Trace makes them. As far as I know, and I know know much, it's not unlike the Van Winkle arrangement, a joint venture.

I also believe, but don't know for sure, that Age International is the U.S. arm of Takara Shuzo, long Sazerac's Japanese partner. I also know that it's Age, not Sazerac, that decides about pricing, line extensions, etc., with regard to the five brands it owns.

At the KBF Sampler in April, Blanton's (i.e., Age International) had its own table, separate from BT's.

[camduncan]

That explains a lot Chuck, and is being replicated in the Aussie market. Southtrade International started bringing Buffalo Trace product lines into Australia late last year, but Blantons (Reserve Green label) has been around a couple of years and is distributed in a completely seperate deal.