Next Century Spirits has unveiled the first marketing activation for its Bear Fight American whiskey brand, fronted by US actor Gabriel Macht.
The single malt, which counts American Dad and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane among its founding investors, has leveraged Macht’s involvement as a stakeholder for the ‘What’s Your Bear Fight?’ campaign that breaks this month. Specific details around where the marketing will appear were not disclosed, although the series of ads featuring Macht includes six- and 15-second spots, suggesting an online presence.
Macht is best known for his recurring role in the TV legal drama Suits.
Released in the US three years ago, Bear Fight retails at around US$45 per 75cl bottle. The whiskey is produced by Next Century at its distillery in North Carolina.
Late last year, The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau formalised the definition of ‘American single malt’, creating a recognised sub-category of American whiskey. The current trading environment for spirits more widely in the US prompted the co-founder & master distiller of Kentucky’s Limestone Branch Distillery, Stephen Beam, to warn this month that a “contraction of national and international American whiskey brands” is on the horizon.
