Dallas: J.R. Ewing-Branded Bourbon Launches In 2014 (With Launch Party Pics)

The Southfork Bottling Company is teaming up with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Warner Bros. Television Group to launch a special reserve “J.R. Ewing Bourbon” inspired by the legendary character that Larry Hagman brought to life on TV.

Last night, a launch party and screening were held to launch both the new bourbon and the upcoming third season of the show, which starts Monday, February 24. KSiteTV was in attendance, and while there, we spoke with Southfork Bottling Company’s Andy Harmon and Charles Waldman about this brand that will give people a taste of Dallas.

“The bourbon that we tried to create has a charisma a lot like J.R. had, so we tried to make in a way that was not only drinkable, but also had a robust flavor to it that we’ve created something of a high quality, and something that he would have really be interested in. Center points of what we tried to do is make sure that he would drink this product, and he would put his name on it, because otherwise, if we’ve failed J.R., then we’ve failed everyone,” Harmon said.

“I think J.R. Ewing stands for true American values,” Waldman added. “I think J.R. Ewing is the man that most of us want to be. Not all of us are brave enough to say that, but there’s that element of J.R. in everybody. That’s why he was the villain you loved. And, as Andy says, it’s really a tribute to J.R. Ewing.”

Here are some photos from the party and screening, with cast members including Linda Gray, Julie Gonzalo, Marlene Forte, Jesse Metcalfe, Emma Bell, Mitch Pileggi, and Juan Pablo Di Pace in attendance:

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Here is a press release with more details about the bourbon:

THE LEGACY OF DALLAS CONTINUES WITH J.R. EWING–BRANDED BOURBON, IN STORES END OF MARCH 2014

-Leading Spirits Distributor Partners with Warner Bros. to Create and Launch Bourbon

Timed to Season 3 Premiere February 24 9/8c on TNT-

DALLAS (February 19, 2014) – To coincide with the season three premiere of Dallas on Monday, February 24, at 9/8c on TNT, Southfork Bottling Company is teaming up with Warner Bros. to launch a new brand of bourbon, J.R. Ewing Bourbon, inspired by the show’s infamous character and iconic Texas tycoon. The bourbon can be found on spirit retailers’ shelves beginning end of March.

Distilled in the heart of Kentucky’s bourbon country, the 4-year-old, 80-proof light amber-colored bourbon will initially launch in 14 states across the South and Midwest, with plans to expand nationally within a few months and internationally by the year’s end. The brand will be marketed to distributors around the United States by Prairie Creek Beverages, a national wine and spirits marketing company, and internationally by Melchers Group, a producer and exporter based in The Netherlands.

Packaging for the new bourbon features a wooden stopper and screen-printed image of the legendary Southfork Ranch — home of the Ewings — which can be seen through the front of the elegant, iconic bottle.

J.R. Ewing Bourbon is well balanced and possesses a maturity that adds to its complexity. The nose is classic and slightly fruity, with notes of vanilla, oak sweetness and a touch of orange. The taste profile is surprisingly mild, yet crisp, and exhibits a lightly spicy/honey taste that lingers on the palate.

“Creating a brand of such high quality is reflective of J.R.’s thirst for the best in life, and the new brand really pays tribute to the character with whom everyone around the world is familiar,” said Andy Harmon, co-founder of Southfork Bottling Company.

Bourbon was the drink of choice for Dallas’ legendary character J.R. Ewing; a ruthless and egotistical Texas oil baron with discerning taste who was particular about his liquor, J.R. would no doubt have been pleased to see his own notorious name signed on the bottle of this well-crafted bourbon whiskey.

“It’s exciting to have the show and J.R.’s legacy, represented to the public in a new way,” said Dallas executive producer and writer Cynthia Cidre. “Plus, it gives the fans one more reason to celebrate Dallas!”

“My father, Larry Hagman, would have loved the fact that this new bourbon was named after his legendary character, J.R. Ewing — a signature spirit inspired by one of the most beloved, conniving and trailblazing characters in entertainment history,” said Preston Hagman.

J.R. Ewing Bourbon is a partnership between Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Warner Bros. Television Group, in collaboration with Southfork Bottling Company.

About Dallas

Based upon one of the most popular television dramas of all time, Dallas centers on the Ewing clan, an enormously wealthy Texas family whose sibling rivalries, romantic betrayals, corruption and even acts of murder are legendary. Secrets, schemes and shady alliances abound at the Southfork ranch in Dallas, Texas, as the next generation of Ewings — along with Ewing patriarch Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy), now the senior member of the family following the death of his older brother, J.R. Ewing, and Sue Ellen Ewing (Linda Gray), J.R.’s former wife — take ambition and deceit to new levels. In addition to Duffy and Gray, the series stars Josh Henderson, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster, Julie Gonzalo, Brenda Strong, Mitch Pileggi, Emma Bell and Juan Pablo Di Pace. Developed by Cynthia Cidre and based upon the series created by David Jacobs, Dallas is produced for TNT by Warner Horizon Television, with Cidre, Michael M. Robin, Robert Rovner and Bruce Rasmussen serving as executive producers. Dallas begins its third season Monday, February 24, 2014, at 9/8c on TNT.