Rebel Bourbon will produce a limited-edition bottle using the name and likeness of NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, as it seeks to take its partnership with Richard Childress Racing to the next level. The brand is part of St. Louis-based Luxco, an alcohol producer and distributor whose other brands include Everclear grain alcohol. Rebel, based in Kentucky and formerly named Rebel Yell, became a sponsor of RCR and Busch starting with the 2024 season, serving as primary sponsor of his No. 8 Chevrolet in three races. This year, it’s increasing that count to four and doing more off the track as well. That is highlighted by selling 30,000 bottles of a new 750-milliliter Kyle Busch 108 Single Barrel Bourbon that is 54% alcohol by volume, or 108 proof, aged four years and set to have a suggested minimum retail price of $39.99. Busch is said to have personally selected the barrels to use, and the label will include the barrel serial number, the day the barrel was filled and Busch’s signature. It also will feature the logo of RCR and the No. 8 that is used on the Chevrolet that Busch drives in NASCAR Cup Series races. The red used on the label is the same pantone that RCR uses for its logo, an example of the thought and detail that went into designing the product, Luxco Brand Manager Philip Lux told SBJ. In the first year of the deal last year, Rebel released a bottle of its regular $19.99 flagship 100-proof bourbon but with a unique label that had the colors and logo of RCR and a No. 8 on it along with a checkered flag. Lux said he spoke to fans at Daytona in February who told him they didn’t know of the brand before the NASCAR play but that “people are engaged with the brand” now. Busch’s nickname is “Rowdy,” and Lux said the company felt his personality and on-track reputation, which is something of a rowdy rebel, fit well.
SHE’S PROBABLY IN TEXAS: The bottle launched in Texas this past weekend, aligning with NASCAR’s visit to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, where Busch did a bottle signing event at a Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Foods store. COTA was one of Rebel’s four primaries this season, and it bought an in-car camera position with Fox to supplement its paint scheme. The other three races it will be a primary this year are Kansas in May, Richmond in August and St. Louis in September. Rebel plans to do retail activation in those four markets but is promoting the broader partnership nationwide, with point-of-sale materials already hitting some stores, Lux said. The sides are also working on a second new product that gets team owner Richard Childress’ winery involved. Childress Vineyards, located in North Carolina, has provided barrels of its Cabernet Franc to age some of Rebel’s four-year-old 100-proof bourbon in. Rebel will bottle the bourbon into 500 cases, and it will be sold exclusively at the vineyard.
DOWN THE HATCH, UP THE CHARTS: As far as the broader ROI of the sponsorship, Lux said the company uses metrics like shipments to judge a deal. Luxco felt the first year from that perspective went “fantastic,” pointing to data from Nielsen and the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association that showed increases in key markets like Pennsylvania and a three-fold increase in sales in Missouri. He said Luxco also saw interest in the racing program from smaller alcohol chain stores with 10-15 locations, along with the bigger retailers. Lux: “It was all in the green which that’s an easy way for us to measure that ROI.” Rebel’s other sports marketing play is an official deal with the Premier Lacrosse League.
