Brown-Forman Wakes Up Kentucky Boy to Honor Chris Morris and 50 Years of Bourbon

Brown-Forman is reviving the long-dormant Kentucky Boy whiskey brand as a one-time release honoring Master Distiller Emeritus Chris Morris and his 50 years with the company. Bottled at 100 proof with a suggested retail of $99.99, only a limited number of bottles will be released.

The whiskey was created by Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall and Old Forester Assistant Master Distiller Caleb Trigo as a tribute to Morris, their mentor — drawing inspiration from whiskies tied to his career including Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, King of Kentucky, and Woodford Reserve Double Oaked. It debuts Sept. 10 at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown; starting 10 a.m. ET Sept. 11, bottles go on sale at Old Forester Distillery in Louisville, through the Old Forester online store where shipping is permitted, and at select Kentucky retailers — with a release celebration alongside Morris from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Louisville distillery.

The name runs deep: Brown-Forman acquired the Kentucky Boy label in 1923 with its purchase of Louisville's Lynndale Distillery during Prohibition, marketing it with a Thoroughbred racing theme through the 1940s before it went dormant. Fittingly, a portion of net proceeds benefits Second Stride, a nonprofit retraining and placing retired Thoroughbred racehorses. Morris, who joined Brown-Forman in 1976 and became the fifth master distiller in Old Forester's history, called it an honor to have played a role in bourbon's renaissance — and this bottle is the company's thank-you note.