Bulleit Frontier Whiskey premiered its short film, “A Toast To The Times” at an environmentally conscious event in Los Angeles. Every part of the celebration was considered to minimize its impact on the Earth, including upcycled furniture, a “root to stem” menu, and local recycling and compostable partnerships.

The event was attended by pioneers across art, sustainability, food and technology and was the first public screening of “A Toast To The Times” — a 90-second short produced in collaboration with GRAMMY nominated spoken word poet, J. Ivy, and filmmaker Carlos Lopez Estrada. The film celebrates those on the frontier of culture and is part of The Bulleit Pioneer Project — a multi-year commitment to championing and amplifying those breaking new ground.

A continued commitment to sustainability

The environmentally conscious event supports The Bulleit brand’s commitment to championing a sustainable mindset. To make this premiere possible, Bulleit united a collective of pioneers sitting on the frontier of sustainability innovation spanning food, drink, furniture and waste management.

Designer and builder, Jimmy DiResta, was responsible for furniture across the space. As well as creating tables from 100-year-old doors and recycled metal table legs, the pièce de résistance was an upcycled Bulleit bar constructed using wood from a family farm built in 1790. The metal Bulleit logo started its life as the floorboard of an International Harvester Jeep and was extracted from a junkyard before being welded, and affixed to the top of the upcycled bar. Sunbeam Vintage in Highland Park, Los Angeles, also provided vintage pieces dotted throughout the space.

Chef Josh Gill was responsible for food, alongside Stephanie Reading on cocktails. Both are known for driving forward the sustainable food and drink movement across California and produced menus using the same ingredients, utilizing the root to the stem to minimize waste. The produce was sourced from within 30 miles of the event venue, from eco-conscious purveyors, and was served on palm leaves.

This was complemented by no single-use plastic throughout the space, 100% sustainable glassware and a partnership with Compostable LA, a full spectrum community compost service that turns food scraps into superfood for soil across Los Angeles.

“Pulling off an environmentally conscious event of this size was no easy feat,” said Sophie Kelly, Senior Vice President of Whiskies at Diageo North America, in a news release. “I’m immensely proud of the Bulleit brand’s commitment to sustainability across the board. We’ve reinvented category standards with our carbon-neutral distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky, which is powered by 100% renewable energy, and our zero-waste production at Shelbyville. Now we’re doubling down on this commitment through our marketing efforts. With this premiere, we’re sharing our new film with the world as well as a glimpse of what’s possible when you bring together a collection of people sitting on the frontier of sustainability and committed to change.”

An expression of the frontier spirit

The event premiered “A Toast To The Times” a 90-second film that champions those living on the frontier of culture. The persistent and passionate spirit needed to break the status quo was powerfully captured by J. Ivy, and his emotive poem speaks of “those who aren’t afraid to tap into their greatness”, and states “wisdom is weaved in the waves we make”. His words are accompanied by mixed media visualizations including original footage, illustration, animation and typography, curated by Mexican filmmaker, Carlos Lopez Estrada.

Alongside the film came the announcement of the Bulleit 100-Hour Commitment – a promise to provide emerging pioneers with 100 hours of mentorship from established talent thanks to Bulleit’s long-standing relationship with music and creator platform, UnitedMasters. This commitment follows research by UnitedMasters that reveals mentorship is one of the most important — and least accessible — tools for those looking to further their craft. UnitedMasters’ top talent spans musicians, writers, producers and DJs and these mentorship hours will be distributed across 2023 through activations, partnerships and digital content.

The film, “A Toast To The Times”, from lead creative agency Anomaly, comes six weeks after Bulleit officially announced its Pioneer Project. In December 2022, it ran the Bulleit Remix Challenge — a quest to find talented lyricists to work alongside J. Ivy. The search resulted in hundreds of applicants submitting verses to receive a one-hour mentorship session with the artist.

Performances at the premiere event included J. Ivy, the winner of the Remix Challenge, and other UnitedMasters talent including DJ OHSO, Anisa Brenee, Col3trane and Siobhan Bell.

“A Toast To The Times” can be viewed at: https://www.bulleit.com/pioneerproject/