Don Freytag, a spirits industry veteran, has been appointed Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer at Blue Ocean Brands, a global distilled spirits holding company that owns two distinctive brands, Somrus Cream Liqueurs and Kurvball Whiskey. 

Blue Ocean Brands is also a portfolio company of Cleveland Avenue, a prominent venture capital and private equity firm based in Chicago. Don will focus primarily on developing the Kurvball Flavored Whiskey brand which is fast-growing and uniquely positioned in the marketplace.

“Don brings a wealth of industry and leadership experience to the team,” Blue Ocean Brands Founder, Pankaj (PK) Garg, said. “His entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen have earned him the respect of industry peers and his first-hand experience of creating and scaling up innovative brands is what makes Don ideal to lead Kurvball’s growth.”

Freytag was previously the Commercial Director, Strategic Advisor, and Board Member of Rabbit Hole Distillery where it expanded national distribution and launched several new labels under the Rabbit Hole Label. Freytag was also responsible for creating and launching the Mary Dowling Whiskey company as a founding equity partner. Before that, he ran the Sales and Marketing for Hawaii Sea Spirits LLC, where he built OCEAN Organic Vodka into a national brand. Other roles he’s held include sales, marketing, and general management leadership positions with Brown-Forman Corporation. 

“I am thrilled to lead the Kurvball team and expand on the success the brand has already achieved in a very short time. Kurvball is such a unique product and is in a position to re-define flavored whiskey,” Freytag said. “Now I look forward to evangelizing Kurvball’s ‘Get Smoked – Shoot it! Sauce it! Sink it!’ anthem with consumers and capitalizing on the intersection of BBQ and Whiskey aficionados across America.”

Flavored whiskey is continuing to enjoy growth across beverage alcohol, with a 10-year volume CAGR of 23% per year, according to Market Watch 2023.  By introducing a smoky and savory, culinary-forward whiskey in a category filled with sweet flavors, KURVBALL is uniquely differentiated from others in the category.  Kurvball is distributed nationally by Southern Glazers Wine and Spirits and key Independents. 

KURVBALL is available nationwide and is 34% ABV (68 proof). KURVBALL is available in both a 750 ml size and a 50 ml size.  The 750 ml bottle has an MSRP of $24.99. 

For more information, visit https://www.kurvballwhiskey.com/.