Following a successful launch in the UK, America’s adventurous spirit, Never Say Die Bourbon, is returning home to make its US debut. It is the first Kentucky Bourbon to be both ocean-aged on a six-week trip across the Atlantic, then further matured in barrels in England. 

Never Say Die Small Batch Bourbon (RRP $69.95, ABV 47.5%, 70cl) is the true definition of small-batch with just 2,750 bottles per run. It is an approachable and balanced blend of Never Say Die’s six-year-old barrels, delivering mellowed spice and citrus that melt into vanilla, leather, and caramel. 

Since launching in the UK in September 2022, Never Say Die has won numerous awards and accolades for having a unique flavor profile. This is a result of its exposure to three contrasting climates during its transatlantic aging process, offering a bourbon enriched by the best of each locale. From the rapid aging of Kentucky to the slow refinement in England, combined with the ocean’s wild influence, which accelerates the interaction between whiskey and wood, the result is a pronounced flavor profile that is beyond its years. 

Despite its English finishing point, it is still very much a Kentucky bourbon — made with a locally sourced sweet mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley, and aged around five years in a Kentucky rickhouse before being shipped to age another year in England.

Every sip tells a story. Never Say Die is inspired by the legendary racehorse of the same name who was born on co-founder Pat Madden’s family farm in Kentucky. Never Say Die was revived as a sickly newborn foal by a lucky shot of whiskey; just three years later, in 1954, he went on to become the first American-born horse to win the Derby at Epsom in 70 years, in front of a 250,000-strong crowd that included Queen Elizabeth II and Winston Churchill. 

At the same time, on a daring leap of faith, a woman in Liverpool named Mona Best fell in love with the story of Never Say Die and pawned all of her jewelry to literally “bet it all” at odds of 33-1 on the victorious Epsom Derby. With her new fortune, she founded a new music venue, the Casbah Coffee Club, and took another risk, this time on a then-unknown band called The Quarrymen (now famously known as The Beatles) which was made up of her son, Pete and his friends John, Paul and George,  buying them new instruments and offering them their very first gigs, shaping rock and roll history forever. 

Never Say Die Small Batch Bourbon is currently setting up nationwide distribution channels, but is initially available online at Seelbachs.com and across Kentucky in premium liquor stores, bars and restaurants.  For more information visit https://neversaydiebourbon.com/.