Chicken Cock Whiskey Partners With Groundbreaking Country Music Star Colt Ford

CHARLESTON, S.C., Jan. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicken Cock Whiskey today announced that the 156-year-old American Whiskey brand, made famous in the 1920s as a bootleg whiskey during Prohibition, is saddling up with country star Colt Ford.  Chicken Cock Distillers CEO Matti Anttila, who resurrected the historic label earlier this year, says the partnership with the popular and multi-talented crossover performer is a natural fit for the irreverent Chicken Cock brand, which appeals to young adults with a taste for good times served up Southern-style. 

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Chicken Cock will collaborate closely with Colt Ford to bring new, exciting promotions to fans through concert tour experiences, product integration, private meet-and-greets and social media.

"We've been running a sweepstakes on the Chicken Cock Whiskey Facebook page giving our fans a chance to win VIP tickets to a Colt Ford show in 2014," said Anttila. "The response so far has been amazing, so we're extending the contest entry period through Feb. 14 to give as many fans as possible a shot at winning."  

Distilled in Charleston, S.C., Chicken Cock recently wrapped up a three-month Southern tailgate tour in a refurbished, vintage Airstream trailer converted into a rolling speakeasy. The campaign helped to push first-year sales toward a total of 12,000 9L cases, capping off one of the most successful spirit brand launches of 2013 and placing Chicken Cock among the fastest-growing whiskey brands in the country.

It was during the tour when the Chicken Cock Airstream stopped at Colt Ford's Annual Celebrity Golf Classic outside Atlanta and an immediate bond was forged.

"When they pulled up in that vintage Airstream with the giant rooster on it, I knew I'd love the brand," said Ford. "I won't mess with anything that doesn't feel real or authentic – with Chicken Cock, I knew my fans would get it."

From the start, the synergies between the two brands were obvious. Chicken Cock, with its Southern pedigree and bootlegger heritage, fits right in with Colt Ford's country, down-home, mud bog party vibe. The partnership brings together two iconic brand personalities with reputations for pushing the envelope, bucking the status quo and having the backbone to be truly original.

"Colt Ford is one of the most engaging entertainers around – what he's done combining rap and country is extraordinary," said Anttila. "This partnership, which started with my being a fan of Colt's music and him of our whiskey, is about celebrating good times and great music with friends, and, of course, good ole' Southern spirits with real heritage."

Originally produced in 1856, the Chicken Cock brand currently features a line of flavored American whiskies available in Cinnamon, Southern Spiced and Root Beer, priced at $19.99/750 ml. Chicken Cock Whiskey is easily recognized in its quick-chill aluminum bottle which harkens back to the tin cans once used to smuggle the bootleg whiskey into Prohibition-era speakeasies like the Cotton Club where it became famous as the "whiskey in a tin can." Demand for Chicken Cock continues to build as the expanding product line rolls out to shot glasses, tumblers and mason jars nationwide. 

For Ford, the partnership announcement comes on the heels of a sold-out national tour with platinum-selling duo Florida-Georgia Line (Academy of Country Music Awards New Artist of the Year) in support of his fourth album, Declaration of Independence, which hit #1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.  Ford has also helped deliver two #1 country singles, co-writing "Dirt Road Anthem" for Jason Aldean and "Country Must Be Country Wide" with Brantley Gilbert. His two most recent releases both debuted in the Top 10 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.

Recognized as the Godfather of the fast-growing country rap genre known as "hick-hop," Ford is a former golfer who grew up near Athens, Ga., listening to hip-hop, rock and country music.  An accomplished songwriter, producer and performer, Ford draws deeply from his Georgia roots to spin vivid tales of working-class life and back-roads good times, blending hip-hop into classic trucker ballads, honky tonk rave-ups and back-road party music with equal parts swagger, humor and humanity.

Signed to Nashville-based Average Joes Entertainment, Ford has sold 1 million albums, 3.1 million digital singles, over 750,000 tickets to live shows and earned award nominations from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.  He is well-known for his collaborations with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Montgomery Gentry, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, Darius Rucker, Wynonna, Charlie Daniels, Joe Diffie, John Anderson, John Michael Montgomery, rapper Bonecrusher, Wayne Morris of Boyz II Men and R&B impresario Jermaine Dupree.

About Chicken Cock Distillers
Located in Charleston, S.C., Chicken Cock Distillers, a division of wine and spirits brand developer Island Club Brands, specializes in handcrafted, small-batch American spirits. Current brands include Chicken Cock Whiskey, an American Whiskey tracing its roots back to 1856, and General Beauregard Dixie Vodka, a craft vodka distilled 6X from 100% American corn, rolling out in the South in early 2014. www.ChickenCockWhiskey.com

About Colt Ford
In celebration of the 5^th Year Anniversary of Colt's own independent label, Average Joes Entertainment, Colt recently re-released "Ride Through the Country Revisited" which includes new guest features by country stars Ronnie Dunn, Joe Diffie, John Anderson, Wynonna and the LACS. Colt's previous album, Declaration of Independence, debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, and included the hit, "Back," a collaboration with Jake Owen. In 2012, Colt penned two #1 hits; Jason Aldean's "Dirt Road Anthem," and Brantley Gilbert's, "Country Must Be Country Wide." Colt has sold over a million albums, millions more song downloads, has 1 million Facebook fans and has over 15 million YouTube views.  Colt was also recently featured in a two-page cover story in the Wall Street Journal and The Tennessean. In addition to being a gifted songwriter and artist, Colt is also a former professional golfer and resides with his family in Athens, GA.  For more information, please visit www.coltford.com.  

SOURCE Chicken Cock Whiskey