Elijah Craig: Ushering in a New Era
of the Old Fashioned Cocktail

CHALLENGE

As a quality bourbon that lacks awareness outside of heavier category users, Elijah Craig needed a compelling reason for the trade and consumers to order Elijah Craig. A core part of marketing spirits brands is having a strong cocktail strategy. Creating a mental link between a brand and a classic or specialty cocktail makes it easy for consumers to “call” for a brand at a bar/ restaurant or to purchase it in-store for at-home mixing. Having a go-to cocktail for your brand also acts as a shortcut for bartenders, waitstaff and retail employees to recommend your brand over a competitor. With its complex warm spice and subtle smoke tasting notes, Elijah Craig’s Small Batch Bourbon was ripe for a spirit-forward cocktail pairing. While it dates back several centuries, the Old Fashioned has remained the world’s #1 cocktail since 2018. Much like Elijah Craig, the Old Fashioned has a history but still answers modern consumer needs and taste. Aligning the brand with this classic cocktail became a no-brainer, but mere alignment alone wouldn’t be enough to drive bottom-line impact.

INSIGHT / BEHAVIORAL UNLOCK

Behavioral Science’s scarcity heuristic tells us that when something is less readily available - due to limited quantity, limited time, etc. - that people tend to perceive it as more valuable, and more desired. Despite its popularity all year round, creating a sense of “FOMO” with a time-sensitive opportunity to celebrate with an Elijah Craig Old Fashioned became the catalyst for our idea

SOLUTION

We ushered in a new era of the Old Fashioned by introducing Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Week: an annual event to honor the classic cocktail, and the people who craft them. Taking place each October, Old Fashioned Week helps kick off bourbon’s highest sales period (Q4), with a weeklong sales-driving program.

Paid social ads and social media influencers drive awareness and call for participation in Old Fashioned Week, reinforced by Elijah Criag’s television media buy incorporated an Old Fashioned Week signoff leading up to and during the event.

A dedicated URL( OldFashionedWeek.com) acts as the hub for both consumers and the trade. Bars and restaurants could sign up to participate in the event, and consumers could locate participating establishments near them using a “Find a Bar” tool.

Downloadable materials (POS materials & social assets) helped the trade promote the event and capture consumers’ attention during their cocktail and dining experience, part of which being a portion of Old Fashioned Week proceeds benefitting the Southern Smoke Foundation - an organization providing crucial aid to in-need hospitality workers.

A contest with popular food & beverage publication VinePair was also launched, inviting bartenders to submit their new takes on the classic Old Fashioned recipe using Elijah Craig. Finalists and winners received national recognition for their creativity and expertise, and were given the opportunity to be published annually in a branded cocktail book.

outcome

What started out as creating a moment for the Old Fashioned has become a movement since the launch of Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Week in 2020. 2025 marked the 6th celebration of the yearly event, with programming now spanning the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. We have generated more than 275M impressions around the event, driving association between Elijah Craig and the Old Fashioned cocktail. More than 27,000 bars have joined and when participating in Old Fashioned Week their sales in Elijah Craig have increased by 33%. In addition, $600k was raised for the Southern Smoke Foundation, and we have been featured in publications like Forbes, Punch, Thrillist, Eater, Bon Appetit, and GQ to-date - far surpassing original program expectations.