Palm Bay International's Jacob's Pardon whiskey label has launched its first-ever bourbon — a 90-proof, four-grain blend sourced from distilleries in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana — at a $59.99 suggested retail price with national distribution out of the gate. The release marks the brand's move from a collector-focused limited-release model into the broader premium bourbon segment.
The Liquid
Master Blender F. Paul Pacult assembled the expression using corn as its base, with rye, wheat, and malted barley providing spice, softness, and depth. The tasting profile runs cherry, honey, and orange on the nose, transitioning to caramel, vanilla, and baking spice on the palate, with a clean finish the brand describes as structured enough for neat sipping yet versatile enough for cocktail applications. At 90 proof and $59.99, the SKU occupies a well-trafficked tier in the on-premise bourbon set — above mass-market pour but below the ultra-premium ceiling where velocity slows.
Portfolio Context
Jacob's Pardon launched its Heritage Collection in 2019 with Small Batch #1, building brand equity among American whiskey enthusiasts through limited, provenance-driven releases. The new bourbon is designed to sit alongside that collector tier as a year-round, nationally available expression — the kind of workhorse SKU that drives bar program placement and retail velocity that limited releases cannot sustain. For on-premise buyers, a recognizable backstory and a fixed SRP simplify menu and by-the-glass pricing decisions.
The brand's narrative — Jacob and Abner Taub arrested for bootlegging in 1929, pardoned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 — gives it differentiated storytelling in a bourbon category that increasingly competes on origin and heritage. Multi-distillery blending from three Midwest and Appalachian states is itself a positioning choice, signaling consistency over single-source mystique at a price point where repeatability matters to operators ordering by the case.
Operator Takeaway
The premium American whiskey segment has remained resilient on-premise even as overall spirits volume softened in 2024–2025, with the $40–$70 bottle range continuing to draw both trade-up and trade-down traffic. A nationally distributed, story-forward bourbon in that corridor is precisely what category managers and bar directors are sourcing to build mid-tier whiskey programs that don't rely on allocation.
Palm Bay International — a family-owned wine and spirits supplier with roughly a century of domestic and import distribution experience — brings established chain and independent account relationships to the rollout. Marc D. Taub, president and CEO, described the launch as extending the brand's "commitment of exceptional quality" from the Heritage Collection to a broader audience, signaling that trade investment will follow to support on-premise trial and retail shelf placement.
For operators building or refreshing bourbon-forward cocktail menus, the brand has also introduced a signature serve — the Jacob's Revival, a shaken combination of the bourbon, lemon juice, crème de cassis, and simple syrup — as a ready-made LTO template. Turnkey signature serves lower the barrier to well placement and staff training, a detail that matters in high-turnover bar environments.
More coverage of premium spirits launches and on-premise beverage trends is available in our beverage-alcohol and bar-and-spirits channels.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
