LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Liquor producer Brown-Forman Corp. is putting a descendant of its founder in charge of its original whiskey, the latest sign that it intends to rejuvenate the long-struggling Old Forester bourbon brand.
Campbell Brown – a fifth-generation descendant of company founder George Garvin Brown – is being promoted to the new position of president of Old Forester, effective May 1, the company said Tuesday.
George Garvin Brown introduced Old Forester when starting the company in 1870, and his signature remains a staple on the brand’s bottles. Campbell Brown becomes the first Brown family member in nearly a century to be responsible for the label, the company said.
Campbell Brown, among 11 fifth-generation Brown family members currently working for the company, takes over Old Forester as sales have started climbing after years of decline. Last year, the company announced plans to build a downtown Louisville distillery to produce Old Forester.
“We want to take advantage of this momentum,” Campbell Brown said in an interview Tuesday.