210: Five Trail Whiskey -The Next Generation of Molson Coors Brewing

Our guest this week is David Coors, of the iconic Coors Brewing family.  David is leading the Next Generation of Beverages for Molson Coors and he joins us to discuss their Five Trail Whiskey lineup.  Find out what inspired David to explore the whiskey world and how he convinced his brewing family to get into spirits.

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Bourbon Lens

Five Trail Blended American Whiskey, the first full-strength spirit from the iconic Molson Coors Beverage Company, announces the release of its limited Batch 002 blend. Bottled at 95 proof, the new expression is sold for an SRP of $59.99 and is currently available in markets within Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Nevada, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Supporting the evolution of Molson Coors as a beverage company, Five Trail debuted in September 2021 with Batch 001 – an intentional blend of 4-Year Colorado single malt, 4-Year Kentucky four grain bourbon, 4-Year Indiana wheated bourbon and 13-Year Kentucky bourbon, cut to proof with pure Rocky Mountain Water. It was bottled in partnership with Bardstown Bourbon Company and received numerous accolades and awards, including Double Gold at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Platinum Best of Class in the SIP Awards and Double Platinum in the 2022 Ascot Awards.

The Batch 002 blend is also bottled in partnership with Bardstown Bourbon Company but replaces the 4-Year Colorado single malt with 6-Year and the 13-Year Kentucky bourbon with 12-Year. The result is a golden amber whiskey with an aroma of sweet caramel, pecans, and biscuit with hints of wood sugar, caramel, apple, white cherry, smoke, ginger, and allspice on the palate. The finish is easy going and lingering with notes of oak, ginger, and nutty balance.

“The response to Five Trail has been overwhelming,” said David Coors, Vice President of Next Generation Beverages at Molson Coors. “Our team really loved the flavor profile we came up with for the inaugural release and wanted to keep Batch 002 in this same vein. Batch 002 is an homage to our debut expression, but with a few nuances stemming from the thoughtfully selected mixture of age statements, creating a complex and layered flavor profile. I hope whiskey drinkers and spirits enthusiasts will enjoy this release as much as the first, if not more so.”

Along with Batch 002, Five Trail also launched the below expressions, available in limited quantities within the brand’s eight distribution markets:

Barrel Proof: Barrel Proof takes the Batch 002 blend and bottles it at 119 proof. A whiff unlocks aromas of cinnamon brioche, milk chocolate, ginger, caramel apple, and vanilla pudding. A sip features notes of caramel, marshmallow, and candied dates, with ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper on the end, finishing with caramel, ginger, oak tannin, and campfire smoke.

Cask Finish Series: Bottled at 95 proof, it’s crafted from a blend of 4-Year Indiana wheated bourbon, 4-Year Kentucky four grain bourbon, 4-Year Colorado single malt and 7-year Indiana rye. The whiskeys are rested in Imperial Porter Barrels from the AC Golden Brewing Company in Golden, Colorado and cut to proof with Rocky Mountain Water. It features notes of biscuit, roasted nuts, and caramel on the nose with hints of toffee, vanilla pudding, apple, candied date, almond, oak, black tea, and cinnamon crumb cake on the palate. Expect a finish of nuts, delicate ginger, and cinnamon.

Small Batch Blend: The Small Batch is blended from a base of 4-Year Indiana wheated bourbon, 4-Year Kentucky four grain bourbon, and 8-Year Colorado single malt whiskey with 17-Year Tennessee whiskey. Honey amber in color, there are notes of warm baked bread, slight citrus, ginger, white pepper, and cardamom on the nose with honeyed granola, creamy vanilla, orange marmalade, oak, and honeysuckle with a bit of paprika on the palate. The finish is warm and powerful ginger and oak melded with embers of smoky overlay. It’s bottled at 95 proof.

“We’re thrilled to continue Five Trail’s journey with these new expressions,” said Kim Fox, Marketing Manager – Wine & Spirits. “Whether you’re a whiskey novice looking for a flavorful bottle or a whiskey connoisseur looking to expand your cask strength collection, we truly have something to satisfy everyone. We’re excited to keep experimenting and expanding our footprint in whiskey and beyond.”

About Five Trail Blended American Whiskey

Five Trail marries Colorado provenance with the innovative distillation techniques of pioneering distillers in Kentucky and Indiana to produce this golden amber whiskey, using Coors malt from their brewhouse and the purest water in America, straight from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Five Trail is founded in an Unbroken Spirit, spanning a journey that started 150 years ago, with trials, tribulations and an enduring frontier spirit. Five Trail is forged on the expertise, knowledge, and innovative frontier spirit of five generations of the Coors legacy. 

For More Information:

https://www.fivetrail.com 

About David Coors, Vice President, Next Generation Beverages

A fifth generation of the Coors family, brewing and beverages are part of David Coors’ blood. He began his career at MillerCoors serving as the Area Sales Manager, before working his way up to Associate Innovations Brand Manager. From there, he joined the Molson Coors brand, holding positions as the country Development Manager, General Manager Australasia and Global Senior Director Craft and Retail. In 2018, he was named President of AC Golden Brewing Company before heading up the Next Generation Beverages Division as the Vice President. Under his leadership, the company launched its first full-strength spirit, Five Trail Blended American Whiskey. 

In addition to his brewing accolades, Mr. Coors serves on a number of community and civic boards, including The Yuengling Company LLC, the board of Truss CBD USA LLC, Mario St. George Boiardi Foundation, Committee Members for the Young Guns Coors Western Art Exhibit, and Visit Denver. Mr. Coors holds a Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Engineering Management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Additionally, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University College of Engineering.

Online & In the News:

• Five Trail Whiskey 
• Molson Coors Will Release Its Second Five Trail Whiskey - Thrillist
• Coors' Five Trail Whiskey Expands to Canada, Panama
• Introducing Molson Coors’ Five Trail Batch 002 | Brewbound