It’s been ten years since Kenny Chesney launched his Blue Chair Bay® Rum and as the anniversary drew close, he wanted to do something special to commemorate it.
“Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess,” he says. “But to celebrate a decade of Blue Chair Bay® Rum, I wanted to do something really awesome to mark the work of so many great people.”
His team began scouring the world to find a special rum to help him do it.
“And as all good pirates know: search and you will find! We unearthed 20 barrels of rum from the U.S. Virgin Islands that’s been barrel-aged for an almost unheard of 16 years.”
They bottled it up for a special anniversary edition. A limited edition of 6,600 bottles hits stores in September, with 1800 bottles set aside for a special pre-sale online event today, beginning at 12pm CT at BlueChairBayRum.com. Bottles cost is $59.99 each.
There’s a little bit of a mystery as to how and where those 20 barrels of 16-year-old rum were found. For now, Chesney’s not sharing any more details.
“I could, but I won’t,” he says. “We have some very dedicated ‘spirit seekers’ who went above and beyond to locate these barrels. I don’t want anyone knowing anything about what we did because I might want to do this again. Plus, it’s a bit like being a pirate, sending your team out to find the buried treasure.”
Chesney is well-known for his love of the islands and his decision to launch a signature rum came to him after a day on the water with a group of friends.
“The ocean had been so blue, and we’d just spent time laughing and telling stories, jumping off the boat and not worrying about much of anything,” he recalls. “As the sun was setting, I said, ‘If we could only bottle this up…’”
Creating his own brand of rum seemed the perfect way to do it.
“The thing about rum: it’s meant to drink slowly, to enjoy the day and relax. That’s what I love about rum – it slows you down and puts you in a happy place.”
In the ten years since, his Blue Chair Bay® Rum has won multiple industry awards and established itself as one of the most successful independent spirits launched this century. With 11 different flavors, more than 200,000 cases are sold annually.
Chesney was one of the first country artists to launch a branded “spirit.” In recent years others have followed with their brands of whiskey or tequila. But Chesney, remains as intimately involved in the production process of his rum, as he was in the beginning.
“What most people don’t realize is that when you see an artist with a liquor deal, it’s more branding and licensing. They’re doing it with a major liquor company or established distillery. We created Blue Chair Bay from the ground up. I own it. I work with an incredible team we hired. I designed the bottles and helped create and define our palette.”
He’s also part of a collective group that helps create new flavors.
“When it comes time to look at new flavors, we’re very much listening to No Shoes Nation, along with several bartender friends who use our spirits in their cocktails because people who really know this business can sense the trends.”
The limited anniversary release comes as Chesney just wrapped up a busy summer with his “I Go Back 2023 Tour.” After a series of arena tours, it allowed the star to return to some of the smaller venues he’d played along the way. For Chesney, who loves playing the stadiums and the rush of coming together with 60,000 of his No Shoes Nation fans all at once, playing these more intimate shows was special, too.
“Because the energy isn’t so intense, we’re able to do some songs we don’t on the stadium shows. We can pull a song out we’ve not played in a long time. We can have a guest come out and just pivot.”
As he eases into the rest of the year, Chesney will spend the months ahead focused on songwriting.
“What’s next for me, literally, is hanging out with a dozen or so songwriting buddies, laughing about life, telling each other stories, and lying about how big the fish was. It sounds like I’m kidding, but I’m not. Getting outside your day-to-day with songwriters, who are the most creative people, can really stir up the part of you that wants to do something different.”
He’s also been in the studio working on a couple of different albums.
“I’m not sure which one will win, but whichever one does, it’ll be something that continues my ongoing conversation – and celebration – with No Shoes Nation.”
And so far, no announcements about plans for next year.
“We’re not ready to make any announcements about 2024. But people kind know. You know they do, and I do, too. That’s part of what makes doing this the most awesome way to live your life: songs, music, friends, crazy ideas, a whole lot of love, and even more laughter. And the best part is standing on stage, seeing those faces every night.”
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