Palm Bay International](https://palmbay.com) is taking Jacob's Pardon beyond its collector-focused Heritage Collection with the brand's first-ever bourbon — a four-grain, 90-proof expression now available nationally at a suggested retail price of $59.99. The move marks a meaningful strategic shift for the supplier, expanding route-to-market from limited SKU releases into a broadly distributed premium bourbon play.
The expression is a multi-distillery blend sourcing liquid from Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana — a supply-chain architecture increasingly common among premium American whiskey brands seeking to optimize flavor consistency and secure source distillate across production regions. Master Blender F. Paul Pacult managed the blend development in collaboration with the Taub family, owners of Palm Bay International and founders of the Jacob's Pardon whiskey house.
The Liquid & Positioning
The mash bill draws on four grains: corn as the base, with rye, wheat, and malted barley contributing spice, softness, and depth respectively. At 90 proof and $59.99 SRP, the bourbon lands squarely in the premium segment — above the $40–$50 everyday whiskey tier but below the super-premium ceiling where supply constraints and allocations increasingly frustrate retailers and wholesalers. That price point gives spirits distributors sufficient margin architecture to support both on-premise menu placements and off-premise shelf sets without aggressive promotional dependency.
"Blending takes patience," said Pacult. "The four-grain approach gives us the ability to build complexity while simultaneously keeping the profile balanced, concentrated, and consistent. Blending isn't about creating novelty. It's about making a bourbon that people want to come back to."
The tasting profile — cherry, honey, and orange on the nose, transitioning to caramel, vanilla, and spice, with a clean finish — is deliberately engineered for dual utility: sipping neat and cocktail applications. That versatility is a meaningful on-premise selling point for bar program buyers managing shrinking back-bar real estate.
From Heritage to National Distribution
The Heritage Collection, which launched with Small Batch #1 in 2019, built the brand's credibility among collectors and American whiskey enthusiasts — a strong foundation but a limited commercial footprint. The new bourbon SKU is designed to push volume through Palm Bay's existing wholesaler network across all 50 states, converting brand awareness into meaningful depletion velocity at retail.
Marc D. Taub, president and CEO of Palm Bay International, framed the launch as a deliberate evolution: "The Heritage Collection established the foundation for the brand among enthusiasts. With our first bourbon, we're bringing that same commitment of exceptional quality and delivering a bourbon that bourbon lovers will thoroughly enjoy."
As a family-owned supplier with a portfolio spanning domestic and imported wines and spirits, Palm Bay has the distributor relationships and three-tier infrastructure to execute a national rollout. The challenge — familiar to any premium whiskey brand expanding from allocated to open distribution — will be managing depletion rates against blended stock supply, particularly given the multi-state sourcing model.
The brand's Prohibition-era backstory (brothers Jacob and Abner Taub were arrested for bootlegging in 1929 and received presidential pardons from FDR in 1935) gives retail sales teams and on-premise brand ambassadors a differentiated narrative in a category where heritage claims are crowded. For more on premium spirits trends shaping distributor portfolios, see our recent category coverage.
The brand has also released a signature serve — Jacob's Revival, a shaken cocktail built on two ounces of the bourbon with lemon juice, crème de cassis, and simple syrup — to support on-premise activation and menu integration. For context on how American whiskey brands are approaching on-premise strategy, see related coverage from Food & Beverage Magazine.
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.
