Elijah Craig Launches Campaign from Method1 To Celebrate Official Bourbon of the Ryder Cup

Elijah Craig Bourbon is debuting its first ever broadcast television advertising campaign at the biennial Ryder Cup golf competition taking place this year in Rome, where it has been named the Official Bourbon. The :30 second ad, created by long-time agency partner Method1, will run numerous times during the match. 

The new spot features the brand’s tagline, “That’s the Greatness Within” and features a facsimile recreation of the “signature” of Elijah Craig to highlight his paternity as “the father of bourbon.” The spot depicts people appreciating Elijah Craig in different settings, such as a cocktail lounge or on the “19th hole” of a golf course, and in a whiskey rickhouse. 

In addition to the media, Elijah Craig and Method1 will generate buzz at the event by premiering two “signature cocktails.” The new mixes, a “Roma Old Fashioned” and the “Marco Simone Sour,” the latter named in honour of the host golf club, will be revealed on Ryder Cup digital and social channels and made available for purchase to attendees of the event. Elijah Craig also released a limited-edition Ryder Cup Toasted Barrel bottle with a special finish in European oak barrels to commemorate the competition occuring in Italy this year.

Max Stefka, group product director for Heaven Hill Brands said, “We're looking forward to an incredible Ryder Cup and a great partnership for years to come. This partnership is part of Elijah Craig’s ongoing investment in golf, the PGA of America, numerous tournaments throughout the next few years, as well as our support of brand ambassadors: PGA TOUR® Pro Golfer Max Homa and sports broadcaster Amanda Balionis Renner.”   

Elijah Craig is also the Official Bourbon of the PGA of America, PGA Championship, and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship; and an official partner of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am. It will also be the “Official Bourbon” of the 2025 Ryder Cup which will be held at New York’s Bethpage Black Golf Course. 

“The campaign appeals to Elijah Craig’s ‘striver’ audience,” said Method1 creative director David Muldoon. “These are women and men who are forever in pursuit of greatness, whether in their careers, personal lives or celebrating milestones with friends. In the spot, we go into the values the brand shares with those who drink Elijah Craig Bourbon. Great things come to those who create, innovate, and celebrate.”

The spot will air on NBC, the Golf Channel and USA Network during coverage of the Ryder Cup, which will be played from September 29-October 1. It will be supported by a digital messaging campaign in Golf Digest, and on-the-ground social coverage from Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

Elijah Craig, produced under Heaven Hill Distillery, is one of the fastest-growing premium Bourbon brands in the US. The relationship between Heaven Hill and XenoPsi Ventures, which launched Method1 in 2022, dates to 2009. In addition to Elijah Craig, Method1 also works on other Heaven Hill Distillery brands, such as Evan Williams Bourbon, Larceny Bourbon, Rittenhouse Rye, and Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond. Method1 also works across the broader Heaven Hill Brands portfolio with Lunazul Tequila, and Black Velvet Canadian Whisky.