2 days Ago By Jonah Flicker
Nearly a year ago, Great Jones Distilling Co. in Manhattan released a trio of bourbons in bottles that were designed to commemorate the late, great New York artist Jean-Michel Basquiat . It was just announced that the collaboration will continue in the form of a new bottle called Empire Edition, along with some apparel, all featuring Basquiat’s trademark crown drawing.
Great Jones was the first whiskey distillery to call Manhattan home since Prohibition when it opened in 2021, and is currently the only one in operation in the borough (Brooklyn, on the other hand, has several of note including Kings County Distillery ). While whiskey is being distilled on a small scale at Great Jones, what you currently find in the bottles is made in upstate New York at Black Dirt Distillery (both are owned by Proximo Spirits, the company behind Jose Cuervo and other big tequila brands). Great Jones’ flagship bourbon —a four-year-old whiskey made from New York-grown corn, malted barley, and rye and bottled at 86 proof—is the whiskey you’ll find in the new Great Jones x Jean-Michel Basquiat : Empire Edition bottle.
The new label features Basquiat’s “Mecca” painting, a work he created in 1982 as an interpretation of the NYC skyline. “In continuing our partnership with Jean-Michel Basquiat, we are proud to align Great Jones Whiskey with a New York icon whose art represents the vibrant culture of downtown New York,” said Lander Otegui, senior VP of marketing at Proximo Spirits,.
