Great Jones has released a new bourbon inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat

Great Jones Distilling Co.

Nearly a year ago, Manhattan’s Great Jones Distilling Co. released a trio of bourbons in bottles designed to commemorate the late, great New York artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. It’s now been announced that the collaboration will continue in the form of a new bottle called the Empire Edition, as well as apparel, all featuring Basquiat’s iconic crown design.

Great Jones was the first whiskey distillery to set up shop in Manhattan since Prohibition, opening in 2021, and is currently the only one operating in the borough (Brooklyn, on the other hand, has several notable ones, including Kings County Distillery). While the whiskey is distilled on a small scale at Great Jones, what you’ll find in bottles today is made in upstate New York at Black Dirt Distillery (both owned by Proximo Spirits, the company behind Jose Cuervo and other major 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 New York skyline. “Continuing our partnership with Jean-Michel Basquiat, we are proud to pair Great Jones Whiskey with a New York icon whose art represents the vibrant culture of downtown New York,” Lander Otegui, senior vice president of marketing at Proximo Spirits, said in a statement. “With this special edition bottle release, we honor Basquiat’s legacy on Great Jones Street while setting a new standard for craft distilling in Manhattan by using 100% New York ingredients to craft our award-winning whiskeys.” » Official tasting notes describe dry corn, cake batter, vanilla and white pepper on the nose, followed by green grass and white pepper on the palate.

Great Jones has partnered with fashion label Rome Pays Off to create a collection of apparel and merchandise also inspired by “Mecca,” including a bucket hat, T-shirt, and sweatshirt. You can visit the distillery this summer to pick up a bottle of Great Jones x Jean-Michel Basquiat: Empire Edition bourbon (RRP $40), and you can also sip on some of the new release’s accompanying cocktails, created by Great Jones’ head mixologist Collin Frazier, at the distillery’s bar. The whiskey and apparel collection is available to purchase on Great Jones’ website now, and the core line can be found on sites like ReserveBar.