Duncan added: “We’ve been thrilled by the reception. It’s not only the coverage that we’re pleased with – it’s also the sentiment. … We were seeing stories of people bringing Traveller bottles to the pre-race events to be signed by Justin Allgaier or parts of (JRM’s) merchandise being sold out on the spot that weekend […]
Duncan added: “We’ve been thrilled by the reception. It’s not only the coverage that we’re pleased with – it’s also the sentiment. … We were seeing stories of people bringing Traveller bottles to the pre-race events to be signed by Justin Allgaier or parts of (JRM’s) merchandise being sold out on the spot that weekend due to the fan excitement ….” But the brand was facing high comparisons back to its launch last year. Sazerac cautioned to SBJ that this was “not indicative of brand performance” because Nielsen only captures 30-40% of total market sales data, and only sales in the U.S. But he did say, “I think we’re looking at options. We’ve seen enough positive fan response from NASCAR to tell us that the NASCAR fan likes what Traveller Whiskey stands for and what we brought to the Daytona 500. As far as the actual how, like many of these things, it’s not a one-way decision; both sides have to be motivated to want to do well for the brand and we’ll find the right fit.”Sazerac is positioning Traveller as “the whiskey of America’s pastimes, simply put,” according to Duncan. The company has done ad buys during NFL and MLB games, and it activates around Stapleton’s tours and other concerts. Duncan wouldn’t disclose what Traveller’s next move in NASCAR will be, including whether with JR Motorsports or even possibly NASCAR Holdings itself. Traveller Whiskey wants to continue advertising to NASCAR’s fan base after the Daytona 500 and is in discussions about how to do so, after what it deemed to be a successful first foray into the sport. Traveller is part of the Kentucky-based Buffalo Trace Distillery, which is owned by the Sazerac holding company, and in February it helped fund the first Cup Series race for JR Motorsports, the team that Dale Earnhardt Jr. founded in 2002. Sazarec produced retail point-of-sale displays around the program that went out nationally. On top of sales, the company judged ROI by the number of in-store activations, how many media impressions it received, and the sentiment of those impressions. Among Sazerac’s sales team spread across the country, the point of sale displays found the most takers in Florida. According to JRM, the merchandise sales around the Traveller program were so successful that Allgaier is still the No. 1 Cup Series driver so far this year in that category on NASCAR.com despite the 500 being the only race he competed in at that level. Traveller’s diecast model car sales with NASCAR’s licensee in that category, Lionel, are projected to be in the Top 5 for this year, and E2 Apparel, a company that works with JRM, now counts the Traveller shirt it made as the No. 1 selling T-shirt it has produced since 2019.Traveller launched in January of last year, and Sazerac cited Nielsen data as showing the brand had more than M in off-premise sales in 2024 and established itself as the No. 1 item across the alcohol beverage category. Nielsen IQ data provided to SBJ by Bump Williams Consulting showed that Traveller’s sales were down 40% over the first eight weeks of 2025, while Florida was down 62% in off-premise and liquor channels combined. With usual Xfinity Series driver Justin Allgaier at the wheel, JRM’s No. 40 Chevrolet sponsored by Traveller finished 9th in the Great American Race, with the No. 40 on the race car used to match the Blend No. 40 of Traveller Whiskey that is sold in bottles. While not disclosing exact sales, Andrew Duncan, global brand director of American whiskey for Sazerac, said the return on investment from the NASCAR deal exceeded its expectations. The pact involved country music singer Chris Stapleton, who partnered with Buffalo Trace to launch Traveller in 2024 and set up the Daytona 500 opportunity with Earnhardt.
