Blue Note named official bourbon of Major League Pickleball
Blue Note Bourbon is distilled by B.R. Distilling. (Memphis Tourism/file)
Memphis-made Blue Note Bourbon has been named the first official bourbon of Major League Pickleball.
It’s the first major sponsorship for Blue Note’s maker, B.R. Distilling Co., based in North Memphis’ New Chicago neighborhood.
“Like MLP and the sport of pickleball, Blue Note is experiencing unprecedented interest and growth,” said Logan Welk, B.R. Distilling Co.’s president and CEO. “The sport aligns perfectly with the Blue Note drinker, and we look forward to introducing our award-winning bourbons to the players and fans alike.”
Last year, B.R. Distilling experienced 25% growth in sales volume.
In July, the company added a tasting room to its production facility at 802 Royal Ave. And in October, it announced a partnership with Bardstown Bourbon Co. to expand its production and market, including an additional 70,000 square feet of space and more than a dozen new jobs.
Meanwhile, pickleball, a sport that combines aspects of tennis, ping pong and badminton, is the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. Major League Pickleball is a professional coed league with nearly 100 players across 22 teams.
B.R. Distilling’s multi-year deal with Major League Pickleball will shine a spotlight on its whiskey portfolio during nine events across the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
The brand will have a presence in the VIP hospitality and sponsor village areas at events this year in Atlanta, Miami and Dallas, where guests will be able to sample a variety of signature cocktails.
The partnership also affords Blue Note brand logo, signage, advertisements and public address announcements and a presence on MLP’s website and social media channels.
Founded in 2014, B.R. Distilling is the oldest licensed distillery in Memphis. It distributes its award-winning bourbon and rye whiskey in 17 states.
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pickleball B.R. Distilling Blue Note BourbonAisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki covers health care, banking and finance, technology and professions. After launching her career in news two decades ago, she worked in public relations for almost a decade before returning to journalism in 2022.
As a health care reporter, she’s collaborated with The Carter Center, earned awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists and won a 2024 Tennessee Press Association first-place prize for her series on discrepancies in Shelby County life expectancy by ZIP code.
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