Interview with E. Peter Rutledge, October 22, 2013

Interview Summary

Peter Rutledge was responsible for marketing for the Brown-Forman Corporation. In this interview he discusses the overseas market for Brown-Forman products, specifically bourbon, and how the corporation began selling their products outside of the U.S. market. He discusses the changes the company made to their advertising strategies to sell in foreign markets and which countries were the most difficult to sell in. He talks about working at Brown-Forman and with the Brown family and discusses the trend in the bourbon industry of working for one company until retirement. He talks about various Brown-Forman brands including Old Forester, Early Times, and Woodford Reserve and discusses the beginnings of the Woodford Reserve Distillery. He talks about the culture of the bourbon industry and the effects of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail on the industry.

Interview Keyword

bourbon Bourbon Industry Branding (Marketing) Brown-Forman Corporation Business enterprises, Foreign. Distilleries--Kentucky Export marketing. Kentucky (bourbon) Marketing Sales promotion. Whiskey industry whisky whiskey

Interview LC Subject

Bourbon whiskey

Interview Rights

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Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.