The Nip - Straight up for Cougar

Long-time beer drinker Ross Lewis casts his eye over drinks from here and abroad.

Catch up with other drinks on The Sip Archive

Somewhere along the line Australia claims Cougar Bourbon as one of its own.

Sure, the bourbon is made in Indiana and exclusively shipped here to an overseas-controlled CUB.

But Australia is the only place that sells the whiskey with the green label so there is a fondness for the drop.

So it is with some pride that the country has celebrated a recent honour for the bourbon.

According the Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible, the arbiter of good drinks of the distilled kind, Cougar is a more preferred beverage than Jack Daniel’s or Jim Beam.

Murray’s guide rated Cougar at 95 points, above the Beam at 93.5 points and the Jacks at 92 points.

So the brand has rejoiced in the mark by launching its first marketing campaign in five years.

Cougar also has a new, hip flask-style, bottle that has already hit the shelves. It fits in with the rule that Cougar is aged in charred oak barrels for at least five years.

That’s good news because Australia is the No.2 world market for bourbon with the highest per capita consumption.

The makers of Cougar are trying to convince consumers to go “Straight Up” with the company’s new marketing series.

But CUB will continue to produce its Cougar Bourbon and Cola or Dry plus its Cougar XS and Cola ready to drink items.