Seagram purchased the Frankfort Distilling Co. primarily to acquire the most noted and recognized name in the business – Four Roses. Even though Four Roses was one of the top-selling Bourbons in the U.S. during the 30s, 40s, and 50s, Seagram decided to discontinue the sale of Four Roses’ Kentucky Straight Bourbon in the United States. Four Roses was moved to the rapidly growing European and Asian markets, where it quickly became, and still is, a top-selling Bourbon in both Europe and Japan.
A young man named Jim Rutledge, who would later become one of the world’s most legendary Master Distillers, joined Seagram in the Louisville Plant’s Research and Development Department. In 1975, he was transferred to Corporate Headquarters in New York until 1992, when Jim asked to return home to Kentucky to help with the Four Roses brand. In 1995, he replaced Ova Haney as the Master Distiller. For the next several years, Jim worked tirelessly to return the Four Roses brand back to the States – a dream that would become a reality in the hands of a new owner.