Cathead Distillery Honors Captain Luke in Its Old Soul Bourbon Series

By Chuck Reece

For 11 years, the co-founders of Jackson, Mississippi’s Cathead Distillery have focused their efforts on two things: making well-crafted potent potables and providing philanthropic support to live music and artisans.

But the two have never been as closely linked as they are now, as Cathead releases a special batch of its Old Soul bourbon series bearing the image of longtime Music Maker partner artist Captain Luke on its bottle.

The photograph on the bottle is a reproduction of a tintype made by Music Maker co-founder Tim Duffy.

“We’re super excited about not only this bottle, but all potential releases in the Tintype series,” says Cathead co-founder Richard Patrick. “It’s a culmination of our work within the community, live music and distilling in one bottle. It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for years.”

Duffy has seen Cathead’s dedication to preserving Mississippi blues culture throughout the business’ lifetime.

“Cathead really demonstrates its social consciousness by giving back to the blues musicians who keep the music alive, and they’ve done that since they began.” he says. “And by supporting Music Maker, Cathead helps us tend the roots of American music, not only from their home state of Mississippi but across the South. Captain Luke was my best friend, and I know without a doubt that he would be pleased to have his photo on a bottle of bourbon of such high quality.”

Bourbon aficionados will appreciate the Captain Luke run. Cathead says the bourbon is “uncut and unfiltered just like the blues artist it honors.” The proof is 119.2, and drinkers can expect to taste notes of leather, rye, caramel and vanilla. Only 6,600 bottles were produced, and it will soon begin appearing in liquor stores around the South, carrying a price tag of $100 a bottle.

“We feel like we would be doing Luke an injustice if we didn’t make it uncut and unfiltered,” Patrick says.