Super Bowl ads are usually reserved for mega-beer brands and mass-market spirits with more marketing muscle than soul. So when a Kentucky-rooted whiskey brand earns a pre-kickoff Super Bowl slot, it’s worth paying attention, especially when that whiskey is Traveller, the Chris Stapleton collaboration crafted with Buffalo Trace.
This isn’t a celebrity slapping a label on a bottle and calling it a day. Traveller Whiskey has quietly done the work, and now it’s stepping onto the biggest stage in American culture.
Sazerac’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial doesn’t chase flash or gimmicks. Instead, it leans into something whiskey drinkers actually respect: process, patience, and people. The ad pairs Stapleton with Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley, drawing a clear line between the discipline of music and the craft of whiskey making. That parallel feels earned because both worlds demand time, restraint, and a willingness to let the work speak for itself.
The spot builds toward Stapleton’s 2024 Super Bowl National Anthem performance, a moment that now feels symbolic. Stapleton isn’t just performing at the Super Bowl, now his whiskey is too.
And here’s the part that matters most to bourbon fans: Traveller isn’t getting this spotlight because of hype alone. The whiskey has already proven itself, taking Best in Class Gold at the 2024 Whiskies of the World Awards. That kind of recognition doesn’t come from clever marketing; it comes from what’s in the glass.
Stapleton himself is riding a rare high, fresh off his 12th Grammy win for “Bad as I Used to Be.” But the real story here isn’t celebrity momentum, it’s that Traveller Whiskey is about to expand its lineup, with a major line extension expected later this month. That signals confidence, long-term vision, and a belief that this brand belongs in the serious whiskey conversation.
The Super Bowl ad isn’t the arrival of Traveller Whiskey. It’s the confirmation.
In a category crowded with loud labels and empty promises, Traveller is playing a longer game, one rooted in Kentucky tradition, Buffalo Trace credibility, and a musician who understands that the best things, whether songs or spirits, don’t need to be rushed.
And that’s a flight we’re more than willing to take.
