Special, Limited-Release Blackheart Playboy Edition Coming Fall 2015

FOR RELEASE: For Immediate Release

Bardstown, KY— This Fall, Blackheart Premium Spiced Rum, a bold, smooth, 93-proof spiced rum is teaming up with Playboy Enterprises Inc. to offer a special, limited-edition bottling that features unique packaging showcasing the sultry Blackheart character reimagined as a Playboy Playmate in bunny Costume.

Blackheart Playboy Edition, offered through fall 2015 only, capitalizes on the dynamic partnership between the iconic Playboy and ever-growing Blackheart brands. With its “Seduction in a Bottle” tagline and label art featuring a sexy, pirate pin-up girl, Blackheart embodies a hip, bold lifestyle that fuses perfectly with the playful and provocative appeal of Playboy. The new Blackheart Playboy Edition will be a bold, 93-proof spiced rum that is “smooth to the tail end.”

Blackheart Playboy Edition will be supported with advertising and promotion through Playboy’s leading platforms, including a full-page insertion in Playboy magazine, digital appearances on Playboy.com and Playboy social media, and key event activations such as a Halloween party at Playboy’s newest hotspot, Bar Fifty Three on the infamous Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, CA. Moreover, a series of Playboy.com videos will be shot featuring 2015 Playmate of the Year Dani Mathers, to be released throughout the month of October. The limited release bottle will also be supported in stores with a Blackheart Playboy Bunny display, bottle neck hanger and other materials.

Blackheart Rum has been an advertising partner with Playboy’s various platforms, including the magazine and Playboy.com for more than two years.

“This is a unique twist on a great product that will play well with the core fans of both Playboy and Blackheart,” said Hannah Venhoff, Blackheart Brand Manager. “We are excited by the opportunity to expand our partnership with Playboy and enhance our marketing efforts in a way that benefits both brands.”

“Playboy is excited to join forces with Blackheart, a best-in-class spirits partner, for the limited release of Blackheart Playboy Edition. The specially curated rum epitomizes an edgy, bold lifestyle which is aligned with the Playboy brand heritage, and is designed to appeal to both current and new generations of rum drinkers,” said Matt Nordby, Playboy Enterprises’ President of Global Licensing.

Blackheart is a growing player in the Spiced Rum category with double-digit sales growth since it was released by Heaven Hill Brands in 2010. Available nationally, Blackheart is available in 1.75L, 1L, 750ml, 375ml and 50ml sizes. In 2014, for the second straight year, Blackheart was named a “Rising Star” by The Beverage Information Group. Rum is the second-largest spirits category and is projected to increase to 28 million cases in sales this year, according to The Beverage Information Group.

Blackheart brand support consists of a comprehensive marketing plan, including on- and off-premise point-of-sale materials, website and social media activities, print and digital advertising and a national sports sponsorship.

About Heaven Hill Brands:
Founded in 1935, Bardstown, KY-based Heaven Hill Brands (www.heavenhill.com) is the nation’s largest independent, family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer and the world’s second-largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon. Heaven Hill’s diversified portfolio of brands includes Evan Williams Bourbon; Larceny, Elijah Craig and Henry McKenna Bourbons, Burnett’s Vodkas and Gin; Admiral Nelson’s and Blackheart Rums; HPNOTIQ Liqueur; The Christian Brothers Brandies; PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur; Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur; Lunazul Tequila; Cinerator Hot Cinnamon Flavored Whiskey and Rittenhouse Rye Whisky.

About Playboy Enterprises, Inc.:
Playboy is one of the most recognized and popular consumer brands in the world. Playboy Enterprises, Inc. is a media and lifestyle company that markets the brand through a wide range of media properties and licensing initiatives. The company publishes Playboy magazine in the United States and licenses foreign editions of Playboy around the world; operates Playboy.com, a leading men’s lifestyle and entertainment site; and creates content for distribution via television networks, websites, mobile platforms and radio. Through licensing agreements, the Playboy brand appears on a wide range of consumer products in more than 180 countries, as well as retail stores and entertainment venues. For more information about Playboy Enterprises, please visit www.PlayboyEnterprises.com.

-30-

CONTACT:
For Heaven Hill Brands –
Josh Hafer | (502) 413-0219 | [email protected] | www.heavenhill.com

For Playboy Enterprises –
John Vlautin | [email protected] | www.PlayboyEnterprises.com
Nancy Zakhary | [email protected]