Central Waters Launches Canned Bourbon Cocktails in Wisconsin

Great Blue brings real barrel-aged bourbon to a 5% ready-to-drink can

AMHERST, Wis. — June 24, 2026 — Central Waters Brewing and Distilling has released Great Blue Bourbon Whiskey Cocktails, a line of ready-to-drink canned cocktails now available statewide in two flavors, Tart Cherry and Blueberry. Built on a barrel-aged bourbon base, each 12-ounce can is 5% ABV, 97 calories, and made with no added sugar. Statewide rollout to retail and on-premise accounts began last week.

Great Blue is a bourbon highball in a can: bourbon, soda water, bitters, and natural flavors. The bitters come from a collaboration with Bittercube of Milwaukee, whose blends add subtle spice and round out the fruit. Each can carries zero sugar, zero carbs, and is gluten-free, positioning the line for drinkers who want a lighter option that still tastes like aged spirit rather than a neutral base.

The launch follows Central Waters’ first bourbon release last November, the company’s entry into spirits. A bottle of proof bourbon suits a limited set of occasions, and the canned format at 5% ABV opens the product to many more, from a cooler at a tailgate to a day camping, fishing, or at the beach. Most ready-to-drink cocktails on the market are vodka-based, which carries little flavor or aroma of its own. Great Blue instead leads with notes drawn from grain and years in oak.

“We’re bringing real character to the better-for-you canned cocktail category,” said Anello Mollica, Owner of Central Waters Brewing and Distilling. “Great Blue proves you don’t have to sacrifice flavor for fewer than 100 calories or zero sugar and carbs. By building our cocktails on a bourbon base instead of a neutral spirit, we’re delivering a more authentic, full-flavored drinking experience.”

Great Blue sells in four-packs at a suggested $11 and is produced for year-round availability. Distribution covers the Milwaukee, Madison, Fox Valley, central Wisconsin, and northern Wisconsin markets, with statewide reach as the goal. Both flavors are also available at the company’s taprooms in Amherst and Milwaukee.

The canned cocktails share the 12-ounce format Central Waters already uses for its beers and hard seltzers, offering current customers a path toward the brewery’s full spirits lineup, which includes an eight-year-old bourbon and a 10-year-old rye, with a Wisconsin botanical gin planned.

About Central Waters Brewing and Distilling

Founded in 1998 in Junction City, Wisconsin, Central Waters is a craft brewery known for one of the largest barrel-aging programs in the country, alongside IPAs and other classic styles. The company operates a second brewery in Milwaukee, where it took first place at the 2025 Wisconsin IPA Fest.

Media Contact
Jordan Steffen
jordan@centralwaters.com
Central Waters Brewing and Distilling
Learn more: centralwaters.com/great-blue