Tuesday, June 13, 2023

J. W. Dant Whiskey Ad – June 11, 1963

Many whiskey ads that appeared in the Journal over the years have been featured on this blog. It's fascinating seeing how each brand was marketed: stressing its Canadian heritage (Corby's); claiming it's the best-tasting (Schenley); emphasizing its age (Old Quaker); positioning it as an economical choice (Golden Wedding); employing cute animals in its ads (PM Blended Whiskey); or using a rugged, North Woods theme (Old Log Cabin).

And here's yet another whiskey brand with a whole new marketing angle: J. W. Dant. The ad below appeared in the Journal on June 11, 1963.

While you might assume that ol' J. W. himself is the guy in the ad (who looks kind of like "Curly Joe" DeRita of the Three Stooges), it's not. The gentleman providing the testimonial is Newt Kook, President of the company.

With a name like Kook, could he actually be a real person? Or just a kooky advertising gimmick?

It turns out he was a real person. According to the bourbon history website bourbonveach.com, Kook was the plant manager of the distillery at the time that Schenley bought both the brand (and its operations) in 1952. "Schenley sent him around the country to sell J. W. Dant Bourbon," the website notes. "It worked and the brand grew under Schenley."

It looks like Curley Joe Kook became the friendly face of the brand, for a while, at least. Here's a magazine ad from 1955.

And here's one from 1966.

Today, the Journal doesn't run whiskey ads. (It doesn't run any national or regional ads at all, for that matter.) But today's whiskey drinker isn't going to be influenced by a print ad anyway.

Any least J. W. Dant Whiskey is still around, produced by Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky.
That old kook, Newt, would be proud.



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3 comments:

  1. Don HiltonJune 13, 2023 at 10:04 AM

    Whiskey! Something we can all agree on...

    I've consumed a boatload of brown liquor, but I can't say I remember any J.W. Dant. Then again, alcohol doesn't just kill the dumb braincells, y'know.

    Is there any indication how to pronounce his last name?
    Was it Kook like "newt" or Kook like "cook?"

    I knew a "Newt" growing up. Was a Newton, actually. His family had too much money for him to be teased properly about it. Died a few years back. Bad ticker, I think.

    But every time I hear the name, I can't help but think of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. As in "She turned me into a..."

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  2. Harrison BaumbaughJune 13, 2023 at 11:01 AM

    Mr Kook looks like W.C.Fields.Who was probably a good customer.cheers

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  3. AnonymousJune 13, 2023 at 11:51 PM

    That Newt Kook guy sort of looks like a fat version of Fred Mertz from I Love Lucy.Only Newt looks like he has a bulbous nose that alot of drunks get when they drink too much.But if I remember,the guy that played Fred was a drunk in real life too.

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