The Detroit News is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a limited-edition single-barrel bourbon and a special coffee blend for charities.
The newspaper stems back to 1873 when it was originally published in the afternoon as The Evening News. It will celebrate its 150th anniversary on Aug. 23, 2023.
Distillery experts, newsroom staff and Detroit News Restaurant Critic Melody Baetens selected the bourbon from Detroit City Distillery. It is a 4-year, 3-month-aged single-barrel bourbon that comes in at 100 proof.
On the bottle is the front page from Dec. 6, 1933, when prohibition ended, along with a gold wax dip and a custom 150th-anniversary stamp.
The bottles quickly sold out on Friday, and more than $26,000 was raised for the Rosa L. Parks Scholarship Foundation, which supports interns in Michigan newsrooms, and CATCH, which helps pediatric patients and their families at Children's Hospital.
There will also be a release party for the bottle at the tasting room starting at 4 p.m. Friday.
“This is a unique time for not just our newsroom, but to watch this city shift into a new era,” Detroit News Editor and Publisher Gary Miles, who has spent 23 years at the paper and took on the role of publisher in 2019. “Reflecting on our history reminds us of the importance of the work we do each day and makes us strive to produce the best product in the Midwest, which is why we've partnered with a Detroit business to celebrate with an outstanding bourbon.”
“This was selected as one of the best barrels of bourbon laid down at DCD’s historical whiskey factory,” Detroit City Distillery Co-Founder Michael Forsyth added. “This is a huge honor for our distillery to play a small part in celebrating the history of The Detroit News. We take a lot of pride in making things the Detroit way and The Detroit News has been doing that for 150 years. Cheers to 150 more.”
The newspaper also teamed up with Detroit Bold Coffee Co. for a 150th anniversary blend.
