Great Jones Distilling Co’s Jean-Michel Basquiat Bottle Collection

The groundbreaking New York spirit brand tapped the iconic artist’s archive for limited edition releases, a distillery experience and pop-up bar

It’s a bold move to tap into the iconography of the late artist Basquiat—and yet, for Great Jones Distilling Co (the first whiskey distillery to open in Manhattan since Prohibition) it feels natural. Located at 686 Broadway, the 28,000-square-foot distillery and food-and-beverage ecosystem is mere steps from Basquiat’s former home and art studio at 57 Great Jones. For the partnership, Great Jones Distilling Co parsed through Basquiat’s archives to select three works—the “Pez Dispenser” dinosaur graphic and two untitled works from 1982, colloquially referred to as “Skull” and “Crown”—to incorporate into two limited edition bottles for their classic 4-year Straight Bourbon, as well as a third for one brand new distillery-exclusive bourbon release.

As fans of Great Jones Distilling Co since its doors opened, the distillery exclusive is most appealing. “To honor the legacy of Jean-Michel Basquiat, we are proud to release a whiskey that matches his tremendous talent—and we feel that we’ve done that with our new expression, a seven-year-old NY-distilled bourbon, aged in Pineau de Charentes casks,” Celina Perez, head distiller at Great Jones Distilling Co, tells COOL HUNTING. “Basquiat, a lifelong New Yorker, created some of his most recognizable art just down the street from our distillery in NoHo and we will forever pay homage to such an influential New Yorker.”

In addition to the limited edition bottles, Great Jones Distilling Co will host a distillery experience for visitors through 1 October. Named “Basquiat’s New York,” the immersive tasting and tour will incorporate a dram of the distillery exclusive Pineau de Charentes cask-finished whiskey—set to 1980s ephemera. Further, the venue debuted a detailed pop-up Basquiat Bar, as well.