Cooper Spirits Partners With Blue Ridge Spirits & Wine Marketing For Slow & Low Sales Leadership

June 27, 2025 — Cooper Spirits Co. has announced a partnership with Blue Ridge Spirits & Wine Marketing to lead sales efforts for its flagship Slow & Low brand, effective July 1, 2025. The collaboration unites Cooper Spirits' innovative, integrity-driven portfolio with Blue Ridge's national sales expertise, positioning the leading ready-to-drink cocktail brand for accelerated growth. The timing underscores Slow & Low's ever-growing momentum: today, the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition announced that its Proper Rye Old-Fashioned won a Double Gold medal in the Ready-to-Drink Classic Cocktail category, signifying unanimous praise from the competition’s blind panel of seasoned judges. The product is also a finalist for Best in Class, which will be announced at the Top Shelf Awards Gala in November.

As part of this partnership, Blue Ridge will oversee key functions for Slow & Low, including account management, sales representation, distributor relations, and the execution of national and regional programming. This collaboration reflects Cooper Spirits' deep commitment to expanding the reach of Slow & Low and amplifying its impact in both on- and off-premise channels.

"Slow & Low was built with purpose—bringing bold, accessible, craft bar quality RTDs to everyday drinkers with grit and honesty. Made with integrity-driven ingredients—Slow & Low overdelivers on quality—and we've never compromised on that standard," said Katie Cooper, Co-Founder & Executive Chairperson of The Cooper Spirits Co. "As we enter this next phase, we're thrilled to partner with Blue Ridge, a team that shares our entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to execution. Their expertise in brand building will help us deepen our presence and grow with impact, without losing the edge that made Slow & Low what it is today."

A pioneer in the ready-to-drink space, Slow & Low was first conceptualized in 2010 by Rob Cooper, the late husband and business partner of Cooper, a third-generation distiller, paying homage to America's original bottled cocktail. Slow & Low began as a modern reimagining of Hochstadter's historic Rock and Rye recipe, combining straight rye, rock candy, honey, bitters, and orange peel to create a craft bar-quality old-fashioned. Union-crafted at the United States’ oldest distillery in New Jersey, Slow & Low is committed to honoring the makers, disruptors, innovators, and rebels. 

Slow & Low is available as two bottled and canned expressions, Proper Rye Old-Fashioned and Coffee Old-Fashioned, as well as a bottled 100-Proof 6-Year Old-Fashioned. As of today, the whole portfolio now boasts Double Gold medals for each of its expressions in the Ready-to-Drink Classic Cocktail category from the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

"We're honored to join forces with Cooper Spirits to champion Slow & Low—a brand with an attitude that defies convention. Our mission will be to scale its presence in key outlets, spark fresh activation, and stay true to the brand's bold character," said Carlos Carreras, CEO of Blue Ridge Spirits & Wine Marketing. An entrepreneur like Cooper, Carreras founded Blue Ridge in 2015 with just three spirit brands. Today, the company has a diverse portfolio of dynamic, high-growth wine and spirits brands.

About Cooper Spirits Co.:

Cooper Spirits Co., founded in 2006 by Katie Cooper and the late Robert J. Cooper, a third-generation distiller, is an independent producer of innovative, integrity-driven spirits. The company was founded with the introduction of St-Germain, an artisanal French liqueur crafted from fresh elderflower blossoms, which The New York Times has heralded as one of the most influential cocktail components of the last decade. Today, Cooper Spirits produces a portfolio of innovative, artisanal products, including Slow & Low Proper Rye Old-Fashioned and Slow & Low Coffee Old-Fashioned, both straight rye whiskey based bottled and canned cocktails; Lock, Stock & Barrel, one of the world’s finest and oldest expressions of 13 year, 16 year, 18 year, 20, 21 year, and Vatted straight rye whiskey; and Cre`me Yvette, an historic liqueur called for by name in cocktail books dating back to 1890. 

Blue Ridge Spirits & Wine Marketing:

Blue Ridge Spirits & Wine Marketing is a sales and marketing company, representing a diverse group of premium wines and spirits from around the world. Our portfolio comprises brands both created and developed by Blue Ridge, as well as partner brands selected for their growth potential. The Blue Ridge team brings a strong sales force to the table, with established distributor and retailer relationships nationwide.

Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Atlanta, GA, CEO Carlos J. Carreras spearheaded the company, representing just three spirit brands. Today, Blue Ridge Spirits & Wine Marketing represents a diverse portfolio of wine and spirits brands, a national sales team, and a marketing department.

The team boasts decades of experience in the industry and is dedicated to cultivating and promoting high-quality brand building nationwide. We value our partnerships and personal relationships with suppliers, retailers, and distributors, recognizing them as key to achieving success. Our vision: Growing brands, building legacies.