Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, alcoholic beverage producer Brown-Forman (NYSE: BF-A) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Brown-Forman's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

Brown-Forman facts

Headquarters (founded) Louisville, Ky. (1870)
Market Cap $13.8 billion
Industry Distillers and vintners
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $2.8 billion
Management CEO Paul Varga (since 2005)
CFO Donald Berg (since 2008)
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) 26.4%
Cash/Debt $362.0 million / $511.3 million
Dividend Yield 1.6%
Competitors Diageo
Constellation Brands
Beam

Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, 98% of the 49 members who have rated Brown-Forman believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.

Just this past summer, one of those bulls, fellow Fool Thomas Engle (TMF1000), tapped Brown-Forman as a solid way to play defense:

It is a Louisville based company. And it has done really well. They will hold up well during any recession. … I still speculate, but I balance that with strong dividend paying companies. ...

There is a lot of fear in the markets now and that may carry over until the holidays when [enthusiasm] may boost the markets for a while. They have some great brands. I also like Diageo and Beam. I am going more defensive for a while.

The Dow is moving in a ridiculously narrow range. Strong stocks remain strong, so no volatility to exploit. I always felt that wasn't a good thing, so I will take a defensive stance.

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