Bourbon and Distillery News for July 25, 2026

14 Bourbon Industry News Stories You Need to Know!

This week we focus on Bourbon Industry News. If you want to find out about new releases instead, our latest New Bourbon Releases Newsletter can be found here. To receive my weekly newsletters in your email inbox, subscribe here.

Contents

Southern Glazer’s — Brown-Forman — IWSR: Gen Z Drinking — Cheers for Change — Copper & Kings — Alabama Cooperage — Moonshine University — Canadian Tariffs — Pappy Raffle — Bourbon Capital Diplomat Certification — WhistlePig — Louisville Rickhouse Whiskey Co — Diageo — Four Roses 100 Proof

Bourbon and Distillery News For July 25, 2026

But First, Here’s what’s new on BourbonObsessed.com!

• Building Southern Distilling: Pete Barger on Engineering, Innovation, and the Future of American Whiskey We visited Southern Distilling Co. in Statesville, North Carolina, where co-founder Pete Barger discussed the business decisions, engineering mindset, and long-term vision that have shaped the distillery from the very beginning. Follow this link to read our article or listen to our podcast.
• Remus Lou Gehrig Reserve Bourbon Review Remus Lou Gehrig Reserve Bourbon honors the legendary first baseman through its proof, blend, bottle count and other details connected to his career. Learn all about this limited release in my Remus Lou Gehrig Reserve Bourbon Review!
• 15 STARS First West Explorer Bourbon Review by Craig & Cynthia Before they were winning major awards for whiskey, the father-and-son team behind 15 STARS was known for gourmet popcorn. Naturally, they wondered what their rare heirloom corn would taste like if it were distilled instead of popped. See how that experiment turned out in Craig and Cynthia’s review!
• Blue Note Wheated Bourbon Review by Craig & Cynthia Blue Note Wheated Bourbon is an unfiltered, limited-release whiskey bottled at 101 proof. Released in April 2026, does the brand’s new Wheated Bourbon match the high quality of their previous offerings? Read Craig and Cynthia’s review to find out!
• Yellowstone 2026 Limited Edition Bourbon Review Yellowstone Limited Edition returns for its 11th annual release with a blend of 7- and 14-year-old Kentucky straight bourbons finished in ruby and tawny port casks. Bottled at 101 proof and priced at $99, this release takes inspiration from the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Read my review to find out how the two port cask finishes worked!
• Bardstown Bourbon Company Mars Review Bardstown Bourbon Company Mars combines 10- and 16-year-old Kentucky bourbons with two 5-year-old Japanese single malts: Komagatake aged in Umeshu barrels and Tsunuki aged in rare Sakura barrels. Instead of a traditional finish, the four whiskeys spent 12 months aging together in the same barrels. Read my review of this Kentucky-Japan collaboration!

OK, now let’s move on to the news!

Bourbon and Distillery News for July 25, 2026

Southern Glazer’s Changes Will Cut About 1% of Its U.S. Workforce

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has announced changes to its U.S. commercial service model that will move an additional 1% of its independent customer base to a redesigned inside sales group called the Customer Solutions Team and the company’s Proof® Commerce platform. According to the company, “Southern Glazer’s is continually refining its commercial sales approach to reflect changes in the independent customer landscape and evolving preferences for how customers engage.” The changes will affect part of the company’s U.S. commercial workforce and are expected to result in a net reduction of approximately 1% of its U.S. workforce. Southern Glazer’s said it intends to place as many affected employees as possible into open positions elsewhere in the company. Read the full Southern Glazer’s announcement.

Editor’s Note: So, what does this mean for the industry? Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, the nation’s largest distributor, is cutting 1% of its workforce and shifting a designated portion of its “independent customers” (standalone bars, restaurants, and liquor stores) away from traditional in-person field sales reps. Instead, these accounts will be managed remotely using inside sales teams and automated digital tools. In-person sales consultants traditionally pitched new products, checked shelves, and “hand-sold” craft spirits directly to buyers. Moving lower-volume accounts to digital ordering reduces the distributor’s cost to serve, but it removes that human advocate—making it much harder for small craft distilleries to stand out against established national brands.

The Proof® Platform: At the center of this shift is Proof®, Southern Glazer’s proprietary digital ecosystem. It functions both as a 24/7 self-service e-commerce portal where retailers can browse catalogs, place orders, and pay invoices, and as a back-end analytics engine. Using AI and purchase data, Proof® provides personalized product recommendations directly to buyers, essentially serving as a virtual sales rep.

Brown-Forman CEO Lawson Whiting to Retire

Brown-Forman President and CEO Lawson Whiting has decided to retire after nearly 30 years with the company, effective when a successor is appointed. The company’s board has begun a search that will consider internal and external candidates. Whiting will remain available in an advisory role for a period following the appointment, and Brown-Forman reiterated its fiscal 2027 outlook. Read the Brown-Forman announcement.

IWSR: Gen Z Drinking Holds Steady as Boomers Moderate

The drinking rate among legal-drinking-age (LDA+) Gen Z consumers across 15 key markets has stabilized at 74%, up from 66% three years ago and close to the 76% rate for the total adult population, according to the latest IWSR Bevtrac survey. LDA+ Gen Z consumers account for 17% of the total drinking population, and a larger share reported drinking cocktails in the past six months than any other generation (84%). Boomers now have the lowest participation rate at 71%, down two percentage points from three years ago, and reported the fewest drinking occasions and the lowest consumption at 2.6 drinks per occasion. Millennials had the highest participation rate at 81%, followed by Gen X at 77%. In addition, drinkers overall registered declines in the frequency of occasions for drinking beverage alcohol and the amount consumed on each occasion (3.9 drinks per occasion, down from 4.4 drinks per occasion reported in 2024 and 2025). The H1 2026 survey included more than 32,000 qualified respondents across 19 international markets, with comparisons based on the original 15 markets. Read the IWSR report.

Cheers for Change Campaign Seeks New York Alcohol Law Overhaul

The New Yorkers Cheers for Change campaign is calling on state officials to overhaul New York’s Alcoholic Beverage Control laws, which it says are holdovers from the Prohibition era that restrict economic growth, jobs, consumer choice, and the state’s wine and distilled spirits industry. The campaign points to 18 recommendations released in 2023 by the Commission to Study Reform of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law, including allowing bars and restaurants to buy from liquor stores, permitting liquor-store owners to operate more than one location, clarifying standards for new liquor-store licenses, creating temporary alcohol permits, and reviewing licensing fees. The group says the changes could create more than 4,000 new jobs, $500 million in new economic activity, and more than $100 million in tax revenue. Learn more from New Yorkers Cheers for Change.

Neace Ventures Invests in Copper & Kings

Copper & Kings American Brandy Co. has received a strategic investment from Neace Ventures, a Louisville-based investment firm. Neace Ventures brings deep relationships across retail, restaurant, hospitality, and on-premises accounts, along with hands-on experience scaling premium brands. The partnership marks the next step in Copper & Kings’ growth story under Bourdon Spirits Company, providing capital, expertise, and market relationships to accelerate the brand’s momentum across its priority markets. Under Bourdon Spirits Company, Copper & Kings reduced its distribution from 42 states to six earlier this year, while wholesale sales increased 30% during the first half of 2026. Indiana became the brand’s newest priority market in late June. Read the Copper & Kings announcement.

Independent Stave to Close Alabama Cooperage

Independent Stave Company (ISC) will cease production at Alabama Cooperage in Trinity, Alabama, effective September 14, 2026, affecting 71 employees. The company said the decision is part of its effort to align production with current market demand. Formerly known as Jack Daniel Cooperage, the facility was sold by Brown-Forman to Independent Stave in 2024 and renamed Alabama Cooperage, with plans at the time for it to continue making barrels for Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. Read the closure report and Independent Stave’s statement (from WAFF48) and the 2024 sale announcement.

Editor’s Note: This makes two major Brown-Forman / ISC cooperages that have closed since last year. First, Brown-Forman had closed down their Brown-Forman Cooperage in Louisville and subsequently sold it to ISC. The Louisville facility had at one time produced approximately half of the barrels for Brown-Forman’s portfolio, but Independent Stave said it had no plans to reopen it. Now, the Alabama (Jack Daniel) Cooperage is suffering a similar fate. It makes one wonder about Brown-Forman’s production volume knowing that two major cooperages that made barrels for the company are no longer in operation. Perhaps they are now being made at other cooperages, or perhaps their demand for barrels has dropped significantly? I’m not sure which.

Moonshine University to Close at the End of 2026

After 14 years, Moonshine University and its associated programs will conclude operations on December 31, 2026. Scheduled courses will remain open and existing commitments will be honored through the end of the year. Since opening its classroom doors in 2013, Moonshine University has taught 337 courses, welcomed more than 15,000 attendees, and helped launch nearly 300 distilleries. The organization is also seeking industry partners to adopt its course materials and transition the Stave & Thief Society and its Bourbon Steward certification courses to new “stewards.” Stave & Thief’s remaining in-person classes will continue as scheduled, while online courses will be available for purchase and completion until December 10, 2026. Source: Moonshine University email.

President Trump Imposes 50% Tariff on Certain Canadian Products Over Alcohol Restrictions

President Donald Trump has imposed an additional 50% tariff on certain Canadian products, effective at 12:01 a.m. EDT on August 19, 2026, in response to Canadian restrictions on U.S. alcoholic beverages. The proclamation states that all Canadian provinces and territories halted the purchase, distribution, or retail sale of U.S. alcoholic beverages beginning in March 2025, although Alberta and Saskatchewan lifted their bans in June 2025. It also states that Canadian imports of U.S. alcoholic beverages fell approximately 81%, from about $718 million to $137 million, from March 2025 through February 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier. The additional tariffs will affect a broad range of Canadian alcoholic beverages, ice and field hockey equipment, wooden tableware and kitchenware, grapefruit essential oil, paper & paperboard products and cement. Read the White House proclamation.

Ronald McDonald House Lexington Launches Pappy Van Winkle Raffle

Ronald McDonald House Lexington’s Pappy Van Winkle Raffle is officially live. For $25 per chance, one winner will receive a complete five-bottle flight consisting of:

• Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year
• Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year
• Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year
• Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year
• Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year

Only 2,500 tickets will be sold, with proceeds helping Ronald McDonald House Lexington remove barriers, strengthen families, and promote healing when children need healthcare. Ticket sales close Wednesday, July 29, at noon ET, or sooner if all tickets are claimed. Entrants must be in the U.S. and age 21 or older to win, and the winner must pick up the prize in person at Ronald McDonald House Lexington. The prize has a fair market value of $13,000. Kentucky Charitable Gaming License Number ORG0000178. Purchase raffle tickets.

Bourbon Capital Diplomat Certification Program Opens for Enrollment

The Bourbon Capital Academy has opened enrollment for its Bourbon Capital Diplomat Certification, and classes are now underway. The approximately three-hour program was designed for hospitality industry team members but is open to anyone. The intent of the course is to enable all hospitality personnel to speak knowledgeably to visitors about Bardstown, bourbon and the local distilleries.

Hosted in the Academy’s classroom in the Brindiamo Penthouse in Spalding Hall in Bardstown, KY, the $75 experience includes a welcome cocktail and bourbon tastings, a Bourbon Capital Diplomat Handbook to keep, and a proprietary curriculum covering Bardstown, bourbon, and 10 partner distilleries and their core brands. The course ends with a 50-question exam, and attendees who pass the exam become certified Bourbon Capital Diplomats, with benefits at partner distilleries and invitations to biannual Bourbon Capital Diplomat Summits for continuing education. Find course details and enroll at: bourboncapitalacademy.com.

Editor’s Note: The Bourbon Capital Academy posted the limited-time discount code BtownHospitality on its Facebook page on July 16. The code offers 50% off the experience, but because it was advertised for a limited time, it may or may not still be active. Also, I have firsthand experience with the course, and it did indeed provide attendees with foundational information about Bardstown, bourbon and the partner distilleries, as advertised.

WhistlePig Whiskey Joins Kentucky Distillers’ Association

WhistlePig Whiskey has joined the Kentucky Distillers’ Association as a “Craft” level member, aging between 1-1,000 barrels annually. Founded in 2007 on a historic 500-acre farm in Vermont, WhistlePig has expanded its Kentucky presence with a production facility in Brandenburg in Meade County and The Vault, its tasting experience in downtown Louisville, which opened to the public in December 2025.

The Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control issued the Brandenburg facility a Class B distiller’s license in August 2025, requiring annual distillation of between 600 and 50,000 gallons. Located inside a restored 1911 bank building at 403 East Market Street in Louisville’s NuLu neighborhood, The Vault offers curated experiences, a full cocktail menu and the brand’s collection of rye, bourbon and reserve whiskeys. WhistlePig CEO Alex Roberts said the company is proud to join its industry peers in the KDA as it continues expanding its Kentucky roots. Read the full announcement.

Editor’s Note: The Brandenburg operation is not entirely new. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail announced it in January as “WhistlePig Distillery & Bottling,” with an opening planned for later in 2026. Now listed as the WhistlePig Development Depot, the facility appears to be partially open while renovations continue, with limited tastings offered Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Interestingly, its booking page can be reached through the Kentucky Bourbon Trail listing, but I could not find it in the main navigation on WhistlePig’s Vault website. Public information says the facility supports whiskey experimentation and bottling, but I could not find any official details about its still or bottling-line specifications.

Nashville Barrel Company Opens Louisville Rickhouse Whiskey Company in NuLu

Nashville Barrel Company has expanded into Kentucky with the opening of Louisville Rickhouse Whiskey Company in Louisville’s NuLu neighborhood. The location officially opened on July 17 during NuLu Summerfest and is the company’s third brick-and-mortar location and its first in Kentucky.

Located at 717 E. Market Street, Louisville Rickhouse Whiskey Company features a working distillery, full tasting bar, retail bottle shop, guided tastings, private barrel-pick experiences and space for private events. Its offerings include bourbon, rye, American whiskey, agave spirits and exclusive single-barrel selections. The location is open seven days a week. Co-founder Mike Hinds described it as an opportunity for the company to “distill, age, and share whiskey” in Louisville. Read the full announcement.

Some Diageo Teams Face Staff Reductions of Up to 30%

Diageo, owner of American whiskey brands including Bulleit, Blade and Bow, I.W. Harper, George Dickel and Balcones, is reportedly making deep staff and overhead reductions under new CEO Dave Lewis. Reuters reports that some Diageo teams are cutting approximately 20%-30% of their employees after Lewis directed business leaders to reduce overhead and improve the company’s performance.

Lewis, who earned the nickname “Drastic Dave” for restructuring efforts earlier in his career, reportedly ordered overhead reductions of up to 40% in some markets and 50% in a centralized global unit. Managers are considering office closures and other cost reductions to limit job losses, while business leaders were reportedly given cost-reduction targets and discretion over how to meet them. Reuters’ sources said the scale of the cuts has shocked employees and affected morale.

According to Reuters, a group of approximately 100 senior leaders is expected to become 20%-30% smaller, while one large regional business unit is reportedly reducing its staff by 25%-30%. Some employees have already lost their jobs, but Reuters could not determine how many positions will be eliminated companywide. A Diageo spokesperson pointed to plans announced in February to redesign the company’s operating model and said shareholders will receive an update during its Capital Markets Day on August 6. Read the Reuters report published by Euronext, our source for this summary.

Four Roses Provides More Details on New 100 Proof Bourbon

Last week, we reported that Four Roses Bourbon 100 Proof, a new higher-proof version of the brand’s flagship 80-proof bourbon, had quietly begun appearing at retailers in select markets. We now have more details directly from Four Roses: The expression is now rolling out nationwide. It was developed in direct response to bartender feedback, and is available in restaurants, bars, the distillery visitor centers and in retail locations. Like the 80-proof Yellow/Tan Label version, it blends all 10 Four Roses bourbon recipes. The 100-proof expression was designed to stand up in cocktails such as the Old Fashioned and Manhattan while also being enjoyed neat or over ice. It will be available in 750 mL bottles for $29.99 and 1 L bottles for $32.99.

Well, that’s it! I hope you have enjoyed reading this week’s Bourbon and Distillery News! If you would like our newsletters delivered directly to your inbox, please sign up here. Our next New Bourbon Releases News will be published on Saturday, August 1, 2026. In addition, the podcast and YouTube versions of this newsletter will go live on Monday, July 27, 2026. If you enjoy our content, I would greatly appreciate it if you would follow us on Instagram and Facebook. I hope you have a great weekend! See you next time! Cheers!🥃

Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!