Bourbon and Distillery News for November 7, 2025

Welcome to the latest edition of the Bourbon and Distillery News! There’s quite a bit this week, so let’s jump right in!

But First, Here’s What’s New on BourbonObsessed.com!

• A Taste of Five of Cedar Ridge Distillery’s Iowa Bourbons and American Single Malts – Cedar Ridge Distillery has been crafting whiskey in Iowa since 2005, blending local grain, their winemaking roots, and creative finishing. We explore five of their standout releases—two American Single Malts and three bourbons—in our latest review. Read our full review to see how each one measures up!
• Wheel Horse Narragansett Baltic Porter Beer Barrel Finished Bourbon Review – Wheel Horse Baltic Porter Beer Barrel Finished Bourbon unites two brands with a 19th-century heritage — Wheel Horse Whiskey and Narragansett Beer—in a limited collaboration. Finished in Baltic Porter barrels, this 101-proof bourbon highlights the effects of the heavily roasted malt on the whiskey. Read our full review to learn what it’s like!
• Blue Note Honey Rye Cask Review (2025) – Blue Note is back at it with another release of their much-anticipated Honey Rye Cask Whiskey. After last year’s release sold out quickly, they knew they had to bring it back for another run again this year! Read our review by Craig and Cynthia and find out how it compares!
• Woodinville 9 Year Bourbon Review – Woodinville 9 Year Bourbon celebrates the distillery’s 15th anniversary and is its oldest release to date. Aged in heavily toasted, lightly charred barrels and bottled at 100 proof, it’s a rich and complex whiskey worth exploring. Read our full review to learn more!

Bourbon and Distillery News For November 7, 2025

Bourbon and Distillery News

Kirin Puts Four Roses Up For Sale

It is very likely that you are already aware of this news, and we had mentioned it on our last Bourbon and Distillery News Podcast. However, it had missed the deadline for our newsletter, so I’m including it now. As has been reported by pretty much every media outlet out there by now, Kirin, the owner of the Four Roses brand, has reportedly put the brand up for sale. The asking price is said to be $1 billion and Kirin is working with the UBS group on the sale. This news was initially reported by the Financial Times last week. However, since then, neither UBS, Kirin or Four Roses has confirmed the news or any details. I have been told that Kirin has put out “feelers” before to determine any interest in buyers for Four Roses, so it is yet to be determined what will transpire. When I find out more, I’ll let you know!

Green River Introduces “Salute to Service” Personalized Label Program

Green River Distilling Co. has launched its new “Salute to Service” program, offering free personalized labels for the holiday season. Fans can visit GreenRiverWhiskey.com/Army to create custom labels celebrating someone special. Labels can be affixed to bottles of Green River Army 250th Anniversary Bourbon or any 750mL expression of Green River Kentucky Straight Whiskey. Labels are available online through year’s end, and beginning November 3, customers can also have their labels printed at Green River’s Owensboro distillery and its Whiskey Row Tasting Room in Louisville.

Army 250th Anniversary Release Bourbon, which is bottled at 111.1 proof (55.55% ABV) and priced at $49.99 debuted earlier this year. (read my review) A portion of proceeds supports programs benefiting soldiers and their families. Green River’s parent company, Lofted Spirits, also contributes annually to organizations such as the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, the Special Operations Fund, USA Cares, and the Bardstown-Nelson County Veterans Memorial. greenriverwhiskey.com.

DISCUS Statement on New U.S. Trade Agreements with Cambodia and Malaysia

The Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS) expressed encouragement over recent trade agreements, urging the Administration to “build on this progress by securing a return to zero-for-zero tariffs on distilled spirits across all markets, most notably with our key trading partners, including the European Union and the UK.”

Under the agreements announced on Oct. 26, Cambodia will immediately eliminate its 35% tariff on U.S. spirits, while Malaysia committed to phase out its spirits tariff over nine years, eliminate its discriminatory tariff on distilled spirits, and finalize a definition for spirit-based ready-to-drink products by end of 2028. Negotiations with Vietnam and Thailand will continue.

For reference, in 2024, U.S. spirits exports were $114,000 to Cambodia, $3.7 million to Malaysia, $1.2 million to Vietnam, and $3 million to Thailand. To put that in perspective, in 2024, the overall spirits market size was $5.9 billion in Thailand (ranked 20th), $885 million in Vietnam (60th), $752 million in Malaysia (64th), and $312 million in Cambodia (99th). distilledspirits.org/

(Editor’s note: The trade agreements and all related documents can be found via the links on this page, and the pages that they link to. Note also that the trade agreements include broader provisions such as non-tariff barrier reductions (e.g., licensing, conformity assessments), investment and export control commitments which apply to many goods sectors, not specifically distilled spirits.)

Bourbon and Distillery News For November 7, 2025

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52 Eighty Distilling Files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

52 Eighty Distilling, a Colorado-based craft producer founded in 2017, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy (liquidation). The petition was made on October 14 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado, listing assets between $100,001 and $1 million and liabilities between $1 million and $10 million. The Littleton distillery produced vodka, gin, and whiskey, and operated a tasting room; its website and social media pages have since been taken down.

The closure comes amid a contraction in Colorado’s craft spirits sector. Per the American Craft Spirits Association (see our last newsletter for their report) the state’s craft distillery count fell 31%, from 119 in August 2024 to 82 in August 2025. Source: The Spirits Business

MGP Ingredients Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results

MGP Ingredients, Inc. reported mixed third-quarter 2025 results, with continued softness in brown goods and strength in its premium plus and ingredient businesses. Consolidated sales fell 19% to $130.9 million, and net income declined 35% to $15.4 million. Adjusted EBITDA dropped 29% to $32.3 million.

Branded Spirits segment sales decreased 3% to $60.7 million, while premium plus brands grew 3%, led by Penelope Bourbon. Distilling Solutions was hardest hit, with sales down 43% to $40.9 million and gross profit falling 50% as customers paused whiskey orders amid elevated inventories. Ingredient Solutions rose 9% to $29.3 million, but margins slipped due to higher costs and production inefficiencies.

Also of note, operating expenses were mixed year-over-year. Advertising and promotion expenses fell 31% to $6.7 million, reflecting MGP’s focus on its most promising growth opportunities. However, selling, general, and administrative expenses increased 10% to $18.9 million (from $17.2 million), largely due to executive transition costs, professional service fees related to goodwill impairment, restructuring and severance expenses, business acquisition costs and other one-time charges. Source: businesswire.com

Campari Group Reports Results For The First Nine Months Of 2025

Campari Group delivered organic net sales growth of +1.5% for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, with the Americas region increasing roughly +1% (U.S. down 2% but with a positive trend in Q2 and Q3) and the House of Whiskey & Rum segment (14% of total Group Sales) growing +5% organic.

Regarding American Whiskey, Wild Turkey recorded a strong growth in Q3 of +14%, benefitting from stock availability and encouraging results of a new ad campaign, and in South Korea and China off a small base. Russell’s Reserve grew in the US and South Korea in Q3. “Other Whiskey” (which includes Wildneress Trail) had a flat performance. Of note, American Whiskey is down close to ~1% over the first 9 months in spite of the positive trend in Q3.

Across its sales portfolio, the company reported improved profitability, driven by cost savings and margin gains, while still navigating headwinds from tariffs and inventory alignment. camparigroup.com

Kentucky Distillers’ Association Files Motion Against Garrard County Distilling

According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA) has filed a motion in Garrard County Circuit Court seeking to collect nearly $94,000 in unpaid membership dues and service fees from Garrard County Distilling Co., which has been in receivership since April 2025. The KDA claims the company, which joined as a “proof member” and was added to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail last year, failed to pay invoices totaling $93,865.

Garrard County Distilling, which opened in January 2024 and billed itself as “Kentucky’s largest all-new independent distillery,” shut down amid financial distress, facing $2.2 million in liens and a lawsuit. Lender Truist Bank claims it is owed $26 million. The court has since allowed all creditor claims to be consolidated, with proceeds from a future sale to go toward debts and unpaid taxes. A hearing on the KDA’s motion is scheduled for November 7, 2025. Source: kentucky.com

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Heritage Distilling to Close Tasting Rooms and Shift to Contract Production

Heritage Distilling Company, Inc., (a subsidiary of Heritage Distilling Holding Company, Inc. d/b/a IP Strategy (Nasdaq: IPST)), will close all five of its tasting rooms in Washington and Oregon and move to contract production effective December 31, 2025. The restructuring is expected to cut annual operating expenses by over $5 million while reducing revenues by about $3 million. The company will focus on direct-to-consumer sales, wholesale growth, and its Tribal Beverage Network partnerships with Native American tribes. Employees will receive severance packages and extended health coverage through the transition.

The distillery is unique in that it announced a cryptocurrency policy back in May 2025 allowing it to accept Bitcoin (BTC-USD) and Dogecoin (DOGE-USD) as a form of payment for its products and services via its direct-to-consumer (“DTC”) e-commerce platform and to allow the Company to acquire and hold cryptocurrencies as a strategic asset. The Company recently created a digital asset treasury focused on the Story $IP token. It currently holds 53.2 million $IP tokens and recently established a validator program making it the largest validator for activities on the Story $IP protocol. The $IP token powers Story Protocol’s blockchain-based IP ecosystem, enabling secure registration, licensing, and monetization of intellectual property using smart contracts. businesswire.com

Molson Coors Reports 2025 Third Quarter Results — Highlights for Whiskey Segment

Molson Coors Beverage Company reported consolidated net sales of $2.97 billion, down 2.3% year-over-year (-3.3% in constant currency). Underlying (non-GAAP) income before taxes was $426 million, down 11.9%. The company posted a GAAP net loss of $2.93 billion, primarily due to a $3.65 billion goodwill impairment. (ir.molsoncoors.com)

In the whiskey segment, Blue Run Spirits recorded a full impairment charge of $75.3 million after a review found lower-than-expected current and future sales, driven by a challenging environment for full-strength spirits. The company determined the carrying value of the Blue Run brand exceeded its fair value, leading to the write-down, which was measured using a discounted cash-flow approach. (Form 10-Q) [It has been reported that Molson Coors paid $78 million for a 75% stake in Blue Run back in August 2023)

Luca Mariano Distillery Plans Second Bankruptcy Filing Ahead of Potential Sale

According to the Lexington Herald Leader, Luca Mariano Distillery in Danville, Kentucky, plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy by November 14, following its property owner LMD Holdings, which has been in bankruptcy protection since July 2025. Attorneys told the court that both entities contemplate a sale process within 120 days of the filing and intend to hire David Baker of Aurora Management Partners as chief restructuring officer. The company’s owner, Francesco Viola, had previously stated that he would reopen the distillery. LMD Holdings lists debts exceeding $33 million, including significant claims from SummitBridge, Farm Credit, and multiple contractors. The distillery remains closed, and more than 6,000 barrels of bourbon stored on the property are listed among its assets. kentucky.com

Quick Notes

• For honey barrel finished bourbon fans, Southern Distilling has announced announced the release of the second batch of its limited-edition Southern Star Bourbon Finished in Honey Barrels. We will discuss this in our next New Bourbon Releases News Newsletter, but since the first batch sold out so quickly, I didn’t want any fans to miss this one. This batch is supposed to be more widely available than the last, however. It goes on sale beginning November 8 and the bourbon can be purchased at the Southern Distilling Company Tasting Room and at select ABC stores across North Carolina. southerndistillingcompany.com
• The Ronald McDonald House of the Bluegrass is having a fundraising raffle where the grand prize winner gets to participate in a Maker’s Mark Private Selection Barrel Experience and receive 75 bottles of the crafted bourbon! Other prize winners will also receive bottles from the barrel. The raffle entry period ends at noon ET on Friday, November 14, or when tickets are sold-out. Get the Details and Buy Tickets Here.

Whisky Fest New York: Whisky, Tequila & Beyond (sponsored)

Raise a glass with Whisky Advocate magazine for an unforgettable night in New York City on November 14th! Explore top whiskies, tequilas, and spirits from around the world, meet the makers behind your favorite brands, collect premium handmade cigars from six standout cigarmakers, and feast on a gourmet buffet as you sip, savor, and celebrate with friends. The event takes place at the New York Marriott Marquis in the Broadway Ballroom from 6:30 to 9:30pm.

Get tickets here and use promo code: WFFRIEND for a $75 per ticket discount

Upcoming Bourbon (and other whiskey) Events 🥃

All events take place between now and early November in Kentucky or nearby. If you have any upcoming festivals to add to the list, please contact me.

• Bourbon & Bubbles – Dayton, OH – Nov 7, 2025 – More Info
• The Honor Pour – The Colony, TX – Nov 8, 2025 – More Info (free event)
• WhiskyFest NY – Nov 14, 2025 – Info & Tickets (use promo code: WFFRIEND for a $75/ticket discount)
  

Well, that’s it! I hope you have enjoyed reading all the news in 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 Friday November 14, and the podcast and YouTube versions of this newsletter will go live on Monday November 10. If you enjoy our content, I would greatly appreciate 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!