Blue Run Spirits Is Acquired by Molson Coors, But the Team Will Stay On

As reported earlier this morning in our sister publication, Shanken News Daily, Kentucky bourbon maker Blue Run Spirits has been acquired by North American brewer Molson Coors. The Blue Run whiskey team, led by liquid advisor Jim Rutledge and whiskey director Shaylyn Gammon, will remain in place—as will the company’s founders, Mike Montgomery, Tim Sparapani, Jesse McKnight, and Andy Brown.

Founded in 2020, Blue Run has gotten off to a fast start, sparked initially by the name recognition of Rutledge, best known for his legendary role in revitalizing Four Roses. To date, the company has released 15 different whiskeys, with three more on the way this year. Its offerings have garnered consistently high scores from Whisky Advocate, nearly all in the 90-91 point range, the highest-rated being its 13 year old Kentucky straight bourbon, which scored 91 points in 2021.

Blue Run’s two core expressions are Reflection 1 Kentucky straight bourbon and Kentucky straight rye. It has also released a host of limited releases. The company currently has more than 5,000 barrels of whiskey aging in its warehouses, and last year, according to its most recently updated numbers, Blue Run sold about 250,000 bottles of whiskey.

Thus far, Rutledge and Gammon have been creating expressions from bourbons and ryes sourced from Castle & Key Distillery and Bardstown Bourbon Co. Earlier this year, Blue Run announced plans to build what will be a stunning new distillery and headquarters in Georgetown, Kentucky, on the outskirts of Lexington. The groundbreaking for that project is expected later this year, and completion is expected by 2025. The plan calls for a 35,000-square-foot distillery and a 20,000-square-foot warehouse, in addition to a visitor's center, offices, and other amenities. Of course, it will be many years before we get to taste those whiskeys, but Blue Run’s current contract distilling arrangements will remain in place.

Molson Coors has already dipped a toe into whiskey— its Five Trail Unbroken Spirit American whiskey scored 88 points from Whisky Advocate, while its Barmen 1783 bourbon label was not rated. Like other big brewers, Molson Coors has eyed the spirits side as its core domestic beer business remains mired in a long-term slump. The Blue Run Spirits acquisition represents a far more full-fledged commitment, as Molson Coors will become the owner and operator of a distillery in Kentucky when the Blue Run facility in Georgetown is complete.