News Bites: Kentucky Whiskey Makers On The Move, Peerless Hotel Partnership, & More

Considering all the negative news about whisky trends these days, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Kentucky distillers are in total retrenchment mode. In fact, there's plenty of activity in Bourbon Country, as Sazerac eyes a distillery acquisition, Nashville Barrel Co. is set to open a Louisville outpost, and new blending, maturation, and bottling facility The Blending House is now up and running in Shelbyville. Elsewhere in the Bluegrass State, Kentucky Peerless has entered the hotel game, and the Louisville Slugger ballpark is adding two new bourbon bars. Meanwhile, Ricky Gervais has launched 3 whiskies from the UK distillery he co-owns, while Jim Beam has a new film to kick off the Formula 1 season, where it sponsors the Cadillac team.

Sazerac Makes Moves to Acquire Another Kentucky Distillery

Buffalo Trace owner Sazerac Co. has made what looks to be a first step in acquiring Garrard County Distilling, which shuttered in the spring of 2025. Sazerac, under the legal name of Tom Collins Distilling, has agreed to take on the majority of Garrard County’s debt, amounting to $26 million, according to a report in the Lexington Herald Leader. A court hearing is scheduled for this morning (Friday, March 6) to finalize that move. Garrard County Distilling opened in January 2024, and less than a year later, it ceased operations amid lawsuits over unpaid debts and taxes. Located in Lancaster, Kentucky, it sits on 210 acres, with a 55,000-square-foot stillhouse and annual production capacity of 8.5 million proof gallons, roughly equal to 150,000 barrels. The campus has seven 20,000-square-foot warehouses, each holding 25,000 barrels. (A visitor center, tasting room, and restaurant were also in the original plans.) Garrard County’s objective was to contract-distill bourbon in addition to making its own branded products, but financial problems quickly led to turmoil, exemplified by the firing of master distiller Lisa Wicker after less than two weeks on the job. Sazerac’s Kentucky properties include Buffalo Trace, Barton 1792, and Glenmore Distillery in Owensboro, which is used for maturation. The company also owns major aging facilities in Campbellsville and Laurel County.—David Fleming

Nashville Barrel Co. Has a New Outpost in Louisville

Louisville’s NuLu neighborhood is getting a new resident. Tennessee independent bottler Nashville Barrel Co. is opening a tasting room, bar, retail shop, and single barrel selection warehouse at 717 E Market Street under the name of Louisville Barrel Whiskey Co. A new Kentucky bourbon brand will debut alongside the new space, which is slated to open in late May. The property represents an investment of $3-$3.3 million and marks a major expansion for the Tennessee-based company.—Julia Higgins

The Blending House, A New Facility, Opens in Kentucky

The Blending House, a new 30,000-square-foot facility in Shelbyville, Kentucky offering post-distillation services including warehousing, blending, bottling, packaging, and back-office support, is up and running after its late February opening. The facility is a venture led by Kentucky-based consultant The Spirits Group, in partnership with construction firm The Koetter Group. On the blending side, there’s a sensory lab overseen by master blender Ashley Barnes; bottling services include filtration, proofing, and packaging for sizes from 200 ml to 1.75 liters, with capacity to bottle up to 250,000 cases annually. The facility has seven rickhouses, each with a capacity of 20,000 barrels. The Blending House also offers support on packaging development, logistics, bookkeeping, graphic design, marketing, and distribution. “We built The Blending House to allow producers to protect quality, operate efficiently, and grow without the capital burden of building and operating their own facility,” said CEO Monica Wolf Brown.—David Fleming

Peerless Checks In With Whiskey Row Hotel Partnership

Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. has partnered with Hotel Distil, a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel located on Whiskey Row in Louisville, to create a whiskey-themed suite option. Alongside the hotel’s typical accommodations, the new Peerless Distilling Suite package includes distillery branding throughout the room, including a whiskey barrel, wall art depicting steps of the distillery’s production method, and a large display showing a historic Peerless Bottled in Bond label. Each room also includes a bespoke coffee blend made by Peerless master taster John Waddell, two signature cocktails made with a single barrel Peerless Double Oak at the hotel’s steakhouse, and two tickets for a guided distillery tour at Peerless (not available on Sundays). Reservations can be booked online.—Danny Brandon

Louisville Slugger Field To Receive Two Bourbon Bars

Calling all baseball fans in Kentucky! Louisville Slugger Field, home of the Louisville Bats Triple-A minor league team, has signed a multi-year contract with Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. that will transform two of the stadium’s club sections into bourbon-themed outposts this upcoming season. The first is the Whiskey Thief Stadium Club, located on the second level behind home plate. It’s a lounge with indoor seating and a bar, boasting a panoramic view of the ballpark and Downtown Louisville’s waterfront. Below the Stadium Club sits The Backstop (previously the On Deck Club), an immersive speakeasy, complete with seats just two rows behind home plate, a buffet, and a bar. Whiskey Thief products will be available in both, and tickets ($30 for the Stadium Club, and $90 all-inclusive for The Backstop) can be purchased online.—Danny Brandon

Jim Beam "Raised Together" Film

Jim Beam has released “Raised Together,” a new global brand film debuting ahead of the F1 racing season. Last year, Jim Beam inked a deal to become the Official Spirits Partner of the Cadillac Formula 1 Team. The film harks back to a defining moment in Jim Beam's history, when its founder and namesake placed a mason jar of his proprietary yeast in the front seat of his Cadillac each evening to bring it home with him, thereby protecting the brand’s legacy. Jim Beam’s seventh-generation master distiller Fred Noe also drives a Cadillac. A special second cut of the film featuring Cadillac Formula 1 Team drivers Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas will be shared across Jim Beam’s social channels in the coming days.—Shanken News Daily

Ricky Gervais’ Distillery Unveils Three Ridings Whisky

Three Ridings, a new English single malt, has been unveiled by Ellers Farm Distillery in Yorkshire. The distillery is co-owned by British comedian Ricky Gervais and is the home of Dutch Barn Vodka. The news is accompanied by a four-part documentary exploring the malting, brewing, and distilling process behind the whisky, which is due to be launched later this year. Ahead of the release, the distillery is making 1,000 individually numbered bottles of its first release available for purchase as part of the Evolution Collection on the Three Ridings website.—Jonny McCormick

Virginia Distillery Co. Expands With New Marketing Platform

Single malt specialist Virginia Distillery Co. (VDC) has announced the creation of Pound & Penny Spirits, a new marketing platform for up-and-coming spirits brands looking for growth opportunities. Through the new program, VDC will offer brands national sales management, distribution strategy and oversight, price structuring, account development, sales teams, and marketing. It also offers exports to 10 foreign markets, including the UK, France, Australia, South Korea, and Taiwan. The platform’s first partner is Cieto, an additive-free tequila distilled from estate-grown Highland agave. VDC plans to focus on bourbon, gin, rum, and whiskey, and it’s currently in talks to bring additional brands on board.—Danny Brandon

BrewDog Enters Administration

Following the closure of BrewDog Distilling in January, parent company BrewDog entered administration this week, with U.S. cannabis and beverage company Tilray Brands acquiring select assets, including the brand, the brewery in Scotland, and a small selection of UK bars for $44 million as part of a restructuring deal. Negotiations continue over BrewDog’s U.S. and Australian brewery operations, while its German operation has gone into liquidation. Over 700 staff were retained, but 38 bars will close, with nearly 500 job losses expected. BrewDog’s 200,000 “Equity for Punks” investors, a crowdfunding program that raised around $100 million, are unlikely to see any money under the deal. BrewDog Distilling closed before it had released its own whisky. Neither Tilray nor BrewDog responded to Whisky Advocate’s questions about the fate of BrewDog’s maturing whisky stocks, or what will become of the private casks of single malt and grain whisky auctioned to whisky enthusiasts by Whisky Hammer between 2022 and 2024.—Jonny McCormick

Whisky Bidders Ceases Trading, Cancels February 2026 Auction

Based in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland, Whisky Bidders specialized in the secondary market for Irish whiskey. It was founded by director Ian Hayes and held its first auction in June 2021. The February 2026 auction was cancelled with immediate effect.—Jonny McCormick