News Notes: Sazerac Considers Brown-Forman, Kentucky Bourbon Trail Visits Remain Strong, Redemption's Revamp & More

Sazerac is reportedly exploring a merger with Brown-Forman, which is currently in talks with Pernod Ricard about a potential partnership. And while bourbon sales have been slumping lately, the visitor numbers on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail were surprisingly robust in 2025. Elsewhere, Redemption whiskey has increased the ABV of its core bourbon, while the entire line's packaging has been transformed. Minnesota single malt maker Brother Justus is also rebranding.

Sazerac Weighs Entering Pursuit of Brown-Forman

Just days after Pernod Ricard and Brown-Forman confirmed they’re in talks toward a potential merger, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Sazerac has also approached Brown-Forman about a potential tie-up, citing sources familiar with the matter.

A Brown-Forman and Sazerac merger would create an American whiskey powerhouse, combining Brown-Forman brands like Jack Daniel’s, Woodford Reserve, and Old Forester with the Sazerac stable, whose Buffalo Trace Distillery makes the eponymous bourbon as well as numerous other prized whiskeys, including Van Winkle, Col. E.H. Taylor, Weller, and Blanton’s, among others.

Sazerac is owned by the Goldring family and has built a large portfolio of brands through acquisitions over the years, including the purchase of Buffalo Trace Distillery in 1992. More recent deals have included the 2016 play for Southern Comfort from Brown-Forman for $544 million, among numerous other deals for spirits other than whiskey.

Brown-Forman’s portfolio, meanwhile, is dominated by Jack Daniel’s, including its flavored offshoots, along with Woodford Reserve, New Mix RTDs, and El Jimador and Herradura tequilas, among others.

It’s unclear as yet whether Sazerac’s offer of a merger could be more attractive to Brown-Forman than Pernod’s, but it appears, if nothing else, the French drinks giant now has competition in its bid for a deal.

Kentucky Bourbon Trail Sees Nearly 3 Million Visitors

Matching 2024's Kentucky Bourbon Trail visitor numbers, 2025 proves interest in bourbon remains strong, despite the headwinds being reported. The trail's 2.7 million visitors in 2025 were from all 50 states and over 50 countries. Attendance from bourbon fans in New York spiked, along with an increase in the number of folks making the pilgrimage from Florida, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. The Kentucky Distillers’ Association reports that most guests stay for an average of three to five days and spend between $600 and $1,400 on lodging, food, entertainment, and transportation. Is a trip to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail still on your bucket list? Get planning today, and be sure to book your trail destinations in advance.

Bourbon and Bacon? Yes, Please!

Collaborations are always interesting, but when one involves bourbon and bacon, it’s all the more exciting. Oscar Mayer and Evan Williams have partnered to create the meat company’s first bacon innovation in five years. The thick-cut 12-hour smoked bacon is cured with Evan Williams bourbon. The Maple Bourbon Bacon is hitting shelves nationwide. We can’t wait to try it with a Bacon Maple Old Fashioned and in some of our favorite dishes to pair with bourbon.

Basil Hayden Adopts New Pricing Structure

Beam’s Basil Hayden has reconfigured its portfolio, creating a three-tier brand structure. The brand’s core whiskeys now belong to the first tier, “Versatility” collection ($37), which touts the classic light and approachable profile the brand is known for. The second tier, one step above that, is the “Creativity” collection ($50), which focuses on more experimental releases that feature unusual blends, mashbills, or finishes. The third and top tier is “Rarity” ($85), which includes the brand’s most premium releases and aged stated whiskeys. Basil Hayden confirmed that we’ll see a new, still undisclosed Creativity release later this year.

Alongside the new tiered system, Basil Hayden has also retired its core Malted Rye expression in favor of the newly christened Golden Rye. The newcomer also has a 100% malted rye mashbill, and it was designed to be an introductory expression for new rye drinkers.—Danny Brandon

Redemption Gets a Bump-Up in Proof, and New Packaging

Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits has relaunched its Redemption Whiskey with new packaging and a new, higher-proof flagship bourbon. The brand’s new bottle shape features an embossed eagle and is rolling out across the core lineup—bourbon, rye, and high-rye bourbon. Redemption’s core bourbon is seeing its bottling proof bumped up to 46% ABV from 42%, bringing it in line with the brand’s rye and high-rye bourbon.

The move comes two years after the resolution of a long-running trade dispute between Deutsch and Diageo over Redemption’s packaging and its similarity to Bulleit bourbon’s bottle style. The dispute accused Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits of “diluting” Bulleit’s bottle design because Redemption’s was so similar. The final ruling imposed a permanent injunction against Redemption’s use of the bottle design.

The suggested retail price for the core line will remain the same at $30. Beyond the core releases, Redemption plans to continue to offer limited editions and older expressions.

Brother Justus’s Defiant Rebrand

Minnesota whiskey maker Brother Justus has rebranded, introducing a new logo that features a blacksmith’s hammer in front of a halo and dropping the American single malt designation in favor of simply American whiskey.

The change is the latest chapter in a years-long dispute between founder Phil Steger and the Trade and Tax Bureau over what constitutes an American single malt. When the category was officially recognized in December 2024, Steger was one of several distillers who took issue with the new standards of identity. Specifically, he disagreed with the maximum distillation strength of 160 proof, which brought the category in line with other American whiskey styles but further away from standards in other single malt hotspots like Scotland and Ireland.

With the new limit effectively elbowing Brother Justus out of the category where it had lived for over a decade, Steger was left with a hard decision: Distill to a lower proof and change the house style or call his whiskey something else. He chose to keep the production method the same, hence the new designation as American whiskey.—Danny Brandon

Silver Brothers Opens Distillery in the Hudson Valley

This June, Silver Brothers Whiskey is debuting both a new Empire rye and a distillery in Old Chatham, New York. In July, an American single malt will join the fray. Silver Brothers sits upon 220 acres of farmland in the Hudson Valley; in addition to the distillery, it’s home to the original site of the Shaker Museum and the Old Chatham Sheepherding Co., a farm-to-table restaurant. Husband-and-wife duo Matthew Greitzer and Kimberly Driessen-Greitzer purchased the property in 2020, began harvesting grains in 2022, and started production in 2023.

Jack and Coke Goes Sugar-Free

Jack Daniel’s is introducing three new sugar-free versions of its canned cocktails. The newcomers—Jack & Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Jack & Coca-Cola Cherry Zero Sugar, and Jack & Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero Sugar—are all made with Old No. 7 whiskey, and presented at 5% ABV with 100 calories per can. They’re available nationwide in six-packs ($17) that contain two 12-ounce cans of each flavor.—Danny Brandon

Wigle Whiskey Now Offers Canned Cocktails

Pennsylvania craft distiller Wigle Whiskey has released three bourbon-based RTDs, including Back Nine, Cranberry Crush, and Ginger Up, and two vodka-based cocktails just in time for summer sipping. Back Nine is a take on an Arnold Palmer, blending bourbon, black tea, and Meyer lemon; Cranberry Crush adds a tart spin to bourbon with cranberry juice and a hint of lemon; and Ginger Up is a mix of ginger ale and bourbon. All are 7% ABV and priced at $15 for four 12 oz. cans. Cans can be purchased on the distillery’s website and at Pennsylvania beer distributors.