News Notes: Beam's "Creator Campus", Beyoncé Goes It Alone, Great Northern's China Deal

Beam Targets Influencers with "Creator Campus"

James B. Beam Distilling is inviting influencers and other creatives to explore its campus as part of a new initiative. Through Creator Campus, select individuals gain access to the distillery grounds and several dedicated areas—including American Outpost, Product Studio, The Kitchen Table, Baker Beam Home, Cocktail Grove, and event spaces—which they can use as workspaces to create original content like podcasts, videos, music, and more. Creators also have access to whiskey tastings, special releases, events, and restaurants, with the possibility of having their work amplified through Beam’s digital and social media platforms. Interested parties can apply online.

MGP Contract Sales Plummet, But Brands Stay Strong

MGP Ingredients shared its sales report for the second fiscal quarter of 2026, showing a 15% drop in total sales to $124.4 million year-over-year. Unsurprisingly, a large part of that decline can be attributed to the company’s Distilling Solutions arm, which saw a staggering 42% decline in sales to $29.2 million as demand for both new-make and aged inventory has receded in the current market conditions.

But MGP’s Branded Spirits division remains resilient by comparison, posting a 1% sales slippage to $59.6 million. (MGP notes that, excluding its private bottling business, sales are up 3%.) That performance was bolstered by growth within the company’s “premium-plus” and mid-priced segments, both of which separately posted 5% volume increases. Penelope is a key growth driver among premium brands, up 13% for the quarter and coming off an impressive 92% volume leap to 133,000 cases last year, according to our research arm Impact Databank.

MGP’s Ingredient Solutions division—the part of the company that provides food ingredients, which are produced at the company’s headquarters in Kansas—also grew, with sales rising 2% to $35.5 million.

Ireland's Great Northern Distillery Bets on China

Dundalk, Ireland-based Great Northern Distillery is expanding into the Chinese market thanks to a new long-term partnership with Chinese beer giant Tsingtao Brewery. Through the agreement, Great Northern will supply 3 to 21 year old whiskey to Tsingtao, which will label, market, and distribute it across its network in the country. The partners will also collaborate on new labels, specifically for Asian consumers, with a specialist blending team brought in to develop whiskeys that align with Chinese tastes.

China has emerged as a hotspot for whisky investments over the past few years, with many outside companies looking to plant their flag in what they view as an untapped market. In 2021, Diageo began building The YunTuo Single Malt Whisky Distillery, an impressive 710,418-square-foot facility in the southern Chinese province of Yunnan, at a cost of around $120 million. That same year, Pernod Ricard unveiled its own distillery named The Chuan Malt Whiskey Distillery located some 800 miles north of Diageo’s outpost. Tsingtao itself is planning to build a whisky distillery in China, and Great Northern will assist in that project.

Great Northern is owned by John Teeling and his sons Jack and Stephen. Its primary focus in on grain whiskey, though it also makes singe pot still and single malt whiskey, and blends.

Beyoncé Takes Sole Ownership of SirDavis

Two years after launching SirDavis rye in partnership with Moët Hennessy, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has acquired full ownership of the whiskey brand. While the whiskey, an MGP-sourced rye, was originally co-created by Dr. Bill Lumsden (who oversees Ardbeg and Glenmorangie) in an advisory role, it’ll now be handled solely by SirDavis blender Cameron George in Houston, Texas.

Jameson Irish Whiskey Expands Sports Presence with NFL Deal

Jameson Irish Whiskey has been named the Official Spirits Sponsor of the NFL through a multiyear partnership, taking effect in the upcoming season beginning in September. This comes after a five-year contract with Diageo’s Crown Royal concluded in April. The game plan brings the Irish whiskey brand to marquee events–including the Super Bowl, NFL Draft, and international games–with stadium activations, branded hospitality, and sweepstakes opportunities for fans.

Cedar Ridge Expands Distribution With LibDib

Iowa’s Cedar Ridge has partnered with wholesale distribution technology platform LibDib to bring its portfolio of spirits to California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, and New York. While the distillery had established presences in these markets already, the new partnership will deepen distribution and make them more accessible to retailers, on-premise operations, and customers alike. Cedar Ridge is now in a total of 17 states, which are handled by a variety of distributors, including Southern Glazer’s and Empire, among others. For its part, LibDib’s e-commerce platform has been around since 2017 and is something of a disruptor in the three-tier system, enabling more small-batch producers to find routes to market. While smaller brands are its specialty, the company is equipped to facilitate distribution for producers of any size.

Next Century Spirits Acquires Grain & Barrel Spirits Assets

Next Century Spirits, the owner of Bear Fight whiskey, Blue Chair Bay rum, Nue vodka, and Pocho Fino tequila, among other brands, has acquired assets from Grain & Barrel Spirits, including Chicken Cock Whiskey and its tasting room and retail shop Circa 1856 locations in Bardstown and Louisville, marking Next Century’s first physical presence in Kentucky. The deal also included Dixie Southern vodka, Elvis whiskey, and E.G. Booz. Grain & Barrel founder and CEO Matti Anttila is set to join the board of Next Century and will continue to oversee Chicken Cock’s growth in that role.

Mission Craft Introduces Pickle-Rita to Growing RTD Lineup

California-based Mission Craft Cocktails has expanded its ready-to-drink lineup with the Pickle-Rita, a 25% ABV dill-infused Margarita. It joins other Margarita flavors: Classic, Jalapeno Pineapple, Strawberry, Watermelon, and Tamarind, all made with agave from independent distillery Productos Finos de Agave. Additionally, it offers whiskey, vodka, and rum-based RTD cocktails. Launching this fall, the 375-ml bottles will be available for $13 at Total Wine & More, Costco, Ralphs, and online.