Green River Distilling being sold

Jul. 1—Green River Spirits and its Owensboro-based Green River Distilling Co. are being sold to Bardstown Bourbon Co., a division of Pritzker Private Capital, in July.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Holly Weyler, spokeswoman for Bardstown Bourbon, said no one from either company would be able to talk about it until the sale is final during the second week of July.

In 2014, what was then Terressentia Corp. bought the Charles Medley Distillers Kentucky distillery at 10 Distillery Road for $6 million and announced plans to spend $25 million to get the distillery, which hadn't produced bourbon since 1992, back into production.

Its bourbon was first called O.Z. Tyler.

In 2020, Terressentia bought the rights to the Green River bourbon brand, which had been dormant since 1918, and renamed the distillery and the company for the Green River brand.

That was the original name of the distillery in 1885.

In February, it re-launched its Green River bourbon to good reviews in the industry.

The company said it produced a record 94,000 barrels of whiskey last year.

That will increase in the future, officials said in February, and employment would also increase in bottling and warehousing.

There were 85 employees there earlier this year.

Daviess Judge-Executive Al Mattingly said, "I was surprised. Daviess Fiscal Court was not notified in advance. Hopefully, this is just a change in ownership and they will continue the good relationship they've had with the city and county."

Mayor Tom Watson said he heard about the pending sale a few weeks ago.

"But I really don't have any details," he said. "I just hope Jacob Call (the master distiller and director of operations) stays. I hope and pray that they stay a valued part of this community."

Mark Calitri, president of the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau, said, "Last year, our board identified bourbon tourism as one of the top opportunities to create a significant economic impact to Daviess County. The distillery is on pace to set a record number of tours and with this positive news coming out, those visitation numbers should continue to increase. This is an exciting time for Owensboro to expand, improve and enhance the impact of bourbon tourism."

Bardstown Bourbon Company was founded in 2014 by Peter Loftin, a multi-millionaire who founded Business Telecom Inc. (BTI).

He died in 2019 at age 61.

News reports in March said Bardstown Bourbon had been sold to Pritzker Private Capital, a family-owned company with offices in Chicago and Los Angeles.

Tony Pritzker heads the company. His brother, J.B. Pritzker, is the governor of Illinois. And their sister, Penny Pritzker, was secretary of commerce during the Obama administration.

The Bardstown distillery underwent a $28.7 million expansion this spring.

It says it "produces the highest-quality Kentucky bourbon and rye whiskey using some of the most sophisticated technology in the industry."

The distillery produces Discovery, Fusion and Collaborative Series bourbons, as well as "custom production for other premier whiskey and bourbon brands through its one-of-a-kind Collaborative Distilling Program," the announcement said.

It says it is the "first Napa Valley-style destination on the famed Kentucky Bourbon Trail to combine distilling, culinary and beverage expertise to create a modern, authentic bourbon experience."

Green River Spirits has set a goal of 50,000 visitors a year by 2027.

The announcement said, "The transaction will bring together two leading Kentucky bourbon producers into a strong, independent spirits company with a commitment to Kentucky whiskey."

Bardstown Bourbon says it distills more than 7 million proof gallons annually and is "one of the top 10 distilled spirits producers in the country."

"We're excited to forge this new partnership, which brings together two world-class teams and expands the breadth of our portfolio and the number of customers served," Mark Erwin, CEO of Bardstown Bourbon, said in the news release.

The sale includes Green River's spirits production facility in Charleston, South Carolina, which has a contract distillation business producing whiskey, rye, vodka, rum, gin and flavored whiskey.

Keith Lawrence, 270-691-7301 klawrence@messenger-inquirer.com