Avalon Spirits Corporation, a new venture from former Castle Brands COO John Glover, has made its first move by acquiring Whiskey Row Bourbon, the company announced late last week. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Positioned as a distilled spirits marketing and sales company, Avalon was created by Glover, who spent 12 years with the spirits development company up until its $223 million acquisition by Pernod Ricard in 2019. The deal gave the French spirits company control of Jefferson’s Bourbon, Goslings rum, and Knappogue Castle Irish whiskey— and marked a deeper expansion into American Whiskey.
Glover, who also worked for Remy Cointreau and Lucas Bols predecessor Bols Royal Distilleries, is now aiming to replicate that success with Avalon, whose goal is to “acquire and build an elite portfolio of super premium spirits brands both fully owned and with appropriate partners,” according to a release.
The miami-based company’s first brand is Whiskey Row, the brainchild of Steve Thompson, a well known whiskey distiller and member of the Bourbon Hall of Fame who died in 2021. The brand is owned by brand management company TSS Brands and produced by Kentucky Artisan Distillery, which also houses Jefferson’s.
“The acquisition of Whiskey Row will allow Avalon to start operations with a super-premium brand conceived and developed by one of the foremost experts in the bourbon industry,” Glover said. “Our vision is to offer unique, delicious expressions of bourbon and other whiskey by bringing together the best of craft distillation, careful maturation and selective blending of complementary distillates.”
Whiskey Row is now available in select U.S. markets and will be progressively rolled out nationally and to major whiskey markets in Europe and internationally.
Avalon’s acquisition follows a flurry of M&A activity in the category including Italy’s Illva Saronno’s majority stake in rye whiskey distillery Sagamore Spirit and Molson Coors’ purchase of another Kentucky-based distillery, Blue Run Spirits. American whiskey sales have been on the rise: up 10.5% totalling $5.1 billion in 2022, and +0.3% in sales the last 52 weeks off-premise ending September 9 according to NIQ.