Coquille Tribe Breaks Ground on New Distillery, Heritage Distilling-Branded Tasting Room & Expanded Entertainment Zone at Coos Bay Casino

EUGENE, Ore., Feb. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heritage Distilling Company, Inc. ("HDC" or "Heritage" or "The Company"), a leading craft distiller of innovative premium brands, and the Coquille Indian Tribe of Oregon announced the ground breaking of Oregon’s first Tribally-Owned distillery and tasting room, located at The Mill Casino-Hotel & RV Park on Coos Bay, in North Bend, Oregon. The project broke ground this month and is expected to open to the public by the end of the year. Both Heritage and Coquille-branded spirits will be produced and bottled on Tribal land and sold at the casino’s several bars, restaurants and retail outlets.

“After more than two years of planning, negotiating with the state of Oregon, and completing design work, we are thrilled to have broken ground on this historic project,” said Margaret Simpson, Chief Executive Officer of CEDCO, the Tribe’s venture arm that owns and operates The Mill Casino-Hotel & RV Park. “All members of the team, including Heritage Distilling and fi architecture, have brought forth a design for a customer experience space that will be unparalleled for hundreds of miles in every direction. The completion of this project at The Mill further solidifies our casino and resort as the premier destination in the region.”

The project will feature an updated Plank House restaurant, two indoor digital golf suites and a Heritage-branded tasting room. Spanning two levels and with panoramic views of Coos Bay, the tasting room includes two full-service bars, a cigar lounge, retail space, private event suites and Heritage’s proprietary Cask Club^®.

Led by Justin and Jennifer Stiefel since 2011, Heritage is the most-awarded craft distillery in North America by the American Distilling Institute for a decade and is recognized for its brand family of premium whiskies, gins, vodkas, rums and ready-to-drink cocktails. Beyond their mastery of distilling, the Stiefels saw both an injustice done to Native American indigenous communities and a mutually beneficial economic opportunity to create national distribution for Heritage’s portfolio of craft spirits. Together, they established the Tribal Beverage Network (TBN), a first-of-its-kind partnership with Native American Tribes to develop Heritage-branded distilleries, brands and tasting rooms to serve patrons of Tribal casinos and entertainment venues.

Jennifer Stiefel, president and co-founder of Heritage Distilling, added: “We are honored to break ground on this historic project with the Coquille Tribe. This marks a significant milestone for the Tribe, the Tribal Beverage Network and Oregon’s craft spirits industry. The Tribe’s commitment to economic self-sufficiency and innovation aligns perfectly with Heritage Distilling’s mission, and we are proud to stand alongside them in bringing the state’s first Tribally-Owned distillery to life. This is more than a distillery—it’s a long-term economic resource that will support the Tribe for generations to come.”

The distillery will be modeled after Heritage’s industry-leading operations derived from its five distilleries and tasting rooms across Washington and Oregon. As a TBN partner, the Coquille-owned and operated destination will also offer several amenities for patrons including a tasting room that features Heritage spirits like Cocoa Bomb Chocolate Whiskey, Heritage canned cocktails, Florescence Vodka, Stiefel’s Select Single Barrel and small batch whiskeys, and Heritage’s latest Salute Series which honors and supports military and first responder communities.

In addition to on-site tastings, the Coquille distillery will also extend unique membership programs available to TBN partners: The Cask Club^®, an annual membership-based program that allows members to create, customize and age spirits of their choice; and The Spirits Club^®, a program that provides members quarterly shipments of Heritage’s award-winning spirits delivered directly to their door at a reduced rate, as well as priority access to new, limited and seasonal releases.

The project designs were conceived by the team at fi architecture in Gig Harbor, Washington, the longtime design partner for all of Heritage Distilling’s retail and TBN locations. Detailed renderings of the project can be found on the fi architecture website here.

TBN members can benefit from wholesale and retail margins and tax capture. In addition, Tribes entering this industry can generate funds to support social and economic initiatives, increase employment, diversify the skillsets of their members and work with Heritage to create their brands to celebrate the unique characteristics of a Tribe or region.

The Coquille Tribe’s announcement follows on the heels of a recent announcement by the Tonto Apache Tribe in Payson, Arizona on its plans to open a Heritage Distilling branded location in partnership with Heritage at the Mazatzal Hotel and Casino’s newest development, Apache Corners. Until recently, an 1834 federal law prohibited anyone from setting up a distillery on Tribal land for manufacturing “ardent spirits.” In large part due to Heritage Distilling Company’s efforts, the antiquated Andrew Jackson-era law was finally repealed by Congress in 2018, paving the way for the Coquille Indian Tribe to pursue distillery operations on Tribal lands.

Heritage has several other Tribes participating in TBN, with partnership announcements planned in line with each Tribe’s development timeline. For more information on Heritage Distilling Company and the Tribal Beverage Network, visit heritagedistilling.com.

About the Coquille Indian Tribe

The Coquille Indian Tribe flourished in Oregon’s southwestern corner for thousands of years, cherishing the bountiful forests, rivers and beaches of a homeland encompassing more than 750,000 acres. In 1954, Congress declared the Coquille Tribe “terminated.” 35 years later the Tribe was formally restored to federal recognition in 1989. Today the Tribe numbers more than 1,100 members and it has regained more than 10,000 acres of ancestral homeland, proudly managing the bulk of it as sustainable forest. The Tribe provides education assistance, health care, elder services and (where needed) housing assistance to its people, while contributing substantially to the surrounding community’s economy. Its various enterprises employ approximately 600 people, and its community fund is the region’s leading local source of charitable grants.

About Heritage Distilling Company, Inc.

Heritage is among the premier independent craft distilleries in the United States offering a variety of whiskeys, vodkas, gins, rums and ready-to-drink canned cocktails. Heritage has been North America's most awarded craft distillery by the American Distilling Institute for ten consecutive years out of the more than 2,600 craft producers. Beyond this remarkable achievement, Heritage has also garnered numerous Best of Class, Double Gold, and Gold medals at esteemed national and international spirits competitions. As one of the largest craft spirits producers on the West Coast by revenue, the company is expanding its presence nationwide through a diverse range of sales channels, including wholesale, on-premises venues, e-commerce, and the innovative Tribal Beverage Network (TBN). The TBN initiative, a groundbreaking collaboration with Native American Tribes, focuses on developing Heritage-branded distilleries, unique Tribal brands, and tasting rooms tailored to Tribal communities. By serving patrons of Tribal casinos and entertainment venues, the TBN creates meaningful economic and social benefits for participating Tribes, while providing an additional avenue for Tribes to exercise and strengthen their sovereignty. This unique partnership reflects Heritage’s commitment to innovation, community engagement, and sustainable growth.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by words such as "aims," "anticipates," "believes," "could," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "goal," "intends," "may," "plans," "possible," "potential," "seeks," "will," and variations of these words or similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any such statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding anticipated results or benefits anticipated from the opening and operation of the TBN location mentioned in this press release or any other current or potential TBN location. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on Heritage’s current expectations, estimates and projections only as of the date of this release and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks of expanding sales and revenue due to the addition of new members of the executive team or new directors to the board. These and other risks concerning Heritage’s programs and operations are described in additional detail in its registration statement on Form S-1, which is on file with the SEC. Heritage explicitly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except to the extent required by law.

Released February 4, 2025