THE BIG BOURBON RESOURCE NEWS
Finances, production, among issues getting worse
There are several developments of the last month I’ll lump into this category.
This is a double whammy from Diageo that illustrates the whisky industry problems. In August, the company announced it’s cutting $1 billion out of its budget over the next three years to compensate for flat to low growth in a lagging North America market. Diageo’s overall sales were down three percent in FY 2026 vs ‘25. During that same time period, the company that produces George Dickel and Bulleit whiskies cut or didn’t fill more than 1,900 jobs.
Meanwhile, the trade war between the United States and Canada is hurting spirits companies on both sides of the border. Canadians, angered by what they see as unfair tariffs, have been boycotting American products. Americans, angered by boycotts they see as unfair anti-competitive measures, raised tariffs more. This Business Insider piece is a good explainer. American companies have already felt the impact with the value of exports to Canada crashing to $89M in 2025 (down from 300M+)
Delays from production cuts have roiled the industry. There are wide spread reports of delivery delays as distillers have laid off production staff or temporarily closed facilities to save money. My bourbon group was supposed to be able to pick up a barrel of whiskey in June. It’s September and no word on when we’ll get it.
Further complicating matters (as if we need more complications), the second-largest distributor in the country, Republic National Distributing Company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late July. That clogged up the pipeline even more as distillers analyzed the case. In mid-August, RNDC announced it has a buyer for its Kentucky assets, subject to approval by the bankruptcy court.
I could write ad nauseum about the industry’s financial problems, but I’ll leave it at this. The financial statements of major companies, bankruptcies and layoffs paint a bleak picture for a struggling spirits industry. Diageo, with it’s three-year timeline, shows the problems aren’t going away anytime soon.
Cooper and Kings start selling direct
It’s been a busy few months for the Louisville-based Copper & Kings.
In July, the Bourdon Spirits Co. purchased the distillery. Several publications also reported Neace Venture invested in it and announced distribution would be cut and limited to six states, down from 42. That’s a massive retrenchment. The bourbon will still be available in Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin. Florida and Indiana.
But the August announcement that the distillery will begin direct to consumer sales is the biggest news the deserves the most attention. Distributors act as a middleman between distillery and retailer, so they get a cut of every bottle sold. Direct-to-consumer cuts out the middleman and the money they make.
Only eight states and the District of Columbia legally allow DTC for spirits (although most allow it for wine), so it’s not like the floodgates have opened. Yet. Another dozen or so states have active DTC legislation, though none appear imminent of serious action.
Consumers love DTC (as much as distributors despise it) because it provides more choice at a lower cost. That’s why we’re seeing a trickle of companies offer the service and more states at least willing to entertain the idea. All it takes is a couple more to states to allow DTC and that’s when the trickle becomes a flood. My guess: Distributor's will always be involved to some degree because of the jobs, economic impact, and most importantly, lobbying power.
Redemption Whiskey continues to expand its offerings and has launched a 100-proof bourbon aged at least six years.
It’s the first bottled-in-bond release and first of the distillery's Higher Marques Collection. It’s another move to fill out its offerings beyond the 92 proof bourbons and whiskeys that have been a hallmark of the brand. That’s a smart move because, like so many others, Redemption will have a wide range of products, from the budget bourbon ($29), the Redemption Bourbon Barrel 9 year ($100) and the Redemption 18 ($400). The bottled in bond, at $50, gives Redemption a nice bridge between the lower priced and 9-year options. I hope to have a review in the October newsletter.
5 questions with: Jonathan Macri of Knicks Film School
Our next 5 questions isn’t someone in the bourbon field and that’s on purpose. I’m going to expand this to people who like bourbon but have interesting stories to share, and I’m starting with Jonathan Macri, the NBA and New York Knicks writer.
Macri started his career as a lawyer and went into teaching. But his heart has always been with basketball. Seven years ago, he took over a small newsletter, Knicks Film School and turned it into a media company with social media posts, podcasts, and videos that reach hundreds of thousands of people across the country. You can find him analyzing the NBA and Knicks on television and online programs featuring prominent NBA writers and current and former players. Oh. He likes bourbon. (Full disclosure: I write for KFS).
By now you’ve likely done thousands of interviews on your YouTube channel . Do you have a favorite or favorites?
I’ve been lucky enough to talk to dozens of people who I’ve idolized for so long that it’s hard to narrow it down, but I’ll give you two. The first is Jeremy Lin, who I found to be incredibly thoughtful and reflective with all of his answers, and who gave me a nice compliment during the interview that stays with me to this day. The second is Bill Bradley. When I was an idealistic teenager, I read one of Bradley’s books when he was running for President and it just blew me away, making me want to go into public service for a time. So to get to talk to Bradley was quite the thrill. Also, it’s probably not a coincidence that my two picks went to Harvard and Princeton, respectively. I’m always in awe of people far smarter than I am.
There is a clip of you and your friend and producer Andrew Claudio (Shawn Hardie, a member of your Knicks faculty was in there briefly) reacting when the Knicks won their first championship in 53 years this past June. What were the last 16 seconds of the game like for you, as the Knicks were up just two points and trying to hold on?
It was the closest thing I’ve ever had to an out-of-body experience. I’m pretty good with words, and I honestly don’t have the words to properly describe it. The only thing I can say for sure is that at that moment, I never wanted anything so badly in my life, and it’s not particularly close. For the last several years, I think I internalized a belief that the Knicks would never win the championship, so when they finally got to the doorstep, I couldn’t believe what was happening.
I’m most impressed that you operate KFS like a new-school media company, not just as a podcast or newsletter. You’ve been able to blend social media, print (the newsletter), pods, video, and appearances on other platforms that provide information while a respected brand with a staff (the KFS Faculty). Was that the plan or did things just fall into place?
A plan? Ha! That would be like saying Leon Rose planned to come back from 29 points down in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on the day he signed Jalen Brunson. He surely had an idea Brunson would be very good, but it’s impossible to know how the journey is going to play out. The same is true of KFS. All I ever wanted to do was put out as much good content as possible, and I was always willing to work as hard as I could to make that happen. How everything shook out from there is a testament to the incredible group of people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet along the way, none more so than Andrew Claudio, who really makes KFS what it is.
You work insane hours during the season and often go on three hours (or even less) sleep after watching a game, doing as post-game show that lasts 2-3 hours and writing a 2,000 word newsletter that gets delivered just before you get to bed. So when you have downtime, what whiskies do you like to drink.
This is where I wish I had a better answer for you, because I’ve been drinking bourbon for long enough that I should have a stable of old reliables as my go to choices. The truth is that people have known me as a bourbon drinker for a while and I often get bottles as gifts, so I’ll drink whatever is given to me. I probably have between three and five bottles open at any given time, and will rotate between those. One that always stands out is a bottle you gave me years ago from Weller, I believe it was Antique 107. That was unlike anything I’d experienced before. Currently I’m working my way through a bottle of Bardstown origin series that is quite nice.
If you could have a whisky with any current or former NBA player, who would it be, why, and what would you drink?
This is cheating, because he’s known far more for his time as a coach and an executive than as a player, but it would be Pat Riley. This will mark his 60th season in or around the NBA in some capacity, and I’d be hard pressed to think of anyone who is still with us (and still seems pretty sharp, at that) and has better stories to tell. And that’s why I’d pick him, just to sit and listen to old tales, and maybe pick his brain on the current state of things. I’d happily have his bourbon of choice, especially if he’s paying.
THE BOURBON RESOURCE REVIEW
General Thomas Kentucky Bourbon, Single Barrel, Barrel Strength
Note: General Thomas Kentucky Bourbon provided a bottle for review purposes with no special consideration to the Bourbon Resource.
MSRP: $70
Mash bill: 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley
Proof: 111, though the whiskey can be bottled as high as 115 proof
General Thomas Kentucky Bourbon, Single Barrel, Barrel Strength
Summary: It’s more than a (clever) gimmick. Much more.
General Thomas Kentucky Bourbon, Single Barrel, Barrel Strength. Let’s taste it:
🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn glass
👉🏻Nose: Brown sugar, honey, vanilla, maple
👉🏻Taste: Honey, rye bread, caramel, brown sugar
👉🏻Finish: Long, warm, rye bread, pepper
History: According to the General Thomas website, owner Dan Gorman “combined three things he couldn’t stop talking about—Fort Thomas, bourbon, and AI—and created the first bourbon that talks back. The tech stack is patent-pending.”
Summary: This is the world’s first AI bourbon and it features George Henry Thomas, a general for the Union Army in the Civil War. Scan a QR code and Thomas will tell stories about the bourbon. You can even create a custom message that once inserted will play for as long as you keep the code (you get one message that you can’t redo, so be careful). It’s cool and will make a terrific holiday gift (and will make its way into the November holiday gift guide.). Here’s the silliness I recorded for my wife, Patty.
My wife is sufficiently embarrassed.
But the gimmick isn’t nearly as important as this very good sourced whiskey that’s been aged five years. If you like high-rye products this will be for you. It’s sweet on the nose, sugary on the palate and warm on the finish, which makes sense given the 30% rye. Given the quality, $70 is a reasonable price point.
Conclusion: General Thomas Kentucky Bourbon, Single Barrel, Barrel Strength
This is a definite buy. The smooth, warm bourbon will be a treat during the upcoming fall months, and I’ll need to get another bottle or two because this one won’t last long. It’s a winner.
Bourbon I forgot I had: John B. Stetson
In the days before I pressed send on this newsletter, I had to remove my 400-plus bottles of bourbon (many of you have far more) from shelves because I’m getting the house painted. I have a bourbon barrel that’s been carved out so I can put bottles there, too. The bottom shelves contains stuff I’ll use as mixers, and wayyyyyyyyyyy in the back I found a bottle of John B. Stetson.
The bourbon has long been discontinued, sometime in the mid-2010s is the best I can pinpoint. I likely purchased this on one of my Kentucky trips, when I used to go buy a dozen bottles (or more) at a time as I was building my collection.
According to the label, the sourced bourbon was bottled at 84 proof at the John B. Stetson Spirits LLC in Fairfield, CA. The label also says “Bourbon Whiskey 1/2 year old” which I take it to mean was only aged six months (though other sources say at least four year).
The nose isn’t bad, with some sweet vanilla, sugar and pepper. The palate was, well, harsh. For an 84 proof bourbon it has a lot of lingering burn. The short finish tastes like menthol so cough syrup fans would be happy. The quality makes me believe that, yep, six months is about right.
The bourbon’s not around but the distillery is, and it’s producing a 100-proof high-rye bourbon. Hopefully it’s far better that the John B., which will find its way back to whence it came.
That’s it for this month! The New York Knicks won the NBA championship, and for the last five summers I’ve written content for Knicks Film School. You can check it out here.
And our friends at Bourbon Obsessed have a tremendous catalog of bourbon and distillery reviews. You can see more from them here:
I do my best to catch typos, but am not always successful. See one? Let me know.
Ray Marcano writes and publishes the Bourbon Resource monthly. He’s a bourbon lover and long-time journalist who freelances for some of the country’s largest media brands. He’s the former national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, a two-time Pulitzer juror, a Fulbright fellow, and has been named best columnist in the state of Ohio two straight years (2025/26). He also covers Fine Wine and Dining in Ohio.