Introduction to the Business of Bourbon

Thanks for checking out The Business of Bourbon!

My name is Shane Thomas, an agriculture professional from Canada that has become a bourbon enthusiast over the last few years.

I have zero experience in the spirits industry and quite frankly know infinitely more about how to produce the corn, rye, wheat and barley in bourbon, than bourbon itself. However, I am insatiably curious about the bourbon industry and the business surrounding it and strive to learn more week in and week out.

One of the ways I attempt to learn about any industry is through the business and economics surrounding it. This typically has me scouring the reports of publicly traded companies along with 3rd party industry groups to assess, analyze and breakdown the numbers and information and turn them into useful insights to navigate the space.

I searched for break downs like this among whiskey and bourbon websites, but the information tends to be more centered around tasting reviews, new product releases and basic industry news. All super interesting and helpful, but less insightful to me in regards to learning more about things like the premiumization of the whiskey industry that we are seeing:

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Or the unprecedented growth in production and inventory levels in of bourbon in Kentucky:

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What I intend to do on a bi-weekly basis is dive into the business of publicly traded companies and highlight the most interesting aspects of their business and their industry views. This will also entail economic reports from Universities, along with reports from industry groups, like The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, and analyzing industry news through a business lens.

The companies I intend to cover and highlight include:

Kirin Holdings (Four Roses)

Diageo (Bulleit)

Bacardi (Angels Envy)

MGP Ingedients (Luxco)

Campari (Wild Turkey)

Brown-Forman (Jack Daniels, Old Forester)

Beam Suntory (Jim Beam, Makers Mark)

Pernod Ricard (Jefferson’s, Rabbit Hole)

SNDL Inc (Canadian Liquor Retail)

And where possible, breaking down the news and investments of private companies, such as Heaven Hill and Sazerac Company.

If you are interested in learning about the business of bourbon with me, please subscribe!

I am always looking to meet other bourbon enthusiasts so please reach out to me if you want to connect!