A prominent American whiskey producer is pulling back from a facility it bought just five years ago, offering a glimpse into how the once-booming spirits industry is adjusting to a cooler market reality.
Barrell Craft Spirits recently sold its blending and bottling operation in Jeffersontown, Kentucky to American Craft Bottling. The company hasn’t disclosed what it got for the property, but the sale marks a significant shift in strategy for a business that expanded aggressively when demand for American whiskey was running hot.
The move reflects broader challenges facing whiskey makers across the country. After years of explosive growth that had distilleries scrambling to keep up with consumer appetite, the market has hit a rough patch. Recent data shows US whiskey sales dropped 2.5% to $3.1 billion in 2025, with the volume of bottles sold falling even harder at 3.4%, down to 10.6 million nine-liter cases…