While major distilleries across America shut down production lines and file for bankruptcy, a small Kentucky operation is charting a different course. Buzzard’s Roost, a whiskey brand born just six years ago in downtown Louisville, posted 21% revenue growth in 2025 and is now betting on another record-breaking year ahead.
The news stands in sharp contrast to an American whiskey industry facing its toughest stretch in years. Production has gone silent at facilities owned by some of the biggest names in spirits. Diageo paused operations at its Balcones and George Dickel distilleries. Jim Beam, one of the most recognizable brands in bourbon, stopped production at its main facility and won’t restart until the end of 2026. In Texas, Artisan Distillery & Craft Bar announced it would close its doors on January 25 after 13 years, unable to manage what it called significant production costs. Oregon’s Rogue Ales & Spirits saw its parent company file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy last November.
Against that backdrop, Buzzard’s Roost co-founders Judy Hollis Jones and Jason Brauner are pushing forward with plans for double-digit growth in 2026. Their operation includes a microdistillery and tasting room on Louisville’s Whiskey Row, and they say they’ve figured out what drinkers want even as the broader market cools…