The Italian spirits group buys Kentucky distillery for $600 million
On Monday, October 31, Italian spirits group Campari reached an agreement to purchase a 70 percent stake in Wilderness Trail Distillery, a Kentucky-based producer of bourbon and rye whiskey. The stake was purchased for $420 million.
The Italian spirits group has the option to buy the remaining 30 percent in 2031. The deal is valued at $600 million, making it Campari’s second biggest acquisition after it bought Grand Marnier, a French brand of liqueurs, in 2016, according to Reuters. The United States is Campari’s largest market.
This is not Campari’s first foray into the bourbon business. In 2009, it purchased Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY. Wilderness Trail Distillery, which was founded in 2012 in Danville, KY, is the 14th largest bourbon distillery in the world, according to the Lexington Herald Reader. In a press statement, Campari praised Wilderness’ Trail’s “skillfully handcrafted and fast-growing super-premium bourbon and rye whiskey brand with world-class distillery facilities.”
Asia London Palomba
Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy, currently pursuing her master's in journalism at New York University (NYU). In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, and The Christian Science Monitor. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.