Ex-Castle Brands exec buys Whiskey Row Bourbon

Avalon Spirits, a new marketing and sales company founded by Castle Brands’ ex-chief operating officer, has acquired the owner of Whiskey Row Bourbon.

John Glover, who served as chief operating officer of Jefferson’s Bourbon maker Castle Brands until it was acquired by Pernod Ricard in October 2019, is the founder of Avalon Spirits.

The former CEO of Castle Brands, Richard Lampen, has also joined the business as a director.

The company aims to acquire and build super-premium spirits brands.

“We strongly believe that the time is ripe for a company like Avalon,” Lampen explained.

“We have assembled an outstanding group of investors with both the expertise and resources to establish and build a world-class company.

“In addition, John Glover and the rest of our management team have proven skills in partnering with outstanding brand owners and successfully creating attractive, profitable products that will stand the test of time.”

The firm has purchased Whiskey Row as its first brand after buying the Bourbon’s owner TSS Brands.

The brand is distilled by the Kentucky Artisan Distillery in Crestwood, Kentucky.

Whiskey Row was inspired and named after a section of Main Street in Louisville, Kentucky, described as the birthplace of Bourbon.

“The acquisition of Whiskey Row will allow Avalon to start operations with a super-premium brand conceived and developed by one of the foremost experts in the Bourbon industry,” said Glover.

“The brand pays tribute to the iconic district in Louisville, Kentucky, where the modern Bourbon business began.

“Our vision is to offer unique, delicious expressions of Bourbon and other whiskey by bringing together the best of craft distillation, careful maturation and selective blending of complementary distillates.”

Whiskey Row is now available in select US markets and will be progressively rolled out nationwide, and in key whiskey markets in Europe and the rest of the world.