Rogue Ales & Spirits goes bankrupt
The parent company of Oregon-based Rogue Ales & Spirits has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, with its debt totalling US$16.7 million.
Oregon Brewing Company voluntarily filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on 24 November in the US Bankruptcy Court, District of Oregon. The case filing notes that it has a total debt of US$16,763,460.26.
The court document states that it owes large sums of money to several banks including US$1.35m to Northrim Bank.
It has also failed to pay property tax to the Lincoln County Tax Collector for a sum of US$510,827.
Other significant creditors include the Oregon Liquor & Cannabis Commission (US$61,405) and Hops Direct (US$865,441).
Rogue Ales was founded in Newport, Oregon, in 1988 by Jack Joyce, Bob Woodell, Rob Strasser and Jeff Schultz as one of the first microbreweries in the US.
Since then, it has expanded into spirits, launching the American single malt brand Dead Guy Whiskey in 2006, alongside gin, vodka, absinthe, and CBD seltzers.
The company began distilling in 2003 and moved its distillery from Portland to Newport in 2007.
According to its website, Rogue operated six pubs across Oregon, in addition to a brewery and distillery. Local reports claim that all sites were abruptly shut earlier this month.
The Spirits Business has approached Rogue Ales & Spirits for comment.
Fellow Oregon-based whiskey producer Westward was recently saved from Chapter 11 bankruptcy by a group of private investors, enabling the business to restructure.
Oregon was the ninth-biggest US state for craft distillers, according to the American Craft Spirits Association’s Craft Spirits Data Project report.
The US craft spirits sector reached 12.7m cases last year (versus 13.5m in 2023) and US$7.58 billion in sales – a volume decrease of 6.1% and a value drop of 3.3%.
Related news
The 10 US states consuming the most rum
