Ohio distillery goes bankrupt owing $3.35m
A.M. Scott Distillery in Ohio has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, with its debt totalling US$3.35 million.
The filing was recorded in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio on 22 December. Under Chapter 11, the distillery can continue to operate while it attempts to reorganise its debts.
Founded in 2022 by Anthony Scott, the company was established in Troy, Ohio. According to its website, the distillery produces a range of whiskey, rum, vodka and gin, but all products are currently showing as sold out.
The distillery listed less than US$500,000 in assets against approximately US$3.35m in liabilities in its bankruptcy petition.
Its list of creditors includes the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which the distillery owes a debt of US$15,956.20.
It also owes large sums of money to the Internal Revenue Service (US$25,379) and the Ohio Department of Taxation, which has filed several claims, including its largest at US$31,689 for sales tax.
The Spirits Business has approached A.M. Scott Distillery for a comment.
According to the American Craft Spirits Association’s Craft Spirits Data Project (CSDP) 2025, there were 64 active craft distilleries in Ohio as of August last year.
In total across the US, the latest CSDP reports 2,282 active craft distillers.
The nation’s craft spirits sector experienced its second year of decline since the creation of the CSDP report in 2016.
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%.
Several craft distilleries have gone bankrupt in recent months, including Oregon’s Rogue Ales & Spirits, Kentucky-based Luca Mariano Distillery, and 52 Eighty Distilling in Colorado.
In more positive news, Oregon-based Westward Whiskey was saved from bankruptcy in October by a group of private investors.
Last May, Ohio-based Middle West Spirits acquired Old Elk to “secure the future” of the whiskey brand by providing a dedicated production facility.
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