Panache Beverages to buy Florida distillery

Panache Beverages, owner of the Wodka Vodka and Alibi American Whiskey brands is to buy a distillery in Florida to bring production in-house.

The acquisition will bring production of Alibi American Whiskey and Wodka Vodka under Panache Beverage’s direct control

The New York-based group has signed an asset purchase agreement to acquire the Empire Winery and Distillery in Hudson, Florida, which it intends to reopen as the Panache Distillery before the end of 2013.

When operational, Panache plans to add bulk spirits production, third-party contract distillation and co-packing as additional revenue streams as it works to diversify the business.

James Dale, CEO of Panache Beverage, Inc. said: “Moving to manufacturing is a critical step for both Panache and its brands. The distillery will provide us with means to manage the supply of our own brands while also providing the parent company with new and diverse revenue streams.”

The acquisition will include the ownership of all assets including buildings, machinery, inventory and equipment.

Production of both Wodka Vodka and Alibi will transfer to the distillery in due course, allowing Panache to gain control of “supply chain, increased margin and cost control”.

Meanwhile, Jacob Call, former senior manager of distillery and bulk sales for the largest distillery and spirits bottler in the Southeast United States, has been appointed as the president of sales and operations for Panache Distillery.

In March this year Panache revealed that its Alibi American Whiskey brand generated over US$600,000 sales in its first month alone, boosting the group’s annual sales by 50%.