By Jack Sullivan, Director of Sales, Brindiamo
The whiskey industry is living a new chapter, one defined not just by growth, but by balance. After years of expansion and record production, inventories are higher than ever, and while sales remain strong, growth continues to moderate. For some, this feels like a challenge. For Brindiamo and our partners, it is an opportunity to build a stronger, more resilient ecosystem.
This moment calls for more than barrels changing hands. It calls for self-prescribed rationalization, for partnership, structure, and smart capital to ensure whiskey keeps moving... from warehouses into bottles, and ultimately to consumers around the world. That is why Brindiamo is evolving: doubling down on our role as a bridge between brands, distilleries, and investors, while continuing to work side by side with our client network to create the offramps the industry needs. Brindiamo’s role as a market stabilizer is more vital than ever, and we are working deeper with our client network to build the pathways that keep this industry balanced.
Supply is abundant. Bourbon production rose nearly 475% between 1999 and 2022, and Kentucky alone now has more than 14 million barrels of spirit aging. At the same time, global bourbon sales, which once grew by 7% annually through 2020, have slowed to ~2% in recent years. While this signifies a return to long-term growth trends, capacity was built on the most bullish demand-side projections.
But abundance is not the end of the story. It is the foundation for new opportunities, and a return to healthier barrel-to-bottle economics that now allow sourced brands to compete with distilleries on the shelf. What we’re witnessing is a natural self-rationalization in the market. The past decade’s narrative was dominated by scarcity, which often created uneven comparisons between heritage and craft brands. Today, with more mature liquid available at healthier price points, sourced brands can stand toe-to-toe with distilleries, competing on quality, innovation, and consumer connection rather than scarcity alone.
Accessible entry points: Aged barrels are available at prices that allow for a healthier brand environment. As we covered in our recent Brand Spotlight on Raconteur Rye, "post‑boom inventory realities have opened doors: access to barrels that would have been unavailable - or unaffordable - just a few years back, and with lower minimums."
Innovation pathways: Lower input costs give brands freedom to experiment with blending, finishing, and limited releases. Whiskey is older, better, and more unique. Because of this, bourbon in the bottle is writing a new chapter of innovation.
Collaborative partnerships: Surplus creates room for creative structuring, where distilleries, brands, and investors can align for shared outcomes. Real work is driving real results.
For Brindiamo, this is about more than absorbing excess stock. It’s about guiding the industry toward equilibrium, ensuring barrels don’t just age, but reach the right bottles, at the right time, for the right markets, both domestic and international.
It’s not just about sourcing - it is about ensuring the liquid meets the brand vision, goals, and aspirations. It’s about working with brands as an extension of their team to help them grow, win, and deliver their product vision to their customer.
This is why we’re especially bullish on the outlook for craft and sourced brands. With access to older, higher-quality liquid at sustainable prices, these brands are better positioned than ever to deliver distinctive, compelling products that resonate with consumers. The winners will be those who focus less on scarcity and more on authentic value to the whiskey drinker, which is what we’re all here for.
We’re proud to work with an incredible spectrum of brands, from heritage names to up-and-coming craft distillers, each with its own strategy for thriving in this market. Some are innovating with bold finishes, others are building long-term brand legacies with classic styles, and many are finding new audiences at home and abroad.
Together, these stories illustrate the resilience and creativity of the whiskey industry today, and the role Brindiamo and our partner network plays in helping barrels become bottles.
Many of our partners see it the same way:
“Brindiamo's dedication to understanding our unique needs has been instrumental. Brindiamo has a pulse on all facets of the industry. They personally connected us with key resources, including our liquid, and a trusted bottling partner we continue to rely on.”
— Rick Franco, Co-Founder, Four Branches Bourbon
This is what balance looks like: aligning barrels, capital, and bottling capacity so that whiskey keeps moving.
This is why Brindiamo is evolving, to meet the market where it is and create more balance and opportunity across the industry.
Unlocking more offramps: We are proud to support the launch of Trusted Trading Group, founded by Susie Garvin and James Hewlette, both former Brindiamo leaders. Their new firm is focused solely on helping brands get liquid into bottles across whiskey and other spirits: brokering, blending, finishing, and building the flexible partnerships brands need to move whiskey to market. Together, this creates more pathways for aging liquid to find its rightful place in bottles.
Doubling down on capital and scale: Brindiamo continues to focus on bringing new capital into the industry to work strategically for the industry through this market cycle. Our relationships with institutional investors and banks allow us to capture the opportunity of today by bridging the gap between distilleries, brands, and other key players.
Continued support of brand clients: We will continue to serve brands directly, particularly where long-standing relationships and strategic alignment exist. The barrel derives its value from the bottle, and our brand base and expertise are central to our strategy execution.
Our pivot is simple but powerful: Brindiamo and Trusted Trading Group together unlock balance for whiskey. One ensures barrels move into bottles; the other brings the capital and structure to keep the system healthy.
The whiskey industry is cyclical. Today’s surplus is turbulent but will eventually give way to tomorrow’s scarcity. In the turbulence lies opportunity. The question is: who will be positioned to take advantage when balance returns?
At Brindiamo, we believe the answer is clear: those who can align barrels, capital, and bottling capacity into a seamless, resilient system. That’s the future we are building alongside our partners and clients every day.
Because in whiskey, integrity, patience, and balance are everything... and in this new chapter, brands that deliver true value to consumers will define the future.
Looking to connect with Jack on your organization's approach in the current market? Feel free to fill out your information on our Contact Us page or email him directly at jack.sullivan@brindiamogroup.com.