Report: Sazerac eyes Brown-Forman
Sazerac pushes deeper into the state’s whiskey market with AJ Bond Distillery
5:46 p.m. April 9, 2026
DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor
Brown-Forman, the parent company of Lynchburg’s Jack Daniel Distillery, is drawing interest from another major spirits company, with the Wall Street Journal first reporting Thursday that privately held Sazerac is exploring a deal involving Brown-Forman even as Brown-Forman remains in separate talks with Pernod Ricard.
For Moore County, that is more than boardroom chatter. Brown-Forman owns the county’s largest employer, biggest tourism draw, and one of the institutions most closely tied to Lynchburg’s identity. The distillery draws more than 300,000 visitors to Lynchburg each year.
Sazerac’s Tennessee Push
For Tennessee readers, the timing adds another wrinkle: Sazerac is not just a major spirits company based in Louisville, Ky. It is also making a larger push into Tennessee whiskey. Sazerac owns several well-known brands, including Buffalo Trace bourbon, Fireball cinnamon whisky, Svedka Vodka, and Corazon Tequila.
On April 8, Sazerac announced that it had formally named its La Vergne, Tenn., operation AJ Bond Distillery and said the site is preparing to debut the company’s first Tennessee whiskey in summer 2026. That matters because Jack Daniel’s is not just another whiskey label in this state. It is Brown-Forman’s flagship Tennessee whiskey brand and the best-known Tennessee whiskey in the world.
AJ Bond is producing and aging what will become the company’s first Tennessee whiskey brand, built from a mashbill originally developed by Allisa Henley and the late John Lunn.
No Deal Announced
No deal was announced on Thursday. And there is no public indication that Brown-Forman has chosen a path forward.
The new report adds to a story that is already drawing attention across the spirits industry. On March 26, Brown-Forman and France-based Pernod Ricard said they were in discussions about a possible combination described as akin to a merger of equals. As Brown-Forman noted when that chatter first broke, the company “regularly explores and evaluates strategic opportunities.”
That leaves Brown-Forman at the center of two reported lines of interest: ongoing talks with Pernod Ricard and fresh interest from Sazerac. Whether either track leads anywhere remains unclear, but investors reacted quickly. Brown-Forman shares jumped 13% in afternoon trading on Thursday after news of Sazerac’s interest.
Why Brown-Forman Matters
Along with Jack Daniel’s, Brown-Forman’s portfolio includes Woodford Reserve and Old Forester. Sazerac bought Southern Comfort and Tuaca from Brown-Forman in 2016, giving the companies a prior history of dealing.
The talks are unfolding in a spirits market that has cooled since its pandemic-era highs. Reuters reported that major drinks companies are facing slower demand, cost pressures, tariff disruptions, and changing consumer habits, with younger drinkers pulling back from beer and spirits in some markets. Brown-Forman also maintained its fiscal 2026 forecast while citing a volatile and uncertain macroeconomic environment.
For Lynchburg, the story is straightforward, even if the deal details are not. Nothing has been signed. Nothing has been announced. But outside interest is now circling the company behind Jack Daniel’s from more than one direction, and Sazerac’s Tennessee push gives Moore County one more reason to pay attention.
