In January 2021 MGP Ingredients acquired Luxco, Inc. The merger brought together two companies with distilling and bottling operations across several states.
Luxco brought with it an established platform of extensive operational capabilities and a comprehensive national sales footprint with a portfolio of brands including Ezra Brooks Bourbon Whiskey, Daviess County Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Yellowstone Bourbon Whiskey, El Mayor Tequila and Everclear.
MGP Ingredients brought with it the MPG Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. The distillery has gone by several names over the years including the Seagrams Distillery, Lawrenceburg Distillery and the MGP Distillery. It is best known in the industry as a bulk provider of bourbon and rye whiskies for some very famous brands as well as many startup craft distilleries across the United States.
Over the last several years the MGP Distillery started launching several of its own brands including George Remus Bourbon, Eight & Sand Bourbon and Rossville Rye.
With the merger of the two companies Luxco has taken over as the distiller of the companies branded spirits. That leads to its latest announcement for the southern Indiana distillery and its new name.
Luxco will rename the 174-year-old, Lawrenceburg distillery of its branded spirits Ross & Squibb Distillery™ as it joins the Luxco family of brands. Effective immediately, the distiller of George Remus Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Rossville Union Straight Rye Whiskey will go by its new name.
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Where Does the Name ‘Ross & Squibb Distillery’ Come From?
Like the brands it produces, Ross & Squibb Distillery pays tribute to Indiana’s distilling history and the pioneers who transformed Lawrenceburg, Indiana, into “Whiskey City USA” and helped make Indiana the rye capital of the world. The Ross & Squibb name is a celebration of two such stories.
“Ross” is inspired by the legacy of George Ross, who in 1847 founded the Rossville Distillery, located on what is now the Ross & Squibb Distillery campus. Considered one of Lawrenceburg’s original distilleries and one of America’s last Prohibition-era distilleries, Rossville Distillery produced some of the finest rye whiskeys in the world and was the inspiration for the Rossville Union Straight Rye Whiskey brand.
“Squibb” calls back to the historic Squibb Distillery, founded in 1869 in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and later purchased in 1921 by George Remus, King of the Bootleggers® and inspiration for the George Remus Straight Bourbon Whiskey brand.
“In rebranding our Lawrenceburg distillery, we sought to celebrate Indiana’s rich and important distilling history, particularly as it involves the inspiration behind our branded spirits,” said David Bratcher, COO and president of branded spirits for MGP. “All Ross & Squibb brands find their inspiration in Indiana distilling history, so it is fitting the distillery itself now does as well.”
Will the MGP Bulk Spirits Name Change?
The short answer is no change. MGP will continue to produce bourbon, rye, whiskey, gin and grain-neutral spirits from this facility under its current name: MGPI of Indiana, LLC for its bulk spirits customers.
A Brief History of the Lawrenceburg, Indiana Distillery
Trying to trace a distilleries family tree is no easy task. Long before spirits tourism along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail or the Tennessee Whiskey Trail was a thing, distilleries were basically factories. They were often dangerous places to work and lacked many safety precautions which is why many of them burned to the ground never to be rebuilt. Add in things like Prohibition shutdowns along with the rise, fall and rise again of brown spirits and things get complicated. That said, distilling operations have been going on at this location for nearly two centuries. Here is a brief timeline provided by MGP.
The Lawrenceburg distillery was established in 1847 as Rossville Distillery. It was acquired after Prohibition by Joseph E. Seagram and Sons in 1933 and subsequently purchased by Pernod Ricard in 2001. It became Lawrenceburg Distillers, LLC (LDI) in 2007 under the ownership of CL Financial until the purchase by MGP in 2011. And as of now, the consumer branded side of the distillery will be known as the Ross & Squibb Distillery while the bulk spirits side will continue to be known as MGPi of Indiana.
Luxco Brands Now Operate 5 Distilleries
Luxco was founded in St. Louis in 1958 by the Lux Family. It is a leading producer, supplier, importer and bottler of beverage alcohol products. The company merged with MGP Ingredients, Inc. in 2021. Luxco operates as MGP’s Brands Division and manages all MGP/Luxco brands.
The Luxco brand umbrella now includes five distinct distilleries located in two US states, D.C and Mexico. The locations include Lux Row Distillers, Bardstown, Kentucky; Limestone Branch Distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky; Destiladora González Lux, producer of tequilas in Jalisco, Mexico; Green Hat Distillery in Washington, D.C. and Ross & Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
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