This $250 Million Bourbon Distillery COLLAPSED in Just 14 Months

📖 Get The Bourbon Buyer eBook. My 60-page field manual: https://caskritual.com Garrard County Distilling Company spent two hundred and fifty million dollars building one of the largest independent bourbon distilleries Kentucky had ever seen, and fourteen months later the doors were locked, the bank was in court, and every dollar was gone. This is how a quarter-billion-dollar bourbon empire collapsed in just over a year, what the warning signs were, and what it means for every bottle you buy next. You will learn how Staghorn, founded by Ray Franklin in 2018, broke ground in Lancaster, Kentucky weeks after the town first voted to allow alcohol production, building a fifty thousand square foot distillery rated for a hundred and fifty thousand barrels a year, why the flagship All Nations bourbon at thirty-nine ninety-nine was a sourced five to seven year blend with seventeen thousand barrels aging on site before the company ran its own stills, and how Franklin left just ten months after opening while master distiller Lisa Wicker departed within months. The video covers the sixteen million barrel glut driving Jim Beam to shut down Clermont for all of 2026, the bankruptcies of Luca Mariano, Kentucky Owl, and Uncle Nearest, and how Tom Collins Distilling registered at Sazerac's headquarters bought Garrard County's loans before moving for foreclosure on a quarter-billion-dollar campus for pennies on the dollar. Cask Ritual breaks down the bourbon and whiskey industry so you can drink smarter and spend with confidence. #Bourbon #KentuckyBourbon #BourbonNews Chapters and key moments: 00:00 How a two hundred and fifty million dollar bourbon distillery collapsed in fourteen months 00:40 The quarter-billion-dollar bet on Garrard County 03:16 All Nations bourbon and the sourced whiskey behind the label 04:04 Red flags one and two the founder and master distiller both leave 05:01 Red flags three and four sourced bourbon and a scale that made no sense 13:34 The sixteen million barrel glut and the industry-wide fallout 14:33 The bankruptcies from Luca Mariano to Uncle Nearest 17:08 Sazerac, Tom Collins Distilling, and the foreclosure 20:36 Four lessons every bourbon buyer should take from the collapse Want to verify the facts in this video? Here are some of the sources we used for our research: https://www.thestreet.com/retail/250m... https://www.murrayledger.com/news/clo... https://www.bourbonbanter.com/garrard... https://www.fredminnick.com/2025/01/1... https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/20... https://thedailypour.com/whiskey/bour... https://www.wdrb.com/community/kentuc... https://whiskeyreviewer.com/2026/05/b... https://nriglobe.com/business/kentuck... https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/202... https://focusonrisksv.substack.com/p/... https://www.thestreet.com/retail/tari... https://www.aol.com/kentucky-county-d... https://internewscast.com/news/bourbo... Contact: [email protected] Facebook:   / caskritual   Instagram:   / cask.ritual   Pinterest:   / caskritual   X: https://x.com/caskritual TikTok:   / caskritual   Threads: https://www.threads.com/@cask.ritual Disclaimer: This video and channel (Cask Ritual) are intended exclusively for individuals of legal drinking age in their jurisdiction (21+ in the US, 18+ or 19+ in many other countries—check your local laws). We do not promote or encourage excessive or irresponsible alcohol consumption. Always drink responsibly, know your limits, and never drink and drive. If you have health concerns, consult a medical professional before consuming alcohol. All reviews, tasting notes, recommendations, and opinions shared in these videos are subjective, based on personal experience, and for entertainment/educational purposes only. Taste preferences vary widely—what I enjoy, you might not, and vice versa. No sponsorships, affiliate links, or paid promotions are implied unless explicitly stated in the video/description. Cask Ritual is not providing medical, financial, or legal advice. Viewer discretion is advised. Cheers responsibly!