Rumors Swirl Over Potential $1 Billion Four Roses Bourbon Sale

(Photo: Four Roses)

On Friday, The Financial Times reported that Kirin Holdings has put Four Roses Bourbon up for sale in the ballpark of $1 billion. The Tokyo-based company is reportedly working with investment bank UBS to find a buyer as it refocuses its priorities from spirits to healthcare.

The rumors have yet to be verified by upper management. In a statement shared with several news outlets, Kirin Holdings wrote: “At this time, there is nothing we can confirm regarding the report, and we have no comment to offer.”

Four Roses is one of the biggest names in American whiskey, tracing its roots back to 1888. Currently produced at a dedicated distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, the brand produces 10 bourbon recipes using two mashbills and five proprietary yeast strains. Recent launches include a Single Barrel Collection and its 2025 Limited Edition Small Batch, the latter of which is hands down one of our favorite releases of the year thus far.

Kirin Holdings purchased the brand in 2002. The company, which has a $15 billion portfolio spanning beverages, pharmaceuticals and skincare products, is best known stateside as the owner of Japanese whiskey brand Fuji and Australia’s Four Pillars gin. According to earnings reports, Kirin’s alcoholic drinks division saw a 19.9% revenue decline in the first six months of the year. Four Roses, however, appeared to defy the trend, dropping by only 0.2% year over year.

Time will tell whether or not the historic bourbon maker can meet the reported $1 billion asking price. It’s a large sum, though not entirely without precedent in the spirits industry. George Clooney and Rande Gerber famously sold Casamigos for the same figure in 2017, followed a year later by the $5.1 billion acquisition of Patrón by Bacardi Limited.

High-profile sales in the whiskey space include Proper No. Twelve, which was bought by Jose Cuervo-maker Becle for $600 million, and the Wilderness Trail Distillery, which sold a 70% stake to Campari Group for $420 million in 2022. Four Roses is a much larger brand than either of the above, and is likely to draw interest from conglomerates doubling down on their spirits portfolio.