Sazerac Company is relaunching the Glenmore brand with two new expressions — Glenmore Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Glenmore Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey — at a suggested retail price of $19.99 per 750ml bottle, targeting the value-premium segment of the American whiskey market. Both expressions are bottled at 100 proof and ship immediately through Sazerac's U.S. distributor network to retailers, bars, and restaurants, with Rye availability beginning this month.
The Brand's Backstory
The Glenmore name traces to 1869, when Richard Monarch began distilling in Owensboro, Kentucky. The Glenmore Distillery Company operated for more than 120 years, distinguishing itself as one of the few distilleries licensed to bottle medicinal whiskey during Prohibition, before production ceased in 1992. Sazerac subsequently acquired the Owensboro site and converted it into one of its largest facilities for production, barrel aging, and bottling across multiple spirits categories — making this relaunch a logical extension of an asset the company has operated for decades.
Product and Positioning
The two SKUs are positioned at a $19.99 price point that places them squarely in the highly competitive entry-level American whiskey tier, where volume-driven brands such as Evan Williams and Early Times compete for shelf space. Glenmore Bourbon leads with an oak-forward profile featuring notes of crème brûlée, vanilla custard, caramelized sugar, and toasted pecan, finishing smooth. The Rye expression emphasizes classic spice — black pepper, toasted grain, and a warming finish — appealing to consumers migrating from bourbon into rye variants, a subcategory that has posted consistent volume growth over the past decade.
"The Glenmore name has an incredible history, and we're honored to help write its next chapter," said Lauren Selman, Global Growth and Innovation Director at Sazerac. The launch was informed by archival research conducted by Nick Laracuente, Bourbon Archaeologist and Lead Archivist at Sazerac, who reviewed advertisements, labels, photographs, and historical records to reconstruct the distillery's story.
What It Means for Operators
For on-premise buyers and retail category managers, the Glenmore relaunch adds a heritage-positioned, 100-proof option at a sub-$20 price point — a combination that tends to perform well in well/call programs and value-driven off-premise sets. Sazerac's existing distributor footprint across all 50 states gives the brand immediate national reach, a structural advantage that independent or startup spirits labels typically cannot match at launch.
The move also reflects a broader industry pattern of major spirits groups monetizing dormant brand equity rather than building entirely new labels. With American whiskey category growth moderating after years of expansion, established names with demonstrable heritage can generate consumer trial more efficiently than unknown brands. Sazerac's portfolio — which includes Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Weller, and Fireball — gives it considerable cross-promotional leverage at both retail and foodservice accounts. For context on how heritage positioning is reshaping spirits SKU strategy, see our analysis of bourbon brand consolidation trends and the value-tier whiskey shelf reset reshaping grocery and liquor store planograms.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
