Premium spirits brand platform Brown-Forman completed its Request for Proposal (RFP) process for portfolio distribution in select U.S. markets.

Brown-Forman appointed new distributors for 13 markets, a shift that introduces seven new distributor organizations. The company will retain its existing distributor network in the remaining markets covered by the RFP.

MDM’s 1Q25 MarketPulse Report (store link) 

“This process has enabled us to evolve existing relationships, form new ones, and, in every instance, align around a common vision for Brown-Forman brands and a strategy to achieve our collective aspirations,” Brown-Forman Executive VP and President, Americas Michael Masick said in a May 29 news release.

The following distributors will represent the Brown-Forman portfolio beginning Aug. 1, 2025, in the listed states:

• Johnson Brothers: Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas
• Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits: Louisiana and New York; continuing in Arkansas, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, Rhode Island
• Columbia Distributing: Washington
• Keg-1 River City: Kentucky
• Oklahoma Spirits Alliance (Capital, LDF, Fisher 59): Oklahoma
• Reyes Beverage Group: Hawaii; California (announced February 2025, effective May 2025)
• Specialty Imports: Alaska

As part of the company’s restructured U.S. distributor network, Breakthru Beverage Group (BBG) will become its largest national distributor partner, serving 14 key markets across the U.S. and Canada.

MDM‘s (free) Virtual Data Analytics Summit coming June 18 – Register Here! 

Brown-Forman Senior VP and Managing Director, U.S. & Canada Robinson Brown IV added: “This is Brown-Forman’s first significant change to our U.S. route-to-consumer landscape in more than 60 years. These decisions were taken with great thought and care, and we believe they will bring tremendous opportunities for growth in the years and decades to come.”