Two local entrepreneurs, Chad Brizendine of McKinney, Texas, and Jake Warm of Cincinnati, Ohio, acquired the beloved bourbon brand O.K.I. from New Riff Distilling in 2020. Since its re-launch in 2020, O.K.I. has sold over 10,000 cases of bourbon and rye whiskey. In 2023 alone, the brand is on pace to exceed 12,000 cases before the Fall.
“We’re thrilled with how whiskey lovers have responded to the brand’s reintroduction” Brizendine shared. “Our waitlist for single barrels has been filled with retailers and groups from Texas, Florida and Illinois since 2020. It was a no brainer to expand beyond Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.”
Signing a multi-state agreement with Green Light Distribution in Texas and Florida, O.K.I. plans to dramatically increase its presence in the southern United States. Dusty Odell, co-founder and CEO of Green Light Distribution added “O.K.I. is a cult whiskey brand known for its single barrels and couldn’t be a more perfect fit for Texas and Florida whiskey connoisseurs.”
O.K.I. too plans to launch its first “true O.K.I. blend” in Fall 2023 under its Reserve sub-brand featuring dark rye whiskey from Middle West Spirits in Ohio, bourbon from Bardstown Bourbon Company in Kentucky, and rye whiskey from MGPI in Indiana. Warm shared “Reserve Batch 02 has been in the works since last year and pays homage to our company name and the tri-state where O.K.I. was founded. It’s a truly one-of-a-kind blend!”
Stay up to date on all things O.K.I. Bourbon at www.okibourbon.com.