Heritage Distilling Company Expands Distribution Network to 34 States with Speakeasy E-Commerce Platform

Consumers across the nation will now be able to order award-winning spirits with 3-Tier Compliant Direct to Consumer Delivery

GIG HARBOR, Wash., April 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heritage Distilling Company, Inc. ("HDC" or "Heritage" or "The Company"), a leading craft distiller of innovative premium brands, announced today that its portfolio of award-winning spirits will now be available to consumers across more of the US in partnership with Speakeasy Inc., the spirits industry's most comprehensive e-commerce platform.

For the past nine years, Heritage has been the most awarded craft distillery in North America by the American Distilling Institute and has been recognized for its innovative brand family of premium whiskies, gins, vodkas, rums and ready-to-drink cocktails. Beginning April 20, customers across 34 states will have access to HDC’s line of spirits, including Cocoa Bomb Chocolate Whiskey, Heritage Canned Cocktails, Florescence Vodka (a partnership with Celebrity Chef Danielle Kartes & Rustic Joyful Food), and Special Forces Whiskey.

The revamped offerings will also include Heritage’s most premium offering to date, Stiefel’s Select Single Barrel and Small Batch whiskeys, which was previously only available to Washington and Oregon customers. The brand joins the ranks among other rare, hard-to-find and small batch spirits through Speakeasy Co.’s platform. Speakeasy’s three-tier platform integrates a branded store’s e-commerce capabilities directly into HDC’s current site for a seamless checkout experience expanding the Company’s distribution from eight to thirty-four states.

“Our partnership with Speakeasy is a cornerstone in our strategy of becoming a nationally recognized craft distiller. By enabling us to tap into retailers with delivery to consumers in 34 states, this allows us to convert more consumers to fans of our brands to increase wholesale demand through our distribution partners,” said Justin Stiefel, CEO of Heritage. He added, “Consumers want to try new and exciting products and distributors want to take on products that grab consumers’ attention and that demonstrate there is consumer demand. Shipping to consumers helps to build that demand, thereby eventually supporting the work of our distributors. This is a win-win-win for everyone.”

Currently, HDC operates five branded tasting rooms in Washington and Oregon and features spirits tastings, cocktails and retail sales. In addition to the expanded e-commerce solution with Speakeasy and its brick and mortar tasting rooms, Heritage is also expanding its distribution footprint by partnering with Native American tribes to establish the Tribal Beverage Network, a national craft spirits network whereby Heritage works directly with tribal communities to set up and establish distilleries that can service tribal casinos and hospitality businesses, branded retail environments in their casinos and entertainment districts, as well as create unique brands using locally sourced ingredients.

"We are committed to helping brands like Heritage thrive and grow in this complex industry with access to the right insights, marketing, strategies, tools and most importantly, consumers," said Josh Jacobs, CEO of Speakeasy. “Consumers are telling us that they want more craft and niche products, and with brands like Heritage, which is an anchor of the craft spirits industry in the Pacific Northwest, we now are able to bring those brands to a whole new consumer base.”

Powered by the Speakeasy platform, Heritage spirits will be available to customers for online ordering and direct-to-consumer delivery in 34 states including: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington D.C., Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

About Heritage Distilling Company, Inc.
Heritage Distilling Company, Inc.®, currently a subsidiary of Heritage Distilling Holding Company, Inc., was founded in 2011 by Justin and Jennifer Stiefel. Heritage is among the premier independent craft spirits distilleries in the United States offering a variety of whiskeys, vodkas, gins and rums produced mainly from local, sustainably sourced ingredients. Heritage is the most awarded craft distillery in North America by the American Distilling Institute for the past nine years out of more than 2,600 craft distilleries. To accelerate its national wholesale distribution growth strategy, Heritage founded the Tribal Beverage Network (TBN) to collaborate with Native American tribes and develop Heritage-branded distilleries, brands, and tasting rooms and to develop brands unique to the tribes, to serve patrons of tribal casinos and entertainment venues, creating compelling social and economic benefits for participating tribal communities while allowing the tribes another channel through which to exercise tribal sovereignty. Heritage is a majority women-owned enterprise, which recently announced its intention to become a publicly traded entity under the ticker symbol CASK on the NASDAQ stock exchange in partnership with Better World Acquisition Corporation (NAS: BWAC). That transaction is slated to be complete in Q2, 2023.

About Speakeasy Co.:
Speakeasy Co. is an integrated direct-to-consumer solution for beverage alcohol brands that allows suppliers to grow their brands online, while remaining three-tier compliant. Speakeasy’s centralized fulfillment model enables brands to own their growth, data, and consumer relationships for the first time, and the opportunity to create unique product experiences typically unavailable at brick-and-mortar retailers. The company has been involved in some particularly high-profile projects, including the release of Tesla Tequila, and has partnered with major brands such as Stoli Group and William Grant & Sons. For more information, please visit www.SpeakeasyCo.com or follow recent updates on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Contacts:
Investors
Scott Eckstein
heritage@ksca.com
(212) 896 1210

Media
Anne Donohoe
heritage@kcsa.com
(732) 620 0033

Released April 20, 2023