Brown Forman

Brown-Forman is one of the American-owned spirits and wine companies. Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky was America’s first bottled bourbon and remains one of Brown-Forman’s finest brands today. Geo. Garvin Brown IV, a descendant of the founder, is part of the 5th generation of Brown Family members engaged with Brown-Forman, a publicly traded, family-controlled company, and serves as the presiding chairman of the Board. 

Brown-Forman employs more than 4,600 people worldwide with about 1,300 located in Louisville. Brown-Forman, one of the largest American-owned spirits and wine companies and among the top 10 largest global spirits companies, sells its brands in countries around the world and has offices in cities across the globe. In all, Brown-Forman has more than 25 brands in its portfolio of wines and spirits.

1890: The organisation's name was changed to Brown–Forman and Company in order to reflect the partnership.

1894: Brown also became the first president of the National Liquor Dealers’ Association.

1901: George Forman died, and Brown purchased his stock.

1904: Owsley Brown, George Garvin Brown's son, came into the business.

1905: Brown-Forman continued its packaging innovations by bottling Old Forester in pear-shaped bottles.

1911: A reputation for Integrity: The Integrity Cup was presented to George Garvin Brown by the Citizens National Bank for paying security debts from which he had long been released.

1917: When George Garvin Brown died at the age of 70, his son, Owsley, took over as president of Brown–Forman.

1920: Brown-Forman went public just prior to Prohibition (1920--33), but the Browns maintained control of the majority of shares.

1924: Brown-Forman moves its whiskey stocks and headquarters to Louisville's West End through the purchase of the G. Lee Redmon company and its warehouses; establishing the current site of our corporate headquarters.

1929: Brown-Forman was one of only a handful of companies given permission to distil whiskey to replenish depleting medicinal whiskey stocks.

1941: By starting the ageing in 1941, they could have Old Forester ready for sale immediately following the war.

1945: The management at Brown-Forman implemented an annual training course for ten to 20 selected individuals from outside the firm.

1949: As the competition's bourbon would not be marketable until the year, Brown-Forman could monopolize the bourbon market for the first four postwar years.

1960: The brewery later became unprofitable, and Brown-Forman sold its interest in the company during the late 1960s. In the 1960s Publicker had decided to make light whiskey but had later, when it was unsuccessful, reversed this decision.

1962: Scotch held nine percent of the liquor market, and the popularity of wine was increasing steadily.

1963: However, these smaller companies increased their sales by 70 percent while the larger companies did not increase their sales at all. Before this year, 80 percent of all hard liquor in the United States was sold by the four largest distilling companies, and the remaining 20 percent was sold by Brown-Forman, Heublein, James B. Beam Distilling Co., and the American Distilling Co.

1964: In order to continue its expansion in the broader market for alcoholic beverages, Brown-Forman purchased all outstanding stock of the Oertel Brewing Co., a small Louisville brewery.

1966: Daniel L. Street was appointed president of Brown-Forman, the first time that a man outside the Brown family had been president of the company.

1967: Daniel authorized a merger with Quality Importers, which provided Brown-Forman with a 'top scotch and good gin,' according to Street.

1968: Sales had risen to $180 million as Brown-Forman continued to expand under the direction of Street.

1969: Although Street effectively diversified Brown-Forman, William F. Lucas replaced him as president.  Lucas purchased the Bols line of liqueurs and Korbel champagne and brandy.

1970: In December, Schenley Industries, National Distillers and Chemical Corporation, and American Distilling Co. filed an injunction against Brown-Forman to bar the introduction and further distribution of Brown-Forman's light whiskey called Frost 8/80.

1971: Lucas contacted Lester Abdson and Oscar Getz who owned Barton Brands of Canada. The Canadian Mist brand is acquired.

1972: Under government restrictions, light whiskey was not permitted to be marketed until July.

1973: $6 million had been invested in Frost 8/80 without a profitable return. Sales of such products had significantly increased.

1979: W.L. Lyons Brown, Jr., was appointed president of Brown-Forman.

1982: Despite overall growth, the company experienced a setback with Southern Comfort; as competition increased, the share held by Southern Comfort in the market decreased.

1983: After petitioning the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the company was granted permission to begin using the plastic bottle. Brown-Forman acquired Lenox Inc., even though Lenox fervently fought the acquisition.

1984: The company's name is changed to Brown-Forman Corporation.

1985: Nevertheless, the company's realignment did not exclude the rearrangement of other alcoholic products; Brown-Forman bought California Cooler Inc. for $63 million, and sold Cella Italian Wines to Cosorzio Interprovinciale Vini, an Italian firm, at the end of the decade.

1989: Brown-Forman purchased Denver’s Athalon Products Ltd., a manufacturer of travel and leisure products, and supplemented its Lenox operations with the $70 million acquisition of premium giftware maker Dansk International Designs Ltd.

1991:Dansk International, maker of premium giftware, is acquired.

1992: In August, Brown-Forman acquired Fetzer Vineyards, an important producer of premium California wines, for about $80 million. Jack Daniel's Country Cocktails, which was introduced nationally, soon became one of America's top 20 spirit brands.

1996: During this period, Brown-Forman also gained a presence in the hot super-premium vodka category through an agreement whereby it became the exclusive United States importer of the Finlandia brand. Woodford Reserve launches at the site of the newly restored Labrot & Graham Distillery.

1999: An 80 percent interest in Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards is acquired. Brown-Forman reports record earnings and 10% earnings per share growth.

2000_: A 45 percent stake in Finlandia Vodka Worldwide is acquired.

2001: The building is projected to be ready for occupancy in the first quarter.

2004: Brown-Forman completes the full acquisition of Finlandia Vodka.

2006: Since then, it has grown into a company had sales of $2.4 billion. The company acquired the Chambord liqueur brand (a super-premium black raspberry liqueur produced in France) for $255 million.

2007: Brown-Forman elevates diversity & inclusion and appoints its first chief diversity officer.

2009: Employee Resource Groups were first established at Brown-Forman.

2010: In October, Brown-Forman Corporation received its first perfect score of 100 points on the Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBT workplace equality, administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

2011: The company sold Fetzer Vineyards and associated brands to Chilean wine producer Viña Concha y Toro S.A. for $238 million.

2013: Brown-Forman confirms that it reached an agreement in principle with the Asahi Group to distribute its brands in Japan as of January 1.

2014: Brown-Forman Corporation’s CEO and Board Chairman receive the Family Enterprise Leadership award from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, Center for Family Enterprise.

2016: The Southern Comfort and Tuaca brands were sold to Sazerac Company for $543 Million.

2019: Brown-Forman re-enters the gin category with the purchase of Fords Gin.

2020: Brown-Forman expands its RTD business with the acquisition of Part Time Rangers from New Zealand.

We enrich the experience of life, in our own way, by responsibly building beverage alcohol brands that thrive and endure for generations.

At Brown-Forman, we enrich the experience of life, in our own way, by responsibly building beverage alcohol brands that thrive and endure for generations.