Indiana Invades Bourbon Country: MGP Buys Lux Row Distillers
Lux Row
A $475 Million Power Move That Changed the Bourbon Map
If you’ve been sipping bourbon for more than a minute, you’ve probably come across names like Rebel, Ezra Brooks, or Blood Oath. You may even have a soft spot for the elegant wine-barrel-finished bottles of Daviess County bourbon. But what you may not know is this: those bottles—Kentucky born and bred—are now owned by a distillery based in Indiana.
Welcome to one of the biggest shakeups in the modern bourbon industry: MGP’s acquisition of Lux Row Distillers.
🔍 Who Is MGP, and Why Should You Care?
MGP stands for Midwest Grain Products, a massive distillery based in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. For years, they were the quiet giant behind many popular “independent” whiskey brands. If you’ve ever seen a label that reads “Distilled in Indiana,” chances are it came from MGP.
For decades, they were content to be the behind-the-scenes supplier. But in April 2021, MGP said “no more middleman.” With a $475 million check, they bought Luxco, a spirits company that had recently invested heavily in bourbon production through its new distillery: Lux Row in Bardstown, Kentucky.
Suddenly, Indiana wasn’t just selling bourbon to Kentucky brands — they owned part of the Bluegrass.
🏗️ The Rise of Lux Row Distillers
Before the buyout, Luxco was best known for products like Everclear (yes, the one from your regrettable college years), Pearl Vodka, and El Mayor Tequila. But by the mid-2010s, Luxco wanted into bourbon’s big leagues.
In 2018, they built Lux Row Distillers:
• 18,000 square feet of distilling space
• 90 acres of Kentucky land
• Rickhouses with capacity for 50,000+ barrels
This was no sourcing game. They were now grain-to-glass. Lux Row quickly became a must-see stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and put serious production weight behind brands that had been sourced in the past.
🧾 The Bourbon Brands of Lux Row
Lux Row brought four core brands to the table when MGP came calling:
Ezra Brooks – A high-rye bourbon with a focus on oak stave finishes and robust single barrels.
Rebel – Formerly Rebel Yell, this is a wheated bourbon that positions itself as a bold alternative to Maker’s Mark or Weller.
Daviess County – Unique in blending wheated and rye mash bills, and often finished in cabernet sauvignon or French oak barrels.
Blood Oath – A luxury line of limited-edition blends with exotic barrel finishes and a cult-like following.
It’s a portfolio that spans price points and proof ranges — from backyard sippers to collector-grade pours.
💼 MGP’s Acquisition: More Than Just Barrels
In buying Luxco, MGP didn’t just gain brands. They acquired:
A fully operational Kentucky distillery
Prime Bardstown real estate
Warehouses full of aging bourbon
A loyal consumer base built on Kentucky tradition
For MGP, it was a strategic pivot. They went from source-only giant to brand owner and distiller, controlling the product from mash bill to marketing.
For bourbon fans, it blurred the line between Indiana-sourced whiskey and Kentucky-distilled heritage.
🥃 Tasting the Takeover: Lux Row Bourbon Lineup
In our latest episode of Tortured Bourbon, we sat down to taste four Lux Row bourbons to answer the question: Is Kentucky still in the bottle, or has Indiana taken over?
1. Ezra Brooks Stave Finish Collection
• 110 Proof | $65
• Mash Bill: 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley
• Finished with oak staves
📝 Tasting Notes: Vanilla, brown sugar, caramel, cinnamon
2. Daviess County Cabernet Sauvignon Finish
• 96 Proof | $45
• Blend of wheated and rye mash bills
• Finished in cabernet wine barrels
📝 Tasting Notes: Berry fruit, soft tannins, vanilla, dark oak
3. Lux Row Double Single Barreled
• 115 Proof | $80
• A 50/50 blend of one wheated and one rye bourbon single barrel
📝 Tasting Notes: Roasted nuts, dense caramel, creamy finish
4. Rebel Wheated Bottled in Bond
• 100 Proof | $50
• Bottled in Bond wheated bourbon
📝 Tasting Notes: Honey, vanilla cream, bread dough, soft oak
Each bottle showed a different face of Lux Row’s identity — some heritage Kentucky, some bold and modern, and all rooted in a distillery now owned by MGP.
📌 Final Pour
MGP’s purchase of Lux Row is more than a real estate deal — it’s a symbol of bourbon’s future. It blends old traditions with modern consolidation, authenticity with innovation, and Indiana steel with Kentucky limestone.
The question isn’t just who makes your bourbon.
It’s who owns the story.
