What Lost Lantern Whiskey does

Lost Lantern Whiskey is an award-winning independent bottler of American whiskey founded in September 2018 by Nora Ganley-Roper and Adam Polonski and headquartered in Vergennes, Vermont. The company does not distill; instead it sources, selects, and blends whiskeys from craft distilleries across the United States — relationships built through the founders' 2018-2019 Great Whiskey Road Trip and subsequent travel that produced visits to more than 100 distilleries. Its portfolio spans four core series (Blend, Single Cask, Single Distillery, Flagship) plus the June 2026 launch of United States of Bourbon, the first-ever blend of straight bourbon from all 50 states. All products are bottled at cask strength, non-chill filtered, with no color added, and every component distillery is named on the label — a transparency positioning uncommon in the category.

The business operates a hybrid distribution model that combines a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site with nationwide shipping, a company-owned tasting room in Vergennes, an authorized online retail partnership with Seelbachs.com, and physical retail in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia. Pricing on bottled product ranges from $79.99 to $199.99 SRP, with Discovery Club subscriptions delivering exclusive cask-strength single casks on a now-bimonthly cadence, introduced in 2025. The company closed a $1 million seed round in 2025 led by FreshTracks Capital, with stated use of funds on sales, marketing, and team growth ahead of major 2026 releases.

Customer segments center on whiskey enthusiasts and collectors who value provenance and limited releases, premium spirits consumers paying $80-$200 per bottle for high-quality, transparent American whiskey, and bourbon seekers interested in exploring the breadth of the national bourbon landscape. Lost Lantern has earned Independent Bottler of the Year at the Icons of Whisky America Awards in 2026 and 2023, Drinks Visionaries/Innovators of the Year recognition in 2023, and individual product scores as high as 97-98 points from Wine Enthusiast, including a #1 Bourbon ranking.

Name

Lost Lantern Whiskey

Legal name

Lost Lantern Whiskey

Website

https://lostlanternwhiskey.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lost Lantern Whiskey is a Vermont-based independent bottler of American whiskey that sources, selects, and blends casks from 100+ craft distilleries across the United States, selling limited single casks, blends, and the all-50-state United States of Bourbon directly to consumers and through select retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft American Whiskey

NAICS

Distilleries (312140), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC)

Keywords

• Independent whiskey bottling
• American craft whiskey
• Bourbon blending services
• Single cask whiskey
• Whiskey subscription club

Headquarters

HQ city

Middlebury

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct Bottle Sales: Sale of bottled whiskey products directly to consumers through LostLanternWhiskey.com and at the tasting room. Products include single cask releases, blend series, and the United States of Bourbon flagship line. One-time purchase model with prices ranging from $79.99 to $199.99 per bottle.
2. Discovery Club Subscription: Monthly whiskey subscription club (changed to bimonthly cadence in 2026) delivering unique single cask whiskeys discovered on travels. Members receive exclusive cask strength releases not available elsewhere, with automatic shipping to members.
3. Retail and Wholesale: Sales through retail partners including online retailers (Seelbachs.com) and physical retail locations in multiple states including CA, IL, MA, NH, NY, RI, VT, and VA.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lost Lantern is an independent American whiskey bottler that sources, selects, and blends craft whiskeys from distilleries across the United States. The company releases limited single cask, blend, single distillery, and flagship series whiskeys, and operates the Discovery Club, a bimonthly subscription delivering exclusive single cask whiskeys to members. All bottles feature full transparency labeling with source distillery names on the front.

Product overview

Lost Lantern is an award-winning independent bottler of American whiskey offering a portfolio of four distinct product series: the Blend Series (multi-distillery blends like Far-Flung Bourbon), Single Cask Series (limited single barrel releases), Single Distillery Series (focused on individual distilleries), and Flagship Series (primary blended expressions like American Vatted Malt). The company also operates the Discovery Club, a subscription service delivering exclusive single cask whiskies bimonthly. All products emphasize transparency, with distillery names featured prominently on labels. The June 2026 launch of United States of Bourbon marked the first-ever blend incorporating straight bourbon from all 50 states. Whiskies are sourced from craft distilleries personally visited by co-founders, bottled at cask strength, non-chill filtered, with no color added.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Discovery Club: Monthly whiskey subscription club featuring unique whiskies discovered on travels across the country. Changed to every-other-month cadence in 2026.
• United States of Bourbon
• Blend Series
• Single Cask Series
• Single Distillery Series

Products and services

• United States of Bourbon Flagship blend of straight bourbon whiskies sourced from craft distilleries across all 50 U.S. states, personally vetted by the co-founders. Released in three expressions (100 Proof, Cask Strength, and 1776 Edition) at launch.
• Blend Series Meticulously created blends from whiskies sourced from multiple U.S. distilleries, intended to reveal the breadth of what American whiskey can be. Includes flagship blends like Far-Flung Bourbon.
• Single Cask Series Limited single cask releases, often to a single cask. Each release is a snapshot of a moment in time, bottled at cask strength, non-chill filtered, with no color added.
• Single Distillery Series Focuses on showcasing individual U.S. distilleries and their unique production methods, with releases such as Gentle Giant (Balcones Texas Single Malt) and Whiskey Del Bac variants.
• Flagship Series Primary blended products including American Vatted Malt, Shadow (peated blended malt), and flagship blend expressions representing the company's bird's-eye view of the American whiskey industry.
• Discovery Club Bimonthly whiskey subscription club that delivers exclusive single cask, cask strength whiskeys sourced from craft distilleries across the U.S., available only to members.
• The Scotch Lovers' Collection Collection of seven American single malt whiskies (two blended malts and five single casks) designed to appeal to Scotch drinkers, priced from $90 to $180.

Quantifiable outcome

• Independent Bottler of the Year at Icons of Whisky America Awards 2026 and Global Icons of Whisky Awards 2023
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United States of Bourbon Distilleries (50-state network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of distilleries from all 50 states sourcing bourbon for the United States of Bourbon project. Includes 50+ craft distilleries personally visited and vetted by co-founders. Major contributors include New Riff (KY), Stonecutter Spirits (VT), Balcones (TX), Woodinville (WA), and many others.
• Redwood EmpireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthern California distillery featured in Discovery Club July 2026. Lost Lantern had known the distillery for years, with master distiller Jeff Duckhorn visiting their NYC offices. First Northern California bourbon in the Discovery Club.
• New Holland Brewing & DistillingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichigan's largest independent brewery and distillery, featured in Discovery Club August 2025. First major craft brewery partner for Lost Lantern. Produces Dragon's Milk stout with finished bourbon casks.
• Seelbachs.comcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized online retailer partner for Lost Lantern products. Carries full product line including United States of Bourbon and single cask releases with nationwide shipping.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• New Riff Distilling: Kentucky craft bourbon distillery and major USoB contributor. Comparable as an award-winning US craft whiskey brand with established retail distribution.
• Balcones Distilling: Texas craft distillery and Lost Lantern sourcing partner featured in Discovery Club. Larger, established US craft whiskey brand with broader retail presence and own distillation — comparable as a US craft whiskey producer at scale.
• Smooth Ambler: West Virginia craft distiller best known for its own independent bottling-style expressions. Closely comparable in the US independent bottling aesthetic and small-batch craft positioning.

Direct peers

• Compass Box Whisky: London-based independent bottler and blender of Scotch-inspired whiskies — explicitly cited as the Scottish-tradition model that inspired Lost Lantern. Closest direct peer in blending transparency, premium pricing, and curated multi-distillery releases.
• Stellum Spirits: US-based independent bottler releasing single cask and blend expressions sourced from American distilleries. Direct peer in independent bottling model, premium ASPs ($80–$200), and single-cask disclosure approach.
• Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS): Global independent bottler and subscription club with cask-exclusive releases to members. Closest analog to Lost Lantern's Discovery Club subscription model and single-cask, provenance-led positioning.
• Douglas Laing & Co. Long-established independent Scotch bottler with blend series and regional single malts. Comparable in independent bottling, blended range, and storytelling-driven premium releases.
• That Boutique-y Whisky Company: Multi-category independent bottler (Scotch, bourbon, world whisky) with single-cask, often small-batch releases. Comparable independent bottling model with single-cask transparency.

Emerging players

• Flaviar: Whiskey-focused DTC subscription and tasting club. Comparable as a recurring-revenue spirits subscription model targeting enthusiast collectors, though operates as a retailer/aggregator rather than producer.

Regional players

• Woodinville Whiskey Co. Washington-state craft distillery and USoB contributor. Comparable as a regional US craft whiskey producer with strong distribution in its home market and growing national footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lostlanternwhiskey
• Instagraminstagram.com/lostlanternwhiskey
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lostlantern

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lost Lantern Whiskey