What Spirits Investment Partners does

Spirits Investment Partners (SIP) is a Chicago-based private investment and brand-incubation firm founded in 2015 by Marc Bushala. The company creates, incubates, and accelerates early-stage spirits businesses by providing an integrated stack of services spanning product innovation, branding, packaging design, procurement, marketing, sales, distribution, compliance, and finance, supported by a $100M+ whiskey inventory portfolio and physical production assets including a 30,000 sq ft bottling facility in Memphis, Tennessee (opened 2022) and a planned Heaven's Door distillery at Six Mile Creek in Pleasureville, Kentucky (announced April 2023).

SIP operates a portfolio of nine brands across bourbon, rye, tequila, rum, whiskey, and RTD categories: Angel's Envy (sold to Bacardi within five years of launch), Heaven's Door (a Bob Dylan American whiskey partnership now distributed in 42 U.S. markets, 12 European markets, and Asia-Pacific), Rare Hare (super-premium whiskeys and cognac under Playboy Spirits), 3 Hares (tequila under Playboy Spirits), PLAY HARD Seltzers, Kentucky Gold Distilling, This Is Stolen (New Zealand rum/whiskey), Big Nose Kate, and ONDA (tequila seltzer). The revenue model combines brand development and eventual exit (Angel's Envy to Bacardi being the proof point), ongoing licensing/royalty economics across portfolio brands, and direct sales through SIP's in-house national sales team and channel partners such as ONDA.

Name

Spirits Investment Partners

Legal name

Spirits Investment Partners

Website

https://spiritsinvestors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Spirits Investment Partners is a Chicago-based private investment and brand-incubation firm founded in 2015 that creates, develops, and scales early-stage spirits brands across whiskey, tequila, rum, and RTD categories for global consumer markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Spirits Investment & Brand Development

NAICS

Distilleries (31214), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Alcoholic Beverage Brand Owners & Holding Companies (Multi-category Portfolios) (CRADAIAL)

Keywords

• Spirits investment management
• Brand incubation services
• Spirits brand development
• Beverage distribution network
• Craft distillery operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Brand Development and Investment: SIP provides comprehensive brand development services for early-stage spirits businesses, including product innovation, branding, packaging design, procurement, marketing, sales, distribution, compliance and finance. The company earns returns through successful brand exits, such as the Bacardi acquisition of Angel's Envy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Spirits Investment Partners (SIP) is an entrepreneurial ecosystem that creates, incubates, and accelerates early-stage spirits businesses through a comprehensive suite of services spanning product innovation, branding, packaging design, procurement, marketing, sales, distribution, compliance, and finance. The firm operates a portfolio of nine developed spirit brands, including bourbon, whiskey, rum, tequila, and RTD seltzers, supported by a $100M+ whiskey inventory, a 30,000 sq ft bottling facility, and a Kentucky craft distillery, with successful exits such as the Angel's Envy sale to Bacardi.

Product overview

Spirits Investment Partners (SIP) is an entrepreneurial ecosystem and investment group founded in 2015 that provides comprehensive resources for early-stage spirits brands including product innovation, branding, packaging, procurement, marketing, sales, distribution, compliance, and finance. The company manages a diversified portfolio of nine distinct spirit brands spanning bourbon, whiskey, rum, tequila, and ready-to-drink (RTD) categories: Angel's Envy (barrel-finished bourbon/rye, sold to Bacardi), Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan craft whiskey), Kentucky Gold Distilling (Kentucky craft distillery), PLAY HARD (Andy Warhol hard seltzers), This Is Stolen (New Zealand rum/whiskey), Rare Hare (Playboy ultra-premium whiskeys/cognac), Big Nose Kate (Western whiskey), 3 Hares (Playboy tequila), and ONDA (tequila seltzer). SIP also operates a 30,000 sq ft bottling facility in Memphis, Tennessee, opened in 2022.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Playboy Spirits: Premium spirits portfolio including Rare Hare (whiskeys and cognac), 3 Hares (tequila), and PLAY HARD Seltzers (RTD beverages) - developed in partnership with Playboy Enterprises
• Heaven's Door Spirits
• Six Mile Creek Distillery

Products and services

• Angel's Envy Premium barrel-finished bourbon and rye whiskey brand created by Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson (former Woodford Reserve Master Distiller) and Alex Bogusky, known for distinctive bottle design and unique barrel finishes; originally operated by SIP before being sold to Bacardi.
• Heaven's Door Spirits American craft whiskey portfolio co-developed with Bob Dylan, featuring small batch whiskies and limited releases with special blends, barrel finishes, and Dylan artwork on ceramic bottles.
• Rare Hare Spirits Super-premium and ultra-premium whiskey and cognac brand under Playboy Spirits, featuring rare stock discoveries and unique blends from around the world.
• 3 Hares Tequila Super-premium tequila collection under Playboy Spirits, produced in Jalisco, Mexico.
• PLAY HARD Seltzers Playboy Spirits ready-to-drink hard seltzer brand featuring Andy Warhol pop art, sold in 12oz slim cans with 110 calories, 4.5% ABV, 3G carbs, gluten-free formulation with no artificial flavors.
• This Is Stolen (Stolen Spirits) Rum and whiskey brand founded in New Zealand in 2010 by Jamie Duff, known for its bold black bottle with white X design; includes Stolen 11, an 11-year-old single grain whiskey with proprietary barrel finish that won Double Gold at the San Francisco Spirits Competition.
• Big Nose Kate Whiskey Western whiskey from Santa Fe, New Mexico, named after historical frontierswoman Maria Horony, with master distiller Melissa Heim (40 medals) and brand partnerships with Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone.
• ONDA Tequila Seltzer Premium independent tequila seltzer brand inspired by 1990s surf culture, focused on high-integrity ingredients.
• Kentucky Gold Distilling (Six Mile Creek Distillery) 166-acre craft distillery in Pleasureville, Kentucky, with limestone spring water from underground aquifers and a tasting cabin reconstructed from 200-year-old materials; home to Kentucky Gold Distilling and the planned Heaven's Door distillery.

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Playboy EnterprisescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Playboy Enterprises partnered with SIP to create Playboy Spirits, developing brands including Rare Hare (super-premium whiskeys and cognac), 3Hares (super-premium tequila), and PLAY HARD Seltzers (RTD hard seltzers, hard teas, craft cocktails).
• Bob DylanflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018SIP partnered with legendary musician and cultural icon Bob Dylan to create Heaven's Door Spirits, a portfolio of American whiskeys. Heaven's Door has won multiple awards including Bootleg Volume IV ranked #2 Bourbon by Robb Report 2023.
• ONDAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSIP entered into an agreement with ONDA granting access to their salesforce, which will be allocated for PLAY Hard Seltzer distribution.
• Six Mile Creek DistillerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix Mile Creek Distillery in Pleasureville, Kentucky is home to Kentucky Gold Distilling and Heaven's Door's new distillery (announced April 2023). Located on 166 acres with limestone spring water from two underground aquifers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Spirits Investment Partners