Wildrye Distilling

What Wildrye Distilling does

Wildrye Distilling is a craft distillery founded in 2013 and headquartered in Bozeman, Montana, that produces small-batch spirits from locally and regionally grown ingredients, including sweet corn, barley, Flathead cherries, honey, juniper, and wild huckleberries. Its flagship product, Five Drops Montana Straight Bourbon, is made from sweet corn sourced from a multi-generational family farm in southwest Montana and embodies the company's stated thesis of producing a 'truly Montana bourbon' rather than a sourced spirit relabeled with a Montana designation. The portfolio has since expanded to include Bourbon Barrel Rye, Queen Bee Honey Gin, Premium Vodka, and the award-winning EichenKirsch brandy, plus the limited-edition Confluence Collection — a four-whiskey series (The Gally, The Jeff, The Maddy, The Mo) developed in partnership with Rivers Are Life that donates 10% of proceeds to Upper Missouri Waterkeeper. All production occurs at the company's working distillery in Bozeman's historic Cannery District at 111 E. Oak Street, Suite 1E.

The company sells almost exclusively direct to consumers through two proprietary e-commerce storefronts (shop.wildryedistilling.com and confluence.wildryedistilling.com) and a tasting room at the distillery that is open seven days a week, 12pm-8pm. Premium pricing is a defining commercial mechanic: Confluence Collection bottles are priced at $125.53 to $146.13 per 750ml, and the full collectible wooden case retails at $524.99. Distribution is constrained by shipping restrictions across six U.S. states (Alaska, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, South Dakota) plus PO boxes, materially limiting the addressable market. Marketing is brand-led via the company website, an email newsletter with subscriber-only perks, social media on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, and a 145-review 'Excellent' Google rating.

Wildrye is a privately held Montana LLC (legal name WildRye Distilling, LLC) with no institutional funding, no parent company, and no public listing. The four-person leadership team comprises Sten Anderson (Managing Partner and CFO), Dr. Philip Sullivan (Chief Scientist, with dual doctorates in Organic Chemistry and Nanotechnology), Ben Ganser (COO, MBA), and Alan Edmondson (Head Distiller), and headcount is reported in the 11-50 range. The customer base consists of individual craft-spirits enthusiasts who value Montana provenance, local sourcing, and conservation-aligned branding, with no disclosed B2B accounts, distributors, or wholesale partners at the time of the source data.

Name

Wildrye Distilling

Legal name

WildRye Distilling, LLC

Website

https://wildryedistilling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wildrye Distilling is a Bozeman, Montana craft distillery founded in 2013 that produces small-batch bourbon, rye, gin, vodka, and brandy from locally grown Montana ingredients, selling direct to consumers via its own e-commerce sites and a tasting room.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Distilled Spirits

NAICS

Distilleries (31214), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (424820)

akta.pro primary industry

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Distilleries (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAG)

Keywords

• Craft distilling
• Small-batch spirits
• Montana bourbon
• Whiskey production
• Craft spirits

Headquarters

HQ city

Bozeman

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Spirits Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of craft spirits through company-owned e-commerce websites and tasting room. Products include bourbon, rye whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, and seasonal specialties sold in bottles and cocktails.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Wildrye Distilling is a craft distillery that produces small-batch spirits using locally and regionally-grown Montana ingredients including sweet corn, barley, Flathead cherries, honey, juniper, and wild huckleberries. The company distills and sells bourbon, rye whiskey, gin, vodka, brandy, rum, and seasonal specialty spirits, including the limited-edition Confluence Collection whiskeys. Sales are conducted direct-to-consumer through company-owned e-commerce platforms and a tasting room in Bozeman, Montana.

Product overview

WildRye Distilling is a craft distillery founded in 2013 in Bozeman, Montana. The company produces a portfolio of small-batch spirits using locally grown Montana ingredients including corn, barley, Flathead cherries, honey, juniper, and wild huckleberries. The core product line includes Five Drops Montana Straight Bourbon (flagship), The Confluence Collection (limited-edition four-whiskey collaboration with Rivers Are Life), Bourbon Barrel Rye, EichenKirsch brandy, Premium Vodka, and Queen Bee Honey Gin. All spirits are crafted at the company's working distillery in Bozeman's historic Cannery District, where they also operate a tasting room offering cocktails and bottle sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Confluence Collection: Limited-edition whiskey series inspired by Montana's rivers, with proceeds supporting river conservation efforts in Montana through Upper Missouri Waterkeeper.

Products and services

• Five Drops Montana Straight Bourbon Flagship bourbon made with Montana sweet corn from a multi-generational family farm in southwest Montana, distilled in Bozeman as the company's foundational product.
• Bourbon Barrel Rye Award-winning rye whiskey aged in bourbon barrels, part of Wildrye Distilling's core spirits portfolio.
• Queen Bee Honey Gin Award-winning gin featuring local Montana honey as a key ingredient among botanicals.
• Wildrye Premium Vodka Premium vodka crafted at the Bozeman, Montana distillery.
• EichenKirsch Brandy Award-winning brandy produced by Wildrye Distilling as part of its spirits portfolio.
• The Confluence Collection Bundle of all four limited-edition Confluence Collection whiskeys encased in a collectable wooden case, priced at $524.99.
• The Gally Montana Single Malt Whiskey aged in used rye barrels for 1 year 9 months; 47.5% ABV; priced at $125.53 per 750ml bottle.
• The Jeff Whiskey distilled from rye mash, aged for 4 years in used bourbon barrels and finished for 2 years in used wine barrels; 49.0% ABV; priced at $138.92 per 750ml bottle.
• The Maddy Wheated Montana Straight Bourbon Whiskey aged in virgin American oak for 2 years 9 months; 52.6% ABV; priced at $127.59 per 750ml bottle.
• The Mo A blend of The Gally, The Maddy, and The Jeff celebrating the confluence and creation of the Missouri River; 50.4% ABV; priced at $146.13 per 750ml bottle.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rivers Are LifecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 August 2026Wildrye Distilling partnered with Rivers Are Life to launch 'The Confluence Collection,' a limited-edition whiskey series inspired by Montana's rivers. Ten percent of proceeds support river conservation efforts through Upper Missouri Waterkeeper to protect fishable, swimmable, drinkable water throughout Montana's Upper Missouri River Basin.
• Upper Missouri WaterkeeperminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMontana-based river protection nonprofit receiving 10% of Confluence Collection proceeds to protect the 25,000 sq. miles of Montana's Upper Missouri River Basin.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Headframe Spirits: Butte, MT craft distillery producing bourbon, rye, vodka, gin, and whiskey with tasting room focus. Similar Montana craft distillery competing for the same on-premise and DTC consumer.
• Weldon Mills Distillery: Multi-location craft distillery producing bourbon, rye, gin, vodka, and rum with tasting rooms and DTC e-commerce. Comparable scale and channel mix to Wildrye in the small-batch craft spirits segment.
• Spotted Bear Spirits: Montana-based craft distillery in Two Dot producing small-batch bourbon and spirits from locally sourced grains. Comparable as a regional farm-to-bottle craft distillery with overlapping product categories.
• Whistling Andy Distillery: Small-batch craft distillery in Bigfork, MT producing bourbon, gin, vodka, and rum with local ingredients and a tasting room. Direct comparable as a Montana craft distillery of similar scale with a DTC + tasting-room model.
• Copperwing Distillery: Montana craft distillery in Hamilton producing bourbon, gin, vodka, and seasonal spirits with a tasting room. Direct peer in the same Montana craft spirits category with similar DTC strategy.
• Stateside Distillery: Small-batch craft distillery with DTC e-commerce and tasting room producing bourbon, rye, gin, and vodka. Comparable as DTC-first craft distillery competing for similar craft spirits consumers.

Broad incumbents

• Wilderness Trail Distillery: Kentucky craft distillery producing bourbon and rye with DTC e-commerce and tasting room. Comparable in DTC-first craft spirits positioning with broader product scale.
• High West Distillery: Park City, UT craft-style distillery known for bourbon, rye, and experimental whiskeys with national distribution. Larger and more distributed than Wildrye but operates in the same craft whiskey/Rye category.

Others

• Montana Distillery Directory (MT Liquor Control Board): Aggregator and directory tracking Montana-licensed distilleries. Ecosystem participant that influences consumer discovery and competitive visibility for regional craft distillers.

Emerging players

• Branch & Bramble Spirits: Emerging craft distiller focused on botanical and terroir-driven spirits with DTC channels. Adjacent competitor in the craft spirits space emphasizing unique regional sourcing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WildRyeDistilling
• Facebookfacebook.com/wildryedistilling
• Instagraminstagram.com/wildryewhiskey
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wildrye-distilling-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Wildrye Distilling