Gallo Set to Purchase Four Roses Bourbon for up to $775 Million

E&J Gallo Winery agreed to acquire Four Roses for up to $775 million, a move that underscores the enduring appeal of ultra-premium bourbon, Shanken News Daily reported last night. Kirin Holdings — the Japanese beverage conglomerate that has owned Four Roses since 2002 — began shopping the Kentucky bourbon at a value of $1 billion in October, the Financial Times reported. The deal is slated to close in the second quarter of fiscal year 2026.

The acquisition marks Gallo’s second foray in the American whiskey category. It first entered the field in 2022 with the purchase of Horse Soldier Bourbon. The sale is a major leap for the American beverage conglomerate that already has a robust portfolio including ready-to-drink offerings like High Noon and premium spirits like single malt Scotch The Dalmore.

Kirin said in a statement that its sale of Four Roses will allow the company to invest its resources in brands with higher growth potential, despite Kirin’s ownership ushering in marked success for the bourbon.

The sale raises a vital question: Will Four Roses remain steadfast in its appeal to bourbon aficionados, or will the brand widen its scope to taters. Four Roses has long been geared toward in-the-know bourbon drinkers, prioritizing the caliber of its product over eye-catching marketing ploys.

“Bourbon fans have always recognized the quality and uniqueness of Four Roses — what with their ten different recipes, something no other Kentucky brand can approach,” VinePair’s spirits editor Aaron Goldfarb says. “The distillery has never done anything gimmicky like deal in weird finishes, fanciful brand names, luxury packaging, or celebrity partnerships. They simply put out great, mature, complexly-blended bourbon year after year.”

Shanken’s Impact Databank ranks Four Roses eighth in sales by volume among worldwide bourbons, underscoring the success of ultra-premium bourbon brands. The attraction of high-end bourbon can also be seen in Sotheby’s recent first-of-its-kind Great American Whiskey Collection auction where multiple records, including the highest value of a single American whiskey and of a whiskey collection as a whole ever sold at an auction, were shattered.

It remains unclear whether Gallo will keep Four Roses’ acute reach to bourbon enthusiasts or if it will invest in marketing the brand to newcomers. Gallo will ultimately be tasked with deciding what is best for its own success and for the brand’s growth.

“Will Gallo continue to trust that sheer quality will eventually prevail?” Goldfarb wonders. “Or will they start doing the sorts of hype-generating things that may make true bourbon fans groan, but often get the sort-of buzz that breaks into the mainstream?”

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