Brown

A logo sign outside of the headquarters of the The Brown-Forman Corporation on July 1, 2017, in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo: Kristoffer Tripplaar, Sipa via AP Images)

Brown-Forman Corporation, the brand behind Jack Daniels, Old Forester, Woodford Reserve Bourbon, The GlenDronach and many other notable liquor brands, on Monday announced plans to part ways with Asahi in a new initiative to self-distribute in Japan starting April 1, 2024.

The company had a longstanding relationship with Asahi that dated back to September 2012, according to Business Wire. Asahi hosts over 130 years of history in producing, marketing and distributing a variety of brands in the wine, beer and spirits categories in Asia.

"We would like to thank Asahi and their entire team for their partnership over the past ten years and for successfully growing our portfolio in Japan," said VP General Manager of Brown-Forman Japan Aaron Martin in a news release.

Japan's spirits market is an incredibly lucrative one that clocks in at a whopping $67.64 billion with an expectation of 6.04% annual growth, according to Statista.

In a statement, Brown-Forman cited its reasoning:

"We believe the new Brown-Forman Japan organization will drive growth through the continued development of our Jack Daniel's Family of Brands and the broader super-premium brand portfolio in a key market," said Ricardo Cupido, VP Managing Director of Brown Forman Asia. "This move is an important milestone for Brown-Forman and follows successful launches of owned distribution organizations in other regions of the world, including the recent transitions in Asia, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand."

Brown-Forman attracted media attention this year due to a lawsuit that reached the Supreme Court in March over a parody dog toy. The case is set to reach a verdict by the end of June, according to Reuters.

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Cynthia Mersten is a writer/editor for Whiskey Raiders and has worked in the Beverage Industry for eight years. She started her career in wine and spirits distribution and sold brands like Four Roses, High West and Compass Box to a variety of bars and restaurants in the city she calls home: Los Angeles. Cynthia is a lover of all things related to wine, spirits and story and holds a BA from UCLA's School of Theatre, Film and Television. Besides writing, her favorite pastimes are photography and watching movies with her husband.