Industry Veteran Sean O’Rourke Takes the Helm of Fast-Growing Spirits Portfolio

POULTNEY, VERMONT, USA, August 30, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- BHAKTA Spirits, a portfolio of luxury brands founded by entrepreneur and spirits mogul Raj Peter Bhakta, announced today that Sean O’Rourke has been appointed as the company’s Chief Executive Officer.

O’Rourke will assume day-to-day leadership of the company and its operations across Vermont, France, and Florida. Additionally, he will oversee development of BHAKTA’s experiential spirits hospitality destination, Griswold, as its inaugural location on the former campus of Green Mountain College in Vermont advances into its launch phase.

“I am confident that Sean is the perfect person to build on BHAKTA’s momentum, execute Griswold’s opening as a one-of-a-kind spirits experience, and launch the next slate of brands in our entertaining portfolio—which will soon grow to include an Armagnac-finished bourbon, a deeply-aged rum, an innovative global whiskey, and much, much more,” said founder Raj Peter Bhakta. “Sean is a consummate industry insider with significant experience working across every facet of the drinks business. He thinks big, and wins big results.”

O’Rourke began his career as an early start-up member of Davos Brands’ TYKU Sake, where he discovered his passion for founder-owned artisanal spirits. From there, he created, built, and managed the Craft Spirits division of Fedway Associates—one of the top ten wholesalers in the U.S. by revenue—where he curated a world-class portfolio of global artisanal spirits with a focus on rum, gin, agave, and American whiskey.

Prior to joining BHAKTA and Griswold as CEO, Sean was the General Manager of Bond & Royal for Sazerac, the third largest spirits company in the world, where he led global sales, marketing, and agency partnerships for the company's craft and luxury spirits. While at Sazerac, Sean also served as Director of On-Premise Sales for North America, managing strategy, trade marketing, and brand ambassadors for Sazerac's portfolio of more than 400 brands, including Fireball, Southern Comfort, and Buffalo Trace.

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame Mendoza School of business with a BA in Finance, Sean splits time between his home in Brooklyn, New York and BHAKTA headquarters in Poultney, Vermont.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join BHAKTA Spirits and Griswold as its CEO. Raj and I connected over the idea of ‘Find Your Spirit,’ and being on a college campus—like my experience at Notre Dame—is inspiring and invigorating. Getting to build a spirits portfolio on this campus makes our goal even more unique and visionary,” said O’Rourke. “When I started my career in craft spirits, there were only 48 distilleries in the country. Now there’s more than 3,000. That’s more than a movement—it’s a sea change. It’s been rewarding to be a part of this industry during a pivotal and inspiring period of growth.”

BHAKTA Spirits is the sole owner of the oldest, rarest, and most valuable spirits collection on earth, from which it currently offers a range of products: its flagship spirit, BHAKTA 50, an Islay-finished blend of Armagnac vintages from 1868–1970 which carries a jaw-dropping 50 Year Minimum Age Statement; BHAKTA 27-07 Limited Edition Brandy, a blend of deeply-aged Calvados and Armagnac brandies; and BHAKTA Vintages, which are traditional single year expressions of Armagnac, France’s oldest distilled spirit.

BHAKTA’s initial experiential spirits destination in Vermont, Griswold, will begin welcoming visits by industry groups, drinks press, and collectors this fall. Its public grand opening will commence in early 2023. The Vermont Griswold will be followed in the coming years by other Griswold destinations at BHAKTA Ranch in Vero Beach, FL, Château BHAKTA in France, and beyond.

For more information about BHAKTA Spirits, Griswold, Sean O’Rourke, and Raj Peter Bhakta, please contact Andrew Lohse at andrew@overtonandassociates.com.

About BHAKTA Spirits
BHAKTA Spirits (https://www.bhaktaspirits.com), headquartered on its Griswold Campus in Poultney, VT, offers a luxury spirits portfolio anchored by its awe-inspiring Armagnac holdings, which date back to 1868. Founded by visionary entrepreneur Raj Peter Bhakta—also the founder of WhistlePig Whiskey—BHAKTA is a champion of the brandy category and an innovator in the experiential hospitality space.

About OVERTON & ASSOCIATES
OVERTON & ASSOCIATES (https://www.overtonandassociates.com) is a strategic communications agency representing start-ups and entrepreneurs; wine, spirits, food, and hospitality clients; publishing houses and authors; and political operations and campaigns. Based in Manhattan, OVERTON & ASSOCIATES aims to “Move the Window” of public perception to champion concepts, categories, and personalities whose time has come, helping clients gain position in an increasingly complex media ecosystem.

Andrew Lohse
OVERTON & ASSOCIATES
+1 908-334-6924
andrew@overtonandassociates.com
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