Two local entrepreneurs, Chad Brizendine and Jake Warm, have acquired the beloved local bourbon brand O.K.I. from New Riff Distilling. O.K.I.’s first single barrel releases are set for bottling at cask 
strength and release in Northern Kentucky this fall, just in time for bourbon enthusiasts’ busiest time of year.
Paying homage to O.K.I.’s roots and name [Ohio. Kentucky. Indiana], O.K.I. will maintain its sourcing strategy of 36 percent high rye bourbon from Lawrenceburg, Indiana for its launch. As part of its acquisition, O.K.I. will update its brand story and packaging, focusing more on the rich bourbon heritage of the entire region dating as far back as pre-Prohibition.
Warm’s family has been integral to local bourbon history for decades. He shared: “My great grandfather, Jake, built the iconic Seagram’s warehouse at the Lawrenceburg distillery in the 1930’s. At the time, it was the world’s largest whiskey maturing warehouse. I’m very proud that our first O.K.I. barrels will be aged in the same buildings my family built 90 years ago.”
Brizendine added, “95 percent of the world’s bourbon supply comes from the tri-state region of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, and we’re very proud of that.* We look forward to working with distilleries across the region to source bourbon and rye for future O.K.I. releases.”
Stay up to date on all things OKI Bourbon and the Fall 2020 release on Facebook: www.facebook.com/okibourbon
Local Cincinnati-based whiskey entrepreneurs Chad Brizendine and Jake Warm are co-owners of OKI Spirits LLC. Brizendine was co-founder and Warm an early investor in George Remus Bourbon, acquired in 2016 by MGPI. OKI Spirits will operate from its Cincinnati, OH headquarters and specialize in highly curated single barrels of Bourbon and Rye whiskey.