On Tuesday, Westward Whiskey announced that a group of private investors purchased the majority of its assets, rescuing the American single-malt brand from bankruptcy.
Based in Portland, Ore., Westward Whiskey was established by Thomas Mooney in 2004 as House Spirits Distillery, which also produced Aviation Gin before it was acquired by Davos Brands in 2016. In 2018, Westward received an investment from Diageo-backed Distill Ventures, but in March of this year, the conglomerate announced that it would no longer bring any new brands into the program and the number of existing investments would be reduced. In April 2025, just three weeks after the announcement, House Spirits Distillery, trading as Westward Whiskey, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy citing “significant liquidity challenges.”
