Tom Moore/Barton bought by Sazerac: distillery & brands

Big news on John Hansell's blog: Sazerac (better known to most by their Buffalo Trace moniker) has bought the Tom Moore Distillery and the Barton brands of bourbon. Actually, they bought a bunch of brands:

99 schapps (family); Barton (family); Calypso (family); Canadian Host Whisky; Canadian LTD Whisky; Canadian Supreme Whisky; Capitan Tequila; Caravella (family); Chi Chi's (family); Colonel Lee; Crystal Palace (family); Czarina (family); Diamore (family); Effen Vodka (family); El Toro Tequila (family); Fleischmann's (family); Fourth Colony (family); Glenmore (family); Hartley's Brandy, Highland Mist Scotch; House of Stuart Scotch; Imperial Blend Whiskey; Inverhouse Scotch; Jacques Bonet Brandy; Kentucky Gentleman (family); Kentucky Tavern Bourbon; Lauders Scotch; Meukow Cognac; Montaillac Cognac; Monte Alban; Montezuma Tequila (family); Mr. Boston (family); Naked Jay Vodka; Northern Light Canadian Whisky; Old Thompson Blend Whiskey; Olo Rum; Pikeman Gin; Ridgemont Reserve 1792; Royal Award (family); Royal Club Blend Whiskey; Royal Embassy (family); Sabroso (family); Skol (family); Ten High (family); Tom Moore Bourbon; Very Old Barton Bourbon; and Wide Eye Schnapps (family).

There are some names there -- Tom Moore, Kentucky Tavern, VOB, and of course, Ridgemont Reserve -- that I can definitely see a smart bunch of folks like Sazerac doing something great with. Hell, just getting VOB's name out there more would be a good thing. And, as John says about the rest of these brands:

A lot of it is low-end whisky (and whiskey) brands and non-whiskey spirits. But the most significant thing, from a whiskey perspective, is that the Tom Moore Distillery, and the whiskeys made there (Barton, Ridgemont Reserve) are part of the deal.

Whoosh. Seismic, I tell ya.