A Craft Brand Gets a Seat at the Industry Table
The American Whiskey Association has admitted Brother's Bond Bourbon as a Global Growth Craft Member and seated its co-founder and CEO, Vincent Hanna, on the AWA Board of Directors. The Spirits Business reported the news in late October 2026, and The Whiskey Wash followed on October 22. Brother's Bond was co-founded by actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, who starred together in The Vampire Diaries.
For a young brand, a board seat at the industry's newest trade group is a sign of how far it has come, and a signal about where the AWA wants to go.
What the AWA Is
The American Whiskey Association is a Washington, D.C.-based association that works to advance opportunities for producers across the American whiskey supply chain. It is new: it was formed in 2025, and Michael Bilello was named its first CEO, effective September 22, 2025. Bilello came from the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, where he was the main spokesperson. His earlier roles included assistant administrator for strategic communications and public affairs at the Transportation Security Administration, and service as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.
One report names Brown-Forman, Suntory Global Spirits, Sazerac, Campari, Pernod Ricard and Diageo as founding members. The association's membership includes major American whiskey producers, entrepreneurial craft brands and companies across the broader supply chain. It works alongside the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
Its Priorities
The AWA wants to position American whiskey as "the world's whiskey." Its stated priorities include reducing tariffs in key markets, tackling non-tariff barriers, strengthening responsibility and sustainability practices, and enforcing protections for authenticity and provenance. In a year when American whiskey exports have been hit by retaliatory tariffs and boycotts, trade access is a central issue. Whiskeypulse reported on the industry's tariff headwinds in September.
What Brother's Bond Brings
Brother's Bond launched in 2021 and describes itself as an ultra-premium American whiskey portfolio. The brand has been expanding across the United States and internationally. Whiskeypulse has covered that growth over several years: a $7.5 million funding round in early 2025, a partnership with Banfi Vintners, global partnerships across three continents, a new eco-bourbon bottle and look in September 2025, a 7-year-old bottled-in-bond release in 2024, and a recent JetBlue partnership. A UK launch came through Maverick Drinks.
Membership as a "Global Growth Craft Member" suggests the category the AWA has in mind: craft brands with international ambitions. Hanna's board seat gives that group a voice.
Who Founded the Association
The association launched in 2025 as a global advocacy platform, with a vision of making American whiskey "the world's whiskey." Press coverage names Brown-Forman, Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Suntory Global Spirits, Sazerac and Campari Group as founding members. Independent Stave Company, the cooperage, later joined as a founding member. Ole Smoky Distillery, Constellation Brands, MGP, CIE, William Grant & Sons and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States are listed as board members. One early article said the complete founding member list had not been fully disclosed, so lists may vary by source.
Three Missions
The association's own launch release describes three missions: promoting the craft and character of American whiskey, representing the industry internationally while protecting market access, and maintaining authenticity through standards and geographic indications. It notes that American whiskey represents nearly half of all whiskey sales in the United States and is among the nation's fastest-growing spirits categories. Its stated priorities include reducing tariffs in key markets, tackling non-tariff barriers, and strengthening responsibility and sustainability practices, such as white oak sourcing.
The CEO
Michael Bilello, previously executive vice president of strategic communications and marketing at the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, was named the association's inaugural CEO, with his priorities including category recognition, market access, fair competition and consumer engagement.
Brother's Bond Today
The Spirits Business profiled the brand in September 2026 under the headline "Bourbon beyond borders." It was co-founded by Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder together with Vincent Hanna, who is CEO, and it was born during the global pandemic. Its flagship whiskeys are Brother's Bond Straight Bourbon, an American Blended Rye Whiskey, a Bottled-In-Bond Straight Bourbon and a Regenerative Grain Bourbon. Somerhalder describes the Regenerative Grain Bourbon as tied to grain grown on a farm in the U.S. Midwest, and says the process sequesters carbon, which is his claim and has not been independently verified. The Bottled-In-Bond bourbon was named American Whiskey Taste Master 2026 in The Global Spirits Masters competitions.
A Global Push
Hanna says the brand is in about 51 countries. It made its global travel retail debut in 2025 with Gebr Heinemann, a family-owned travel retail specialist, as its exclusive partner for the first year. That exclusivity has ended, though the relationship continues, and new travel retail partners include B&S, Avolta and Dubai Duty Free. JetBlue will serve the bourbon in flight, the brand's first airline listing. The UK domestic launch took place in February 2026 through the distributor Maverick Drinks, and a domestic Australian launch is planned for the first quarter of next year after a travel retail launch in Sydney.
Hanna summed up the pace of that growth: "We went from not being international to 400 locations." He said the company wants "to do each region well, and give the time and resources that we can." The article reports no sales, revenue or funding figures. Somerhalder described the founders' role this way: "No, I'm in the experience business." The founders say they are involved in blending and bottling, though the article gives few production details.
What the Executives Said
Michael Bilello, the AWA's president and CEO, said Brother's Bond "reflects the entrepreneurship, innovation and ambition shaping the next chapter of American whiskey." He added that Hanna's experience will be valuable to the board, praising the brand's entrepreneurial spirit.
Ian Somerhalder said: "American whiskey is much bigger than any one brand." He described the category as starting with farmers and extending through distillers, suppliers, retailers and communities. He said joining the AWA gives the brand a chance to work with others who want to protect what makes American whiskey special.
Hanna outlined priorities including expanding market access, promoting American whiskey's high standards, supporting agricultural partners and strengthening the category's global competitiveness, and said the company is excited to contribute.
Why a Craft Voice Matters
Trade groups can lean toward the largest companies, which have the largest stakes. A board seat for a fast-growing craft brand shifts that balance a little, and it makes a point about the changing makeup of American whiskey. Producers range from global conglomerates to single-still distilleries, and their interests do not always align. On tariffs they largely agree. On other questions, such as labeling and what counts as "craft," they may not.
What It Means for Drinkers
For drinkers, the practical effect of a trade association is indirect: it shapes the policies that affect prices, availability and labels. If the AWA succeeds in lowering tariffs, bourbon becomes easier to find abroad and less expensive for export buyers. If it succeeds in tightening authenticity rules, labels may say more about where and how the whiskey was made. Craft brands joining the board increases the chance that small producers' concerns reach the table.
For Brother's Bond, membership brings visibility and influence at a time when it is expanding. For the AWA, adding a recognizable name helps it present itself as an association of the whole category, not just its largest companies. The announcement does not mention any specific policy goals tied to the appointment, so the effects will play out over the coming months.
