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Heritage Distilling wins best flavored whiskey award

Gig Harbor’s Heritage Distilling Co. won the Best Flavored Whiskey in the U.S. award for its Cocoa Bomb Chocolate Whiskey at Whiskey Magazine’s World Whiskies Awards last month. This recognition marks Cocoa Bomb’s third win in the category within the competitive craft spirits industry.

This sweet victory advances Cocoa Bomb to compete for the title of World’s Best Flavored Whiskey later this year.

Heritage Distilling’s Cocoa Bomb Chocolate Whiskey won the Best Flavored Whiskey in the U.S. award at Whiskey Magazine’s World Whiskies Awards. Photo courtesy Heritage Distilling

Heritage stock slumps

Heritage became a publicly traded company on NASDAQ in November under the ticker symbol CASK. Recently, the stock showed up on the Yahoo!Finance 10 Cheapest Stocks Insiders Are Buying Recently. CASK has experienced a significant decline in stock price, dropping from around $4 to approximately $1.08 as of February 2025.

Over the past few weeks, HDC insiders have purchased shares in the company. When executives invest their own money in their company, it can suggest that they believe in its potential for growth.

Salute Series

The company continues to expand its product lineup and strengthen its market presence. Alongside its awards for Cocoa Bomb, HDC marked another milestone in February, selling out 2,200 bottles of its Salute Series: Battle of Iwo Jima – 80th Anniversary Edition in just three weeks. The sales will contribute $20,000 to the Marine Raider Foundation.

Alstead, Varga join HDC board

The craft distillery expanded its leadership team when former Starbucks executive Troy Alstead joined its board of directors late last year. A Gig Harbor resident and founder of Ocean5, Alstead served various roles at Starbucks, including chief operating officer and chief financial officer. He also oversaw operations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and greater China.

Andrew Varga, Heritage’s chief revenue officer for Heritage Distilling, also joined the board. Varga has four decades of experience in the adult beverage industry, including launching recognized brands at companies like Brown-Forman.

Bitcoin accepted

In January, Heritage adopted a new form of payment on its e-commerce platform, Bitcoin (BTC-USD). The decentralized currency, according to HDC, will enable the company to acquire and hold bitcoin as a strategic asset.