KY distillery joins parent company in bankruptcy. Sale planned
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Luca Mariano Distillery filed Chapter 11, sought joint administration to enable sale
- Distillery listed $10M–$50M in assets and liabilities, aiming to sell as going concern
- SummitBridge offered $1.5M DIP financing while CRO David Baker pursues restructuring
Luca Mariano Distillery is joining its parent company in bankruptcy.
The Danville distillery filed for Chapter 11 protection Nov. 12 and requested the cases be administered jointly to facilitate a sale, according to court records filed in Michigan. The sole member of both entities is founder Francesco Viola.
Both have hired David Baker of Aurora Management Partners as chief restructuring officer.
A hearing on the bankruptcy petition and next steps is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14.
The distillery said it has between $10 million and $50 million in estimated assets and between $10 million and $50 million liabilities.
Luca Mariano Distillery’s parent company, LMD Holdings, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 17, 2025, with between $1 million and $10 million in debts. LMD Holdings top creditor, SummitBridge, is owed more than $25 million, and there are millions in liens from the distillery’s construction.
LMD Holdings owns the real estate upon which the distillery operates.
According to a court document, the debtors “operate on a 529-acre estate of historical significance in Danville, Kentucky. The whiskey campus features a traditional 17,500-barrel American whiskey distillery and an 11,000-barrel rickhouse currently housing 6,610 barrels of premium whiskey. The distillery can produce approximately 72,000 bushels of corn and wheat annually, which can yield approximately 6,500 barrels of estate whiskey annually offering seamless vertical integration.”
According to the filing, the distillery and its parent filed the bankruptcy cases “with the goal of consummating the sale of all of their assets and business operations” as a going concern.
To that end, SummitBridge has agreed to provide up to $1.5 million in debtor-in-possession financing, according to the filing.
The financing would allow the distillery to pay various mortgages and employees, continue operating and stave off liquidation, according to the filing.
Although Luca Mariano was touted as a step in the “Napafication” of Central Kentucky’s bourbon industry, it is one of several distilleries that have struggled financially in the last year.
