This week on his YouTube channel, Fred Minnick made three bourbon predictions for 2024, a couple of which may be surprising.

After missing the annual Bourbon Pursuit prediction round table this year, Fred decided to go solo. And no, this year he’s not going to predict that Four Roses will be acquired by a larger company. With that, here are his bourbon predictions for the coming year:

Molson Coors is going to purchase a prominent distillery.

“I don’t know what distillery that is,” Minnick said in the video. “But Molson Coors has been making a lot of moves since they started … Five Trail.”

He noted that the company is growing rapidly and, of course, has plenty of capital with which to work. This is thanks in part to last year’s Bud Light boycott, which saw sales of Coors products shoot up dramatically. It’s also notable that Molson Coors purchased Blue Run Spirits in 2023.

“I think it’s time for them to make that next step,” Minnick said.

A number of bourbon brands will “give up” during 2024.

“Bourbon sales are well,” Minnick said, “but not all bourbon brands are doing well.”

He cited that distributors are turning down a number of brands currently, making it different from some brands and distilleries to connect with customers in a meaningful way. Gaining a retail presence, then, is extremely tough in a cluttered market.

“Most people have figured out what brands they like and they just buy that over and over and over and over again,” he said.

Significant price drops will take place in 2024.

Wouldn’t it be nice if those $150 and $200 bourbons were suddenly under $100? Consumers certainly would take that development.

“I think we’re going to start to see the decline of the $200 bottle,” Minnick said in making his 2024 bourbon predictions.

He expects more choices in the $60 range or below. He believes the rising cost of seemingly every other product, groceries included, is going to cause luxury products like high-end bourbon to take a big hit.

To get the full details, watch Fred’s 2024 Bourbon Predictions below.