Grain & Barrel Spirits appoints new general manager

Charleston, South Carolina craft spirits company, Grain & Barrel Spirits, has appointed John Drakeford as the company’s new General Manager.

An accomplished industry veteran with decades of executive leadership experience, Drakeford will lead Grain & Barrel’s executive team and will play an integral role in growing the company’s portfolio of spirits including Chicken Cock Whiskey, the largest brand within Grain & Barrel’s portfolio and one of the fastest growing ultra premium whiskeys in the US.

Drakeford, who is based in Columbia, SC, joins the team after serving as General Manager of multiple regions at Beam Suntory, where he worked since 2006, and a member of the North American Leadership Team.

Grain & Barrel – which develops and scales craft spirits – has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America three years in a row.