Lucky Seven Spirits

Lucky Seven Spirits does not distill a drop of its own whiskey, and it does not pretend otherwise. What it does is hunt through Kentucky's stock of aging bourbon, pull out barrels worth building a name around, and blend them into small-batch and single-barrel releases with a Hollywood backstory behind the label.

History & Heritage

Lucky Seven Spirits launched around 2020, founded by Michael Lahalih and John Pals, best friends since college who share a bond over bourbon and cinema. The brand name traces to Stage 7 in Hollywood, California, the soundstage where some of the most storied films in American cinema were shot, and that golden-age-of-Hollywood identity runs through the naming of every expression the company releases. As of July 2026, Lucky Seven Spirits is owned and operated by Lahalih and Pals as co-founders, distinct from the distilleries that actually produce the whiskey in the bottle. The company is a sourcing and blending operation, not a distillery, and it is upfront that it does not own a still. All bottling and blending work is contracted out to Bardstown Bourbon Company in Bardstown, Kentucky, and Lucky Seven sources its bourbon from a small, select group of prestigious Kentucky distilleries. Notably, the company does not source from MGP, the Indiana distiller that supplies a large share of the sourced-whiskey market, which sets Lucky Seven's supply chain apart from many of its sourcing-house peers.

The Whiskey

Ashley Barnes serves as Master Blender for Lucky Seven Spirits and is credited by name on most of the brand's releases. The core lineup spans a range of ages and finishes. Lucky Seven Straight Bourbon Small Batch is bottled at 90 proof and just over four years old, positioned as the brand's entry point. Lucky Seven The Frenchman Bourbon Whiskey is finished in new French oak barrels and bottled at a bold 113 proof. Lucky Seven The Hold Up 9-Year Kentucky Bourbon carries a mash bill of 74% corn, 18% rye, and 8% malted barley, aged nine years and bottled at 100 proof. Beyond the core three, the catalog has included The Workhorse (97 proof, a mash bill of 70% corn, 21% rye, 9% malted barley), The Proprietor (a single-barrel series released at various ages including 6-year, 12-year, and 14-year expressions, always at cask strength), The Holiday Toast (a double-oaked 115 proof release), The New Yorker (finished in Amburana casks at 117.4 proof), and the now-discontinued Jokester (a 6-year, 95 proof release). Across the lineup, finishing is done in new or virgin oak barrels rather than staves, and bottles are typically non-chill filtered and often released at barrel proof, choices that keep the whiskey's character intact rather than smoothing it out for volume.

Why It Matters

Sourced bourbon has a mixed reputation, and Lucky Seven Spirits has worked to separate itself from that skepticism through transparency and results. The brand states plainly that it does not distill, names its blender, and identifies its bottling partner rather than hiding behind vague marketing language. That approach has been rewarded: The Frenchman and The Proprietor have each won Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and Whiskey Advocate has scored The Frenchman at 92 points and The Proprietor 6 Year Barrel Select Kentucky Bourbon at 94 points. For a company barely five years old with no distillery of its own, that level of critical recognition says more about the quality of the barrel selection and blending than about age or pedigree. The Sentinel Room carries three Lucky Seven Spirits expressions in the Reserve Whiskey Library: Lucky Seven Straight Bourbon Small Batch, Lucky Seven The Frenchman Bourbon Whiskey, and Lucky Seven The Hold Up 9-Year Kentucky Bourbon, giving those who appreciate good whiskey a chance to taste the range from entry-level small batch to aged, high-proof single barrel work.