McKenzie River Corporation
{{Infobox company
| name = McKenzie River Corporation
| logo = McKenzie River logo.png
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| foundation = 1987
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| location_city = San Francisco, CA
| location_country = USA
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| industry = Beverages
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| owner = Joseph Wessinger
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McKenzie River Corporation is a beverage marketing firm based in San Francisco, CA. Founded in 1987 by Joseph Wessinger with the help of his father, Fred Wessinger, the McKenzie River Corporation has launched a number of successful beverage products to the US market.{{cite web|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=4324798|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100711174926/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=4324798|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 11, 2010|title=The McKenzie River Corporation: Private Company Information - Businessweek|publisher=investing.businessweek.com|accessdate=2015-09-11}}
History
Joseph Wessinger began the McKenzie River Corporation (named for the McKenzie River in central Oregon), previously known as McKenzie River Partners, to follow in the footsteps of his great-great-grandfather, Henry Weinhard, the Pacific Northwest brewing pioneer.{{cite web |url=http://www.explorewhitefish.com/whitefish_listing.php?uid=9730&listing=Great+Northern+Brewing+Company |title=Great Northern Brewing Company - Whitefish Montana |accessdate=2010-01-05 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220130924/http://www.explorewhitefish.com/whitefish_listing.php?uid=9730&listing=Great+Northern+Brewing+Company |archivedate=2008-12-20 }} Wessinger is a part of a family tradition of brewing which began in 1856.{{cite book|title=History of Portland, Oregon: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Prominent Citizens and Pioneers|author=Scott, H.W.|date=1890|publisher=D. Mason & Company|url=https://archive.org/details/historyportland00scotgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyportland00scotgoog/page/n625 637]|accessdate=2015-09-11}}
In 1991, the corporation was sued by the Attorney General of New York over advertisements allegedly directed at underage minority children. The suit was settled out of court. It was also fined and temporarily shut down by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.{{cite news|last1=Coward|first1=Kyle|title=When Hip-Hop First Went Corporate|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/04/breaking-ad-when-hip-hop-first-went-corporate/390930/|accessdate=23 June 2017|work=The Atlantic|date=April 21, 2015}}
Products
- St. Ides Premium Malt Liquor – St. Ides is a malt liquor that was introduced to the US market in 1987. It contains 8.2% ABV (alcohol by volume). The St. Ides brand is now owned by Pabst Brewing Company.
- Black Star Double Hopped Golden Lager – After building the Great Northern Brewing Company in Whitefish, Montana in 1994, Black Star Beer was launched in early 1995.
- Sparks – Sparks was one of the first alcoholic energy drinks to enter the US beverage market, launching in early 2001.{{cite web|url=http://energy-drink-ratings.blogspot.com/2006/06/sparks-energy-drink-review.html|title=Sparks Energy Drink Review - Energy Drink Ratings and Reviews|publisher=energy-drink-ratings.blogspot.com|accessdate=2015-09-11}}
- Steel Reserve High Gravity Lager – Steel Reserve was introduced in early 2000 and was the first "High Gravity" lager.{{cite web|url=http://www.40ozmaltliquor.com/archive/steelreservehg.html|title=40ozMaltLiquor.com :: Steel Reserve 211 High Gravity|publisher=40ozmaltliquor.com|accessdate=2015-09-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151113065609/http://www.40ozmaltliquor.com/archive/steelreservehg.html|archive-date=2015-11-13|url-status=dead}}
- Howling Monkey Energizing Elixir – Howling Monkey is a caffeinated energy drink that was introduced 2007.{{cite web|url=http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/howling_monkey|title=Howling Monkey Energizing Elixir | BevNET.com Product Review + Ordering | BevNET.com|publisher=bevnet.com|accessdate=2015-09-11}}
- Le Tourment Vert Absinthe Francaise – McKenzie River Corporation began importing Le Tourment Vert to the United States from Distillerie Vinet Ege, near Cognac city, France in early 2008.{{cite web|url=http://absintheology.com/le-tourment-vert.html|title=Le Tourment Vert|publisher=absintheology.com|accessdate=2015-09-11|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100801061954/http://absintheology.com/le-tourment-vert.html|archivedate=2010-08-01}}
- "Air", a first Sparkling Alcohol Water, was launched the summer of 2012. Air has 4% alcohol by volume and is available in a number of flavors.
Miller purchase
On August 14, 2006, Miller Brewing announced it had completed the purchase of Sparks and Steel Reserve brands from McKenzie River Corp. for $215 million. Miller had been producing both products prior to this purchase.http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4115671.html {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}
McKenzie Labs
In 2018, the company started the subsidiary Mckenzie Labs to develop Hive Extra Strength, all-natural, broad spectrum CBD. [https://hivecbd.com www.HiveCBD.com]