Templeton Reaches Rye Whiskey Class Action Settlement

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On July 14, a preliminary Templeton Rye Whiskey class action settlement was filed in court, and consumers who bought this alcoholic product may soon be due a refund.

Under the proposed Templeton Rye Whiskey settlement, Class Members who bought a bottle of the brand name whiskey since 2006 who do not have proof of purchase will be entitled to a cash refund of $3 per Templeton Rye Whiskey bottle, up to six bottles. For those consumers who can provide proof of purchase of the whiskey, they will be able to recover $6 per bottle up to six bottles of Templeton Rye Whiskey.

The terms for this Templeton Rye Whiskey class action settlement were agreed upon just a little under a year after the Chicago plaintiff filed his Templeton Rye Whiskey class action lawsuit in Cook County court, alleging the Templeton Rye Spirits company deceptively marketed its alcoholic drink as a product of Iowa.

However, according to the Templeton Whiskey deceptive marketing class action lawsuit, most of the brand name spirit is distilled and aged at an Indiana plant owned by MPG Ingredients, together with other rye spirits on the American alcohol market. A second Templeton Whiskey class action lawsuit was filed in the same county court, and a third class action lawsuit was filed in Iowa.

The Templeton Rye Whiskey class action settlement will not just provide consumers with monetary compensation for the alleged false marketing, the back of the whiskey bottle label will now feature the phrase “Distilled in Indiana,” while the phrases “Small Batch” and “Prohibition Era Recipe” will be removed from the front of the Templeton Rye Whiskey products.

Plaintiff Christopher McNair filed the original Templeton Rye Whiskey class action lawsuit in September of last year, alleging he and “thousands of consumers across the country … thought they were buying authentic Iowa whiskey and were unaware of the actual origin of its whiskey.” The plaintiff specifically claims he bought over a dozen bottles of Templeton Rye Whiskey, sold at about $34.99 per bottle, since 2008, under the belief that the whiskey product was made in Iowa.

Templeton Rye Whiskey founder Keith Kerkhoff released a statement on the same day as the proposed whiskey class action settlement was announced, saying:

“Though the relationship between Templeton Rye and our Indiana-based distillery partner is described on our website, we recognize that our marketing efforts should have provided more clarity about our production process. As a result, we’ve made adjustments to our label and marketing materials. With these changes, we’re eager to move ahead and refocus on bringing the history and spirit of the community of Templeton, Iowa, to life through Templeton Rye Whiskey as we share ‘The Good Stuff’ with whiskey lovers everywhere.”

The Templeton Rye Whiskey class action settlement is preliminary and still needs final approval by a judge before refunds can be doled out to consumers. Once the proposed settlement is affirmed, the method for applying the Templeton Whiskey refund will be hashed out.

The original Templeton Rye Whiskey Class Action Lawsuit is McNair v. Templeton Rye Spirits LLC, Case No. 1:14-cv-07440, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

UPDATE: Claim filing instructions for the Templeton Rye whiskey class action settlement are now available! Click here or visit www.TempletonRyeSettlement.com for details.

UPDATE 2: On Feb. 10, 2016, according to the settlement website Class Members who filed a claim for the Templeton Rye settlement will receive a check on or before March 9, 2016.

UPDATE 3: On Mar. 11, 2016, according to reader comments and posts on the Top Class Actions Facebook page, Class Members who submitted timely and valid claims for the Templeton Rye whiskey settlement began receiving checks worth as much as $23.