PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwired - Apr 13, 2016) - Eastside Distilling, Inc. (OTCQB: ESDI), a producer of award-winning master-crafted spirits, reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2015.

Fourth Quarter 2015 vs. Same Year-Ago Quarter, and Full Year Financial Highlights

  • Revenue in Q4 2015 up 41% to Eastside quarterly record $982,000, full year up 62% to Eastside annual record $2.3 million.

  • Gross profit in Q4 2015 up 54% to record $369,000, full year up 48% to record $832,000.

  • Net loss in Q4 2015 decreased to $669,000 from a net loss of $3.7 million in Q4 2014, with full year net loss reduced to $3.5 million from a net loss of $4.1 million in 2014 (2014 results included a goodwill impairment charge of $3.2 million which occurred in Q4 2014).

2015 Operational Highlights

  • Total 2015 Case shipments increased 60% to 10,200, with Q4 2015 case shipments up 43% versus the same year-ago quarter.

  • Launched two new American Whiskeys, Barrel Hitch American Whiskey and Barrel Hitch 'Oregon Oak' American Whiskey in 2015, joining the company's full line of award-winning spirits that includes rums, vodka, bourbon, other specialty whiskeys, and seasonal/limited editions

  • Eastside's new Barrel Hitch American Whiskey won the Triple Gold Medal for 'Best in Show' and Bronze Medal for packaging design at the 2015 MicroLiquor Spirit Awards

  • Eastside's national rollout continued with new listing approvals and expanded distribution in major markets, including New York, Virginia, Texas, Indiana and Nevada. States where the company's spirits are approved for sale more than doubled, totaling 15 by year-end.

  • Began operation of the company's new 41,000 sq. ft. distillery, which increased annual production capacity from 6,400 to about 100,000 cases annually, and with the potential to expand production up to 1 million cases annually as demand requires.

  • Selected as the official provider of spirits for the 2015 Portland Rose Festival, Oregon's official civic festival which attracts more than 1 million visitors every year.

  • Established multi-faceted marketing partnership with Comcast SportsNet Northwest, the Pacific Northwest's premier sports television network and home of the Trail Blazers.

  • Appointed Steve Shum as CFO, bringing to Eastside more than 20 years of financial management and operational experience.

  • 15-year industry veteran, Patrick Roth, appointed to new position of national sales manager.

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015 Financial Results
 Revenues in the fourth quarter of 2015 increased 41% to a record $982,000, compared to $696,000 in the same year-ago quarter. For the full year of 2015, revenues totaled $2.3 million, up 63% from $1.4 million in 2014. The increase in revenue in both periods is primarily attributable to increased penetration of existing markets in the Pacific Northwest as well as broader distribution to existing and new states across the South, Midwest, and East Coast.

Gross profit in fourth quarter of 2015 increased 54% to record $369,000, with gross profit for the full year up 48% to a record $832,000.

Gross margin in the fourth quarter 2015 was 38% versus 34.4% in the same year-ago period, and for the full year 2015 was 36% compared to 39% in 2014. The decrease in gross margins for the year primarily reflects the higher fixed costs associated with the company's new, larger production facility. The improvement in the gross margin during the final quarter reflected the benefit of the higher sales, which provided better coverage on those higher fixed facility costs. The company expects this trend to continue as it grows sales and maintains the current level of facility costs.

Net loss in the fourth quarter of 2015 totaled $669,000 or ($0.02) per basic and diluted share, compared to net loss of $3.8 million or ($0.10) per basic and diluted share in the year-ago quarter. For the full year of 2015, net loss totaled $3.6 million or ($0.08) per basic and diluted share, compared to net loss of $4.1 million or ($0.12) per basic and diluted share in 2014. The net loss in both the fourth quarter and full year of 2015 was primarily attributed to increased personnel, professional, legal and accounting expenses during the year as the company secured approval and expanded sales into new states, with these expenses partly offset by increased sales. This compares to the net loss in the year ago periods which were primarily due to a goodwill impairment charge of $3.2 million in Q4 2014 resulting from the divestiture of the company's legacy business.

Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2015 totaled a loss of $436,000 versus a loss of $529,000 in the same year-ago period. For the full year of 2015, adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $2.55 million compared a loss of $790,000 in 2014 (see definition and discussion about the company's presentation of adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP term, and its reconciliation to the nearest GAAP metric, below).

Cash at December 31, 2015 was $141,000 compared to $1.1 million at December 31, 2014. Subsequent to the end of the year, the company received $407,000 in gross proceeds from the initial closing of a private placement offering to accredited investors.

Further details about the company's 2015 results is available in its Annual Report Form 10-K, which can downloaded from the investor Relations section at www.eastsidedistilling.com or at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Management Commentary
"2015 was another phenomenal year of innovation, growth and expansion for Eastside Distilling," said the company's CEO, Steven Earles. "We began the year by turning up operations at our new 41,000 sf. distillery, which now has the capacity for 10 times our actual sales volume in 2015.

"Also during the year we released another award-winning spirit to further round out our spirit portfolio, and engaged additional top national distributors as we entered several key new states. In fact, the number of approved states for selling Eastside liquors more than doubled in 2015, and now includes the top three states for alcohol consumption.

"We ended the year with another record holiday season, up 41% over 2014, with our company retail locations and in-store tastings at other liquor stores experiencing tremendous foot traffic by holiday shoppers.

"All of this supported a record level of case shipments for the year, along with record revenue and gross profit. Moreover, these results are demonstrating how our significant investment in product development, production capacity, key personnel, and growing our brand awareness is finally beginning to pay off.

"The record pace has continued into 2016, with shipments of more than 3,100 cases in the first three months representing an increase of 80% over the same year-ago period. To put this in perspective, this case number equals nearly a third of all of our shipments in 2015 and despite the first quarter being typically our slowest of the year.

"As our markets begin to mature and our brand awareness grows among our target demographics, we are seeing a number of opportunities for continued acceleration. The new states we've entered in 2015 are only now just beginning to track the same growth momentum we've seen with earlier states. For markets like New York, which we entered in mid-2015, we have seen distributor follow-on orders coming in increasingly larger and more quickly as the months progress. We expect this increasing scale to help drive down material and production costs, and thereby improve margins as we progress though the year.

 "All of these positive factors are pointing to Eastside Distilling being on track for another consecutive year of record growth, with our new Barrel Hitch American Whiskey leading the way. We see this growth being driven by our continued expansion into new states and internationally, existing states coming up to speed, and by the continued strong industry tailwinds in the craft spirit space."

About Eastside Distilling
 Eastside Distilling, Inc. (OTCQB: ESDI) is located in Southeast Portland's Distillery Row, and has been producing high-quality, master crafted spirits since 2008. Makers of award winning spirits, the company is unique in the marketplace and distinguished by its highly decorated product lineup that includes Barrel Hitch American Whiskies, Burnside Bourbon, Below Deck Rums, Portland Potato Vodka, and a distinctive line of infused whiskeys. All Eastside spirits are master crafted from natural ingredients for unparalleled quality and taste. The company is publicly traded under the symbol OTCQB: ESDI. For more information visit: www.eastsidedistilling.com

Forward-Looking Statements  
Certain matters discussed in this press release may be forward-looking statements. Such matters involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the following: changes in economic conditions; general competitive factors; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; acceptance of the Company's products in the market; the Company's success in obtaining new customers; the Company's ability to obtain additional capital, the Company's success in product development; the Company's ability to execute its business model and strategic plans; the Company's success in integrating acquired entities and assets, and all the risks and related information described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the financial statements and related information contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 13, 2016 Examples of forward-looking statements in this release may include statements related to our strategic focus, product verticals, anticipated revenue and profitability. The Company assumes no obligation to update the cautionary information in this release.

Fiscal Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015 Financial Summary Tables
 The following financial information should be read in conjunction with the unaudited financial statements and accompanying notes filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 13, 2016 in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, and which can be viewed at www.sec.gov and in the investor relations section of the company's website at www.eastsidedistilling.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Measures
 Eastside Distilling's management evaluates and makes operating decisions using various financial metrics. In addition to the company's GAAP results, management also considers the non-GAAP measure of adjusted EBITDA. Management believes this non-GAAP measure provides useful information about the company's operating results.

The company defines adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss), plus interest expense, provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization, loss from discontinued operations (goodwill impairment), and stock-based compensation. The table below provides a reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.

             
   Three Months Ended December 31,    Year Ended December 31,  
   2015    2014    2015    2014  
Net (loss) income   $ (669,376 )   $ (3,790,083 )   $ (3,601,066 )   $ (4,057,171 )
                                 
  Interest expense     95,792       666       59,548       3,974  
  Provision for income taxes     -       1,500       -       1,500  
  Depreciation and amortization     22,100       2,818       36,027       5,889  
  Goodwill impairment     -       3,246,149       -       3,246,149  
  Stock-based compensation     115,156       10,000       955,277       10,000  
Adjusted EBITDA   $ (436,328 )   $ (528,950 )   $ (2,550,214 )   $ (789,659 )
                                 
                                 
   
Eastside Distilling, Inc. and Subsidiary  
Consolidated Balance Sheets  
December 31, 2015 and 2014  
             
   December 31, 2015    December 31, 2014  
Assets                
Current assets:                
  Cash   $ 141,317     $ 1,082,290  
  Trade receivables     142,206       138,041  
  Inventories     683,824       377,020  
  Prepaid expenses     163,506       174,147  
Total current assets     1,130,853       1,771,498  
Property and equipment - net     112,005       81,206  
Other assets     49,000       193,750  
Total Assets   $ 1,291,858     $ 2,046,454  
                 
Liabilities and Stockholders' (Deficit) Equity                
Current liabilities:                
  Accounts payable   $ 1,300,532     $ 206,630  
  Accrued liabilities     563,814       72,610  
  Deferred revenue     727       8,275  
  Current portion of note payable     4,098       3,560  
  Related party note payable     12,500       -  
  Convertible notes payable - net of debt discount     455,958       150,000  
Total current liabilities     2,337,629       441,075  
Note payable - less current portion     17,842       23,271  
Total liabilities     2,355,471       464,346  
                 
Commitments and contingencies (Note 9)                
                 
Stockholders' (deficit) equity:                
  Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2015 and 2014    
-		      
-		  
  Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 900,000,000 shares authorized; 46,195,000 and 45,512,500 shares issued and outstanding atDecember 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively    

4,620		      

4,551		  
  Additional paid-in capital     6,493,518       5,538,242  
  Accumulated deficit     (7,561,751 )     (3,960,685 )
Total stockholders' (deficit) equity     (1,063,613 )     1,582,108  
Total Liabilities and Stockholders' (Deficit) Equity   $ 1,291,858     $ 2,046,454  
                 
                 
   
Eastside Distilling, Inc. and Subsidiary  
Consolidated Statements of Operations  
               
   Three Months Ended December 31,    Year Ended December 31,  
   2015    2014    2015    2014  
Sales   $ 981,783     $ 696,777     $ 2,326,664     $ 1,435,416  
Less excise taxes     260,730       252,036       624,046       379,972  
Net sales     721,053       444,741       1,702,618       1,055,444  
Cost of sales     352,034       204,853       870,390       494,889  
Gross profit     369,019       239,888       832,228       560,555  
Selling, general, and administrative expenses     942,603       781,894       4,373,746       1,366,341  
Goodwill impairment     -       3,246,149       -       3,246,149  
(Loss) income from operations     (573,584 )     (3,788,155 )     (3,541,518 )     (4,051,935 )
Other expenses - net     (95,792 )     428       (59,548 )     3,736  
(Loss) income before income taxes     (669,376 )     (3,788,583 )     (3,601,066 )     (4,055,671 )
Provision for income taxes     -       1,500       -       1,500  
Net (loss) income   $ (669,376 )   $ (3,790,083 )   $ (3,601,066 )   $ (4,057,171 )
                                 
                                 
Basic and diluted net (loss) income per common share:                                
    $ (0.02 )   $ (0.10 )   $ (0.08 )   $ (0.12 )
                                 
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding:                                
      46,104,674       37,451,223       45,750,363       33,374,007  
                                 

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2992288