Company: IPST
Filing Date: 2025-05-30
Form Type: PRE 14A
Source: 0001788230-25-000100
Chunk: 26

Company: Heritage Distilling Holding Company, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-05-30
Form: PRE 14A
Chunk 26
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 Reporting Compliance

Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), requires that our directors, executive and other specified officers, and greater-than-10% stockholders file reports with the SEC on their initial beneficial ownership of our common stock and any subsequent changes. They must also provide us with copies of the reports.

| 2025 Proxy Statement |     | 14 |     | HERITAGE DISTILLING HOLDING COMPANY, INC. |

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

We are required to tell you in this Proxy Statement if we know about any failure to report as required. We reviewed copies of all reports furnished to us and obtained written representations that no other reports were required. Based solely on this review, we believe that all of the reporting persons complied with their filing requirements for 2024, except that all of our executive officers and directors failed to timely file their Initial Statement of Beneficial Ownership of Securities on Form 3 by the effective date of our registration statement on Form S-1 relating to our initial public offering of common stock as required by the Exchange Act. All of such reports have since been filed.

| HERITAGE DISTILLING HOLDING COMPANY, INC. |     | 15 |     | 2025 Proxy Statement |

PROPOSAL ONE - DIRECTOR PROPOSAL

Election of Directors

Our Bylaws provide that our Board shall consist of no less than five members, with the exact number of members to be fixed from time to time by resolution of the Board. On January 6, 2025, our Board authorized an increase in the size of the Board from seven to eight members and, upon the recommendation of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, appointed Mr. Swann as a director of Heritage effective as of January 6, 2025. In accordance with the terms of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, our Board of Directors are divided into three classes, Class I, Class II, and Class III, with each class serving staggered three-year terms. Upon the expiration of the term of a class of directors, directors in that class are eligible to be elected for a new three-year term at the annual meeting of stockholders in the year in which their term expires. As of May 30, 2025, our two Class III directors on our Board serve with terms ending at the Annual Meeting. The Board has nominated Mr. Smith and Dr. Wensel for re-election