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Whiskey mogul plans to donate Poultney college campus to a Christian group to 'revive Western Civilization'
https://vtdigger.org/2026/03/31/whiskey-mogul-plans-to-donate-poultney-college-campus-to-a-christian-group-to-revive-western-civilization/Poultney residents have shifted focus to investments in outdoor recreation, tourism and other revitalization efforts after the Green Mountain College campus redevelopment stalled.
The brain rot of the uber-wealthy is evident.
Big questions are hanging in the air since whiskey tycoon Raj Peter Bhakta put the former Green Mountain College up for donation with the requirement that the recipient have a particular mission.
Green Mountain College shuttered in 2019 after declining student enrollment, leaving Vermonters wondering what would come of the Rutland County campus anchoring Poultney's downtown. The college's closure came as a blow to the town, but Poultney has since turned its focus to revitalization efforts, including hopes to make the town a hub for mountain biking and outdoor recreation.
Bhakta, known for founding the Vermont-based company Whistlepig, bought the 155-acre college campus for $4.8 million in 2020, with original plans to set up a sustainable agriculture initiative. Bhakta's goal with the campus eventually morphed into a vision for a resort with some residential development. After six years of holdups, Bhakta is leaving those plans behind.
. . .
Bhakta gained notoriety even before his plan to donate the college received national attention. Prior to acquiring the old college campus in rural Vermont and running current business Bhakta Spirits, Bhakta was ousted from the popular whiskey business he founded, Whistlepig, after fraud allegations were levied against him. Bhakta appeared as a contestant on President Donald Trump's former reality show "The Apprentice," and ran for a Pennsylvania congressional seat in 2006. As part of his political message advocating for border security to prevent undocumented migration, Bhakta pulled a political stunt, riding an elephant with an accompanying mariachi band on the Rio Grande.
. . .
Green Mountain College shuttered in 2019 after declining student enrollment, leaving Vermonters wondering what would come of the Rutland County campus anchoring Poultney's downtown. The college's closure came as a blow to the town, but Poultney has since turned its focus to revitalization efforts, including hopes to make the town a hub for mountain biking and outdoor recreation.
Bhakta, known for founding the Vermont-based company Whistlepig, bought the 155-acre college campus for $4.8 million in 2020, with original plans to set up a sustainable agriculture initiative. Bhakta's goal with the campus eventually morphed into a vision for a resort with some residential development. After six years of holdups, Bhakta is leaving those plans behind.
. . .
Bhakta gained notoriety even before his plan to donate the college received national attention. Prior to acquiring the old college campus in rural Vermont and running current business Bhakta Spirits, Bhakta was ousted from the popular whiskey business he founded, Whistlepig, after fraud allegations were levied against him. Bhakta appeared as a contestant on President Donald Trump's former reality show "The Apprentice," and ran for a Pennsylvania congressional seat in 2006. As part of his political message advocating for border security to prevent undocumented migration, Bhakta pulled a political stunt, riding an elephant with an accompanying mariachi band on the Rio Grande.
. . .
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