St. Louis-based Luxco announced the company has finalized plans to build a distillery in Nelson County, Ky. Luxco has chosen to build the distillery on a 70-acre site off state highway KY-245 in the heart of Bardstown and Bourbon Capital of the World, it says. The company announced preliminary plans for the distillery in late 2015, and the distillery is expected to be fully operational by late 2017.
Construction on the project will begin in this summer. When finished, the distillery will be approximately 18,000 square feet, have six barrel warehouses and will employ an estimated 34 people. In addition, the distillery will feature a tasting room and event space and will offer visitors a new stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the company says.
“We are looking forward to building the distillery on this scenic property and in such a central location in Bardstown,” said David Bratcher, president and chief operations officer of Luxco, in a statement. “We intend the distillery to be a welcoming stop for those visiting the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and we are excited to bring our bourbon experience and brands to Nelson County.”
The distillery will be built alongside an existing house on the property, which is registered as a National Historic Place and will remain on the property, the company says.
With the growth of Luxco’s bourbon brands, which include Rebel Yell, Blood Oath and Ezra Brooks, the company said it decided to build its new distillery in order to meet its increasing whiskey demand.
“At Luxco, we are always looking to be innovative,” Bratcher said. “Building this distillery will allow us to control our own production as well as offer us the ability to experiment with new and innovative mash bills, barrel types and aging techniques.”
