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Sazerac unveils $71m distillery expansion plans
Sazerac is to spend US$71 million expanding its Buffalo Trace, The Glenmore and Barton 1792 distilleries in an attempt to meet soaring demand for Bourbon.
Sazerac has revealed US$71 million Bourbon distillery expansion plans
Following on from the company’s recently opened high tech Warehouse X at the Buffalo Trace distillery, Sazerac has revealed that it will be investing in increasing production at its Barton 1972 and The Glenmore Bourbon distilleries in Kentucky.
At the Barton 1792 Distillery, production capacity will be increased with the implementation of new equipment.
Meanwhile, Sazerac will also build a 223,000 square foot distribution centre at The Glenmore Distillery, while existing barrel warehouses will also be improved.
Overall it is thought that 110 new jobs will be created as a result of the expansions across the three distilleries.
“We are very proud we are able to continue to invest in Kentucky through its people and its infrastructure,” Mark Brown, president and CEO of Sazerac, said.
“By the time all of our projects are finished at our three facilities, we’ll have well over 1,200 employees in the state, and we’re excited about the possibility of growing even more.”
The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority has approved tax incentives totalling $7.4 million for the developments.
Buffalo Trace officially opened its Warehouse X – a facility which contains around US$1 million worth of monitoring and reporting technology to assess the affect of the environment on maturing whisky – in November last year.
The project followed the admittance of Mark Brown, CEO of Sazerac, that due to the high demand for Bourbon across the world, Buffalo Trace was around 100,000 barrels short of what it needed.
Other Bourbon producers have admitted to stock shortages in recent years, with Beam-owned Maker’s Mark claiming it planned to lower the abv of its liquid in order to stretch supplies.
Brown-Forman’s Woodford Reserve is investing US$35 million in increasing production, while Gruppo Campari opened a new visitor’s centre for its Wild Turkey Bourbon this month as part of its US$100m investment in the brand.
Kentucky governor Steve Beshear said of Sazerac’s expansion plans: “To see not one, not two, but three iconic distilleries expand their operations shows the world’s taste for bourbon is soaring.”
“Bourbon remains a signature industry in Kentucky, and these expansions will continue to grow this legacy. I want to congratulate Sazerac on its investment and the addition of more than 100 new jobs throughout the Commonwealth.”