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Bardstown Bourbon Company doubles capacity

Kentucky’s new Bardstown Bourbon Company (BBCo) is set to double production capacity following the success of its Collaborative Distilling Programme.

Bardstown Bourbon Company is said to be the largest new whiskey distillery in the US

Plans for the US$25 million site – said to be the largest new whiskey distillery in the US – were first announced in June 2014, when former Maker’s Mark master distiller, Steve Nally, joined as master distiller.

The firm, based in Nelson County, offers a  “collaborative” whiskey, Bourbon and rye wholesale distilling programme, allowing customers to work with Bardstown to launch their own custom spirit brands.

BBCo was built with an initial distilling capacity of 1.5 million proof-gallons and a storage capacity of 185,000 barrels. However, the 37,000 square foot distillery was designed to ‘easily expand’ as demand grows.

Now, the distillery has broken ground on an expansion project to grow production capacity to 3m proof gallons, allowing it to “provide more capacity for current consumers, as well as take on new customers in the third quarter of 2017”.

BBCo can be expanded to more than 6m proof gallons within the current design by adding additional equipment.

First collaboration

The recent expansion was confirmed after Western Spirits Beverage Company became the first group to announce it had joined BBCo’s Collaborative Distilling Programme. Western currently makes the Bird Dog Whiskey, Lexington Bourbon and Calumet Farm Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey brands.

The partners will begin distillation this month.

“We are so excited about the opportunity to partner with the great team at The Bardstown Bourbon Company,” said Tim Livesay, president of Western Spirits.

“With their vision for a Napa Valley type experience, a state-of-the-art whiskey distillery and Steve Nally’s hall-of-fame Bourbon making experience, we are enthusiastic about making The Bardstown Bourbon Company the home of Western Spirits’ Bourbon portfolio.”

The Bardstown Bourbon Company plans to open its visitor and events centre to the public by Summer 2017. The centre will contain “one of the largest collections of whiskey in the state of Kentucky”.

Plans for the distillery also include an educational experience, high-end tours and tastings, event space, and eventually a restaurant and boutique hotel.

In October last year, New York-based drinks group Constellation Brands acquired a minority stake in Bardstown Bourbon Company for an undisclosed sum.

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