Horse Soldier opens $200m Kentucky distillery
Gallo-backed Horse Soldier Bourbon has opened its new US$200 million American Freedom Distillery as Kentucky’s latest whiskey destination.
The Bourbon brand began building its distillery in 2021 on a 240-acre site in Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky. Prior to the site opening, the whiskey was distilled in Columbia, Ohio.
The opening of Horse Soldier Farms near Lake Cumberland includes the 50,000-square-foot American Freedom Distillery, The Outpost retail store and event spaces. Additional visitor experiences will be added at a later date.
The Bourbon brand was founded in 2015 by husband and wife John Koko and Elizabeth Pritchard-Koko, alongside Scott Neil, and retired members of the detachment of Green Berets from the 5th Special Forces Group.
Koko and Neil were part of a group of 12 military soldiers who entered Afghanistan on horseback on 11 September 2001 after training on Lake Cumberland. The creation of the new distillery marks their return to the area after 20 years.
“In many ways, this feels like coming home,” said Koko, who also serves as the CEO of Horse Soldier. “Our journey began in Kentucky at Fort Campbell. Twenty-five years after 9/11, we’ve returned to build something we hope will endure for generations. Kentucky gave us a quiet place to build – not just a distillery, but a legacy. As citizen-soldiers, we were citizens first, and we remain citizens today.
“We believe our greatest contribution now is to build: a company, opportunities for others and a brand worthy of Kentucky’s Bourbon heritage. As America celebrates its 250th year, we’re honoured to add a small chapter to Kentucky’s extraordinary story.”
Horse Soldier Farms has been designed as a ‘gathering space for Bourbon enthusiasts, music fans, veterans, families and travellers’. It is said to combine Bourbon, storytelling, craftsmanship, and American heritage.
A grand opening for the site was held to coincide with Independence Day (4 July) in the US, featuring a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Kentucky governor Andy Beshear, live performances by country music stars Chris Janson and Locash, fireworks, and a professional bull riders competition.
“Bourbon is essential to Kentucky’s success, creating high-quality jobs and helping drive our record-breaking tourism industry across our state,” Beshear added.
For the new development, Horse Soldier received US$29.9m in support from the state’s Tourism Development Act. When the project was announced, it was anticipated to create more than 400 jobs.
Since the start of the Beshear administration, Kentucky’s spirits industry is said to have seen more than 118 new locations or expansion announcements contribute to over US$5.4bn in planned investments and more than 2,100 announced full-time jobs, according to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. Spirits facilities currently employ more than 5,100 people throughout Kentucky, it claims.
Horse Soldier also has backing from Californian wine and spirits company Gallo, which made a ‘strategic investment’ in the brand in July 2022. While Horse Soldier was Gallo’s first move into American whiskey, the company recently acquired Kentucky’s Four Roses Bourbon for US$775m.
Horse Soldier Farms is set to join the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, which currently boasts 74 stops.
Fellow Kentucky whiskey producer Willett opened its second distillery in the state last month.
Meanwhile, Sazerac recently agreed to buy the former Garrard County Distilling property located in Lancaster, Kentucky, for US$20m.
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