Blue Run Spirits New $51 Million Distillery will ‘Meander’ for a Half-Mile Under a Photovoltaic Roof [Renderings]

The recipe for making bourbon whiskey is pretty simple really – grains, yeast, water and a new charred oak barrel. There are a few other rules but these are the main ingredients. The water that makes it into bourbon comes from a latticework of rivers flowing above and below ground. The water in those rivers typically meanders for many miles before it makes it into your bottle of bourbon.

And now, that meandering river is being used as the inspiration for the new $51 million Blue Run Distillery in Georgetown, Kentucky. Blue Run Spirits announced its plans to build a new distillery in August of 2022. Now, we have some exciting renderings of what this one-of-a-kind distillery will look like.

And now, in the case of Blue Run Spirits, that meandering river is being used as the inspiration for their new $51 million Blue Run Distillery in Georgetown, Kentucky. Blue Run Spirits announced their plans to build a new distillery in August of 2022. Now, we have some exciting renderings of what this one-of-a-kind distillery will look like. Now, we have our first look at the renderings for this one-of-a-kind distillery that will surely be a ‘must-visit” stop when it one day joins the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Blue Run Spirits worked with international architect firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Some of BIGs projects of note include Google Headquarters, Lego Brand Museum, Audemars Piguet Museum and Hotel, the San Pellegrino Flagship Factory, and world-renowned Copenhagen restaurant Noma.

The Blue Run Distillery will include a 35,000-square-foot distillery and a 20,000-square-foot rickhouse. Plans call for a groundbreaking in 2023 and a grand opening in 2025.

Introducing Blue Run’s ‘Meander’ Distillery Design

“We are thrilled to be able to reveal an early look of Bjarke Ingels Group’s design for the new Blue Run Spirits distillery in Georgetown, giving everyone a glimpse at where we are heading in developing a welcoming, unexpected and modern facility with a true focus on sustainability,” said Blue Run Spirits CEO and cofounder Mike Montgomery.

“This will be a game-changing addition to Blue Run’s long-range business plans, allowing us to meet forecasted and unforeseen demand, while also giving our Whiskey Director Shaylyn Gammon and Liquid Advisor Jim Rutledge a home base of operations.”

The design, called “Meander,” is meant to evoke the journey of the limestone-rich water of the Royal Spring in Georgetown as it winds its way through the distilling, aging and blending process to becoming fine Blue Run bourbons and rye whiskeys. The Royal Spring, dubbed the Blue Run by one of the founders, serves as the company’s namesake. 

Founded in 2005, Bjarke Ingels Group is based in Copenhagen and New York City and has offices in London, Barcelona and Shenzhen. BIG’s practice includes architecture, planning, landscape, urbanism, interior design, product design, research and development.