Four Roses Distillery located in Lawrenceburg and Cox’s Creek, Kentucky, has announced a new investment of more than $23 million to its Cox’s Creek operations.
The Four Roses investment will add 17 new bourbon barrel warehouses totaling more than 776,000 square feet to support continued growth of bourbon production at its Lawrenceburg distillery. Each rickhouse is just over 45,000 square feet in size and can accommodate 24,288 barrels. The investment comes in response to increased demand for the company’s bourbon throughout the United States.
“We’re excited about the growth of Four Roses and to have the capacity to bring our Bourbon to more whiskey-lovers around the country, but we’re even more excited about the growth of Kentucky’s bourbon industry,” said Ryan Ashley, chief operating officer for Four Roses Bourbon. “We look forward to welcoming new members to the Four Roses team with this expansion who will help us continue to show that the best bourbons in the world come out of this state.”
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Four Roses has roots dating back to the mid-19th century in Georgia, with the company producing bourbon in Kentucky since 1888. The distillery operated along Louisville’s Whiskey Row until eventually relocating to Lawrenceburg in the 1960s, where the company remains dedicated to producing award-winning bourbons.
What Makes Four Roses Barrel Warehouses Unique?
Four Roses Distillery is Kentucky’s only heritage distillery to exclusively use single-story rack warehouses during the aging process to provide a gentle, undisturbed, and more consistent maturation process. The temperature inside the unheated warehouses varies by about 8 degrees Fahrenheit from the top rack to the bottom. Traditional, metal-clad, multi-story warehouses in Kentucky will vary in temperature by as much as 35 degrees.
“Kentucky’s bourbon and spirits growth continues at an incredible rate, and we welcome this major investment from Four Roses in Bullitt County,” Gov. Beshear said. “Bourbon is a signature industry in the commonwealth that is creating quality jobs across the state. I am thrilled to see Four Roses contribute to that success and look forward to seeing this project come together over the next couple of years.”
Four Roses’ investment adds to recent growth in the bourbon and spirits industry across Kentucky. Since 2019, Kentucky’s spirits industry has seen more than 50 new-location or expansion announcements contribute to over $1.1 billion in planned investments and more than 900 announced full-time jobs. Today, spirits facilities employ more than 5,300 people throughout the state.
Bullitt County Judge/Executive Jerry Summers welcomed the company’s continued investment.
“We are excited about the growth and expansion of Four Roses Distillery,” Judge Summers said. “This project is a true asset to Bullitt County and its scenic corridor. I look forward to continued partnerships as they continue to grow within our community.”
Bob Fouts, executive director of the Bullitt County Economic Development Authority, is happy to see the company grow its presence in the region.
“We are glad to see Four Roses Distillery thrive and expand in our county and wish them continued success,” Fouts said.
To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) approved Four Roses for up to $300,000 in tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act (KEIA). KEIA allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing.
In addition, the company can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.
Four Roses currently employs 137 people in Kentucky, including 20 at an existing warehouse in Coxs Creek. The work on the new barrel rickhouses is expected to be completed by 2024 and will increase bottle storage and create new job opportunities.
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