The Sazerac Company, based in New Orleans, Louisiana has announced plans to invest nearly $409 million in a new facility in Charlestown, Indiana just across the river from Kentucky. Sazerac is also the owner of nearby Northwest Ordinance Distilling in New Albany and is best known for its main distillery and tourist destination Buffalo Trace Distillery located about 60 miles away in Frankfort, Kentucky.
The new facility will occupy 1,400 acres located at 12200 Highway 62 in Charlestown, Indiana adjacent to Charlestown State Park and is expected to create up to 369 new full-time positions by the end of 2027.
The announcement marks Sazerac’s seventh major expansion in Indiana in the last two years, following announcements in 2021 and 2020 to invest a combined $156 million in its Northwest Ordinance Distilling in New Albany.
“This is an incredibly exciting project for us,” said Jeff Conder, vice president of manufacturing for Sazerac. “The state of Indiana, the Clark County Council, the Clark County Commissioners and One Southern Indiana have been amazing strategic partners through this process. We’re thrilled to increase our manufacturing footprint and our workforce with steady, good-paying jobs, with wages at or above the Clark County average.”
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“Indiana’s central location, strong agriculture sector and business-friendly climate make the Hoosier state the perfect place for businesses like Sazerac to successfully grow their companies,” said Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb. “We’re excited to see that Sazerac chooses Indiana, as they will become another reason our state is the best place to work, live, play, study and stay.”
“This news represents another major milestone for the county and the region,” said Jack Coffman, president of the Clark County Commissioners. “We look forward to working with the team at Sazerac as they continue to build on their success and enjoy continued growth in southern Indiana. Clark County continues to make our focus on infrastructure development to attract new business and assist existing businesses to grow.”
“We’re thrilled that Sazerac has chosen Clark County to expand its presence in southern Indiana,” concurred Barbara Hollis, president of the Clark County Council. “Their investment is an enormous vote of confidence in the county and in the region’s hard-working Hoosiers.”
Pending approval by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) board of directors, the IEDC will commit an investment in Sazerac of Indiana LLC (parent of Northwest Ordinance Distilling) of up to $3.5 million in the form of incentive-based tax credits over a 10-year period based on the company’s job creation plans and up to $3 million in redevelopment tax credits based on the company’s investment plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim credits once employees are hired and investments are made.
The Clark County Council and Clark County Commissioners are scheduled to vote on final approval of the company’s local incentives today, with the project contingent upon approval.
Sazerac is one of America’s oldest family-owned, privately held distillers. They also operate Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, Glenmore Distillery in Owensboro, Kentucky, A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Fredericksburg, Virginia and The Sazerac House and museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. They have additional operations in Tennessee, Maine, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Maryland, California, and global operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, India, Australia and Canada.
Visit the Sazerac House.
Visit Buffalo Trace Distillery.
View all Louisiana Distilleries.
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