The Spirits Group and The Koetter Group have joined forces to create The Blending House®. The Spirits Group is a distilled spirits consulting business founded by Managing Partner Monica Wolf and Master Blender Ashley Barnes while The Koetter Group is a third-generation full-service design-build commercial and industrial contractor and developer. This new collaboration will provide a brand home for The Spirits Group’s consulting clients while providing The Koetter Group a place to showcase their K-RAX® barrel storage system.
Seven 20,000 Barrel Rickhouses and a 30,000 Sq. Ft. Bottling Facility
The Blending House is a $44 million investment located on 108 rolling acres in Shelby County, Kentucky. The site will include seven 20,000-barrel warehouses and a 30,000 square foot blending and bottling facility. The rickhouses will showcase The Koetter Group’s innovative K-RAX Premium Barrel Storage solution and offer third-party premium barrel storage to select clients with high volume needs.
K-RAX Premium Barrel Storage System was developed by The Koetter Group to help distilleries create an innovative way to store and age premium spirits.
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“Our K-RAX facilities are built with laminated southern yellow pine, then run through CNC milling machines for accuracy and precision of parts. With all parts precut and machined within 1,000th of an inch, it makes assembly easy and fast. K-RAX is focused on operational safety enhancements and providing improved structural integrity and improved airflow” said Bob Koetter, CEO of The Koetter Group. “We are excited to come together with Monica and The Spirits Group, on this project and see our vision come to life.”
“We are delighted that the Koetter Group has chosen to bring this $44,000,000 investment to Shelby County, as we continue to make Shelby County a premiere Kentucky Bourbon destination,” said Judge/Executive Dan Ison.
Construction of the first rickhouse is complete, with completion of the second planned for September 2023, and the third for February 2024.
The large blending and bottling facility will provide a home for The Spirits Group’s consulting clients.
“The Blending House development will be a showroom for the K-RAX rickhouses, provide a home base for our core clients and supply third-party storage for other non-distilling producers (NDPs)” said Monica Wolf, Managing Partner of The Spirits Group. “We are thrilled to be at this location and thank Shelby County and Judge Ison for their support.”
The 30,000 square foot blending and bottling facility is expected to be in operation by Fall 2024.
The Koetter Group was founded in 1954 in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. They are one of the largest full-service design-build commercial and industrial contractors and developers in Southern Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky region. The Koetter Group is comprised of four divisions including Construction, Real Estate, Building Services, and K-RAX Premium Spirits Barrel Storage Systems.
The Spirits Group, founded by Managing Partner Monica Wolf and Master Blender Ashley Barnes, is a distilled spirits consulting firm focused on whiskey-related business strategy and operations, quality control, and distillery engineering. From barrel modeling and forecasting to blending and process design, The Spirits Group offers a complete suite of services that ensures quality on both the production and business side of the industry.
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