Beam Suntory’s latest move to expand its production comes with a $400 million price tag and entails the creation of 50 full-time jobs in production at the Jim Beam Booker Noe Distillery.
The Boston, Ky. facility will expand production capacity in the coming months, according to a July 28 press release from the office of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
“Jim Beam is a renowned name within Kentucky’s signature bourbon industry, and I am thrilled to see the company continue to grow in our state,” Gov. Beshear states in the press release. “This is a substantial investment in Nelson County that will ensure Jim Beam continues to grow in Central Kentucky for decades to come. Thank you to the leaders at the company for once again showing faith in our state and our incredible workforce.”
The Booker Noe Distillery is located in central Kentucky, approximately 35 miles south of Louisville. Its expansion joins a recent opening of Clermont-based Fred B Noe Distillery, a small-scale production site focused on small-batch spirits and innovations. The distillery, named to recognize seventh-generation master distiller Fred Noe, first opened in August 2021.
The two locations carry a long-held tradition of distilling Jim Beam spirits in Kentucky, which began in 1795. The company was acquired by Japan-based Suntory Holdings in 2014, which formed Beam Suntory, a massive conglomerate which features a wide portfolio of whiskeys, gins, rums, vodkas, and more. Big name bourbon brands Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Booker’s, Baker’s and Knob Creek all fall under the Beam Suntory umbrella.
The Booker Noe expansion follows a record-breaking year for Kentucky businesses in 2021, with over $11.2 billion in planned investments across the state.