Founded in 1888 in Kentucky, Four Roses Bourbon has been creating award-winning bourbon for over a century. Now, the bourbon label is set to receive a major facelift to support their home base operations — a $23 million warehouse expansion to allow room for supporting increased demand. The expansion was announced by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear as a part of his administration’s drive to boost the state’s spirits industry and subsequently build up Kentucky’s economic momentum.
Kentucky’s spirits industry has been exploding in recent years. Distilling in the state contributes upwards of $285 million in local and state tax revenue and over 50 new and existing locations have announced openings or expansion plans since December of 2019. When examining bourbon, its importance to Kentucky’s economy should not be underestimated — the industry pours approximately nine billion dollars into the state economy every year, generating over 22,500 jobs.
“Kentucky’s bourbon and spirits growth continues at an incredible rate, and we welcome this major investment from Four Roses in Bullitt County,” explained Governor Beshear. “Bourbon is a signature industry in the commonwealth that is creating 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.”
Expected to be completed by 2024, the expansion of the Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Ky., will include the construction of 17 new warehouses, adding a total of over 776,000 square feet to the grounds. The expansion is intended not only to increase bottle storage capacity, but also to create new warehouse jobs in Coxs Creek, an additional distilling location for the bourbon label. Currently, Four Roses employs 137 people across the state, 20 of which are employed in Coxs Creek.
“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 chief operating officer for Four Roses, Ryan Ashley. “We look forward to welcoming new members to the Four Roses team with this expansion who will help us to show that the best bourbons in the world come out of this state.”