Another bourbon distiller is returning to its roots in Louisville’s historic Whiskey Row.
Gov. Steve Beshear and Mayor Greg Fischer today joined company officials to break ground on the Brown-Forman Old Forester Distillery in downtown Louisville.
Brown-Forman is expected to create up to 20 new jobs and invest approximately $30 million into the project.
“Old Forester’s return to West Main Street will give bourbon lovers around the world another reason to visit Louisville,” Fischer said.
The company will open a distillery and bourbon experience for its founding brand, Old Forester, in two historic buildings at 117 and 119 Main St. in Louisville. The combined buildings have approximately 55,000 square feet with 52 linear feet facing Main Street.
The investment will include renovating the buildings and purchasing equipment. The new distillery will be able to distill 100,000 cases of bourbon annually with additional production capabilities at the Brown-Forman distillery located at 2921 Dixie Highway in Louisville.
In addition to production, the distillery also will serve as a home place for the Old Forester brand. The facility will be open to tours and feature a tasting room, exhibits, bourbon-making demonstrations and event spaces.
“From barrel making to bottling, this facility will showcase the process and pride that goes into making every bottle of Old Forester bourbon” said Campbell Brown, fifth generation Brown descendant and president of Old Forester.
In addition to Old Forester, Brown-Forman Corporation produces numerous brands, including Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort, Finlandia, Herradura, Early Times and Woodford Reserve. The company was founded in 1870 by George Garvin Brown in Louisville. Today, the company is still headquartered in Louisville and employs nearly 4,200 people worldwide.
To encourage the investment and job growth in Louisville, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $900,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
KEDFA also approved Brown-Forman for tax benefits up to $410,000 through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act, which allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing equipment.
In addition, Brown-Forman is eligible to receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies are eligible to receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives. Last year, the Kentucky Skills Network trained more than 84,000 employees from more than 4,100 Kentucky companies.
From Office of the Governor