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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Wilderness Trail Distillery Expands Boyle County, Kentucky Distillery

06/08/2017
Wilderness Trail Distillery, a producer of bourbon, rye whiskey, vodka and rum, will invest $9.91 million to expand its distillery six fold and install new equipment to increase capacity at its production center in Boyle County, Kentucky.

The project will raise the distillery’s output from 6,000 barrels annually to approximately 36,000, bringing new capacity for both its own brands and contract distillation. Work could begin in the coming weeks and be completed by January 2018.

“We are a family owned and operated distillery and this milestone helps us secure the ability to continue to grow now and in the future here in the commonwealth. We are excited to bring more job opportunities to our neighbors and more for visitors to experience in our beautiful historical community and great state of Kentucky,” said co-Founder & Master distiller Shane Baker.

“Kentucky bourbon production has been in my family since 1940 and we are very proud to continue that tradition and to be a part of Kentucky’s signature brand recognized all over the world,” he added.

The company, Danville’s first distillery, relocated its small start-up operation in 2014 from downtown Danville to the historic Willis Grimes farm off Lebanon Road and Highway 127. As member of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour, Wilderness Trail’s new farm attracted 20,000 visitors last year.

As an incentive to encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in May preliminarily approved Wilderness Trail for tax incentives up to $200,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.

Additionally, KEDFA approved Wilderness Trail for up to $150,000 in tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act (KEIA). KEIA allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing.Wilderness Trail also can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network.

“Wilderness Trail’s expansion will create exciting opportunities for people in the Boyle County area and beyond, not only in relation to new jobs, but in attracting new visitors to the area as well,” said Governor Matt Bevin. “With 95 percent of the world’s bourbon made in Kentucky, our spirits industry is a large and rapidly growing contributor to our economy each year. We are grateful for this investment by Wilderness Trail, and look forward to their continued success.”

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