Jackson Purchase Distillery, a startup bourbon producer, will establish a new distillery in Fulton County, Kentucky. The $26 million project is expected to create 54 jobs.

The distillery will produce in excess of 60,000 barrels annually once fully operational. The company will provide third-party distilling services, catering primarily to mid-size and large customers including brand-owned companies, distilleries needing additional capacity to meet demand and companies that purchase new production for future third-party sales. Jackson Purchase Distillery also plans to dedicate a segment of its business to fulfilling smaller orders from craft distillers.

“Much of our growth could not have been done without help,” said Lloyd Jones, president, and CEO of Jackson Purchase Distillery. “We thank the commonwealth for its generous support. We also thank the City of Hickman and Fulton County. We especially thank the local farmers who provide our grain and participate in our spent grain program. We look forward to achieving greater economic growth for Fulton County and the commonwealth with our continued efforts to produce Kentucky bourbon.”

To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in May 2021 preliminarily approved a 15-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. It is anticipated the company’s incentive agreement will be modified at the time of final approval to reflect the additional investment and job growth.

“Kentucky’s bourbon and spirits industry continues to see tremendous growth,” Governor Andy Beshear noted. “This is not possible without the support of companies like Jackson Purchase Distillery, which is tripling its original investment in this project and creating nearly double the number of quality jobs. The company’s faith in the commonwealth, Fulton County and the surrounding communities is an exciting reminder of our strong economic momentum.”

The distillery will offer two to three different mash bills that will reflect the style of bourbon and rye typically produced in Kentucky. In addition, the company will consider custom mash bills for larger production runs. Jackson Purchase’s project has grown from an initially planned investment of $8.76 million and 30 jobs. In April 2021, the company’s management group acquired an unused distilling facility established several years prior.

“Jackson Purchase Distillery is the perfect manufacturing partner for Fulton County,” Mark Welch, president of the Fulton-Hickman Counties Economic Development Partnership added. “Our local natural resources (water and grains) are abundant, the distillery’s product is quintessentially Kentuckian, and bourbon is in high demand globally. We’re very excited about their success and expanded investment in our region.”

Jackson Purchase Distillery’s planned expansion builds on recent bourbon and spirits growth across Kentucky. Since the start of the Beshear administration, the commonwealth’s spirits industry has announced roughly 60 new-location or expansion projects totaling nearly $1.4 billion in planned investments and creating more than 1,100 announced full-time jobs. Currently, bourbon and spirits facilities in Kentucky directly employ more than 5,300 people.