Blue Run Spirits Plans Georgetown, Kentucky, Distillery-Rickhouse
09/02/2022
The location will include a 35,000-square-foot distillery and a 20,000-square-foot rickhouse and will serve as the company’s first vertically integrated distilling operation and future headquarters. Investment will go toward the purchase of distilling equipment, site acquisition and construction costs, as well as other startup-related expenditures.
“When we started Blue Run Spirits in October of 2020, we never imagined a distillery would be in our future, but our unprecedented growth has deemed that a necessity, which is an incredibly exciting prospect for our entire team,” said Blue Run Spirits CEO and co-founder Mike Montgomery. “The generous support of the commonwealth is making this a reality. We look forward to becoming a dynamic contributor to the economic vibrancy of Scott County and Georgetown and deepening our connection to an area so significant in the rich history and the promising future of bourbon in Kentucky.”
To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) last Thursday preliminarily approved a 10-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program.
The performance-based agreement can provide up to $700,000 in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $50,976,430 and annual targets of creation and maintenance of 45 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 10 years and paying an average hourly wage of $31.92 including benefits across those jobs.
Additionally, KEDFA approved Blue Run Spirits 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.
“Our state’s bourbon industry continues to build momentum and reach new heights,” added Governor Andy Beshear. “This investment by Blue Run Spirits is a welcome addition to the Georgetown and Scott County community and the Kentucky bourbon and tourism scene. I want to thank the company’s leadership for their vision to grow in the commonwealth and add to Kentucky’s position as the bourbon capital of the world.”
By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. Blue Run may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments. In addition, the company can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers.
“The Blue Run Spirits project is another perfect example of diversification of our Georgetown/Scott County economy and will give greater visibility to our bourbon heritage and tourism industry. A most welcome and significant investment, said Jack Conner, executive director with Scott County United”
Blue Run Spirits’ 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 more than 50 new-location or expansion projects totaling over $1.1 billion in planned investments and creating more than 900 announced full-time jobs. Currently, approximately 60 spirits facilities directly employ more than 5,300 people.
Project Announcements
ValorFlex Packaging Plans Bowling Green, Kentucky, Production Operations
06/30/2025
Neuro.io Plans Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, Operations
06/30/2025
Germany-Based MTU Maintenance Expands Fort Worth, Texas, MRO Operations
06/30/2025
Cascade Die Casting Group Expands High Point, North Carolina, Manufacturing Operations
06/30/2025
BuildOps Plans Raleigh, North Carolina, Operations
06/30/2025
Point Blank Enterprises Plans Wakulla County, Florida, Operations
06/30/2025
Most Read
-
20th Annual Area Development Gold and Silver Shovel Awards
Q2 2025
-
First Person: Joe Capes, CEO, LiquidStack
Q2 2025
-
The Legal Limits of DEI in Incentives Agreements, Hiring, and Contracting
Q2 2025
-
From Silicon to Server: Mapping the Data Center Supply Chain
Q2 2025
-
39th Annual Corporate & 21st Annual Consultants Surveys: What Business Leaders and Consultants Are Saying About Site Selection
Q1 2025
-
Rethinking Life Sciences Site Selection in a Resilient and Dynamic Market
Q2 2025
-
Top States for Doing Business in 2024: A Continued Legacy of Excellence
Q3 2024