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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Augusta Distillery Establishes Bracken County, Kentucky, Operations Center

04/14/2022
Augusta Distillery will invest $23 million to build a new major distillery complex in Bracken County, Kentucky.

The company’s first full-scale operation in the state will be located on 1.8 acres in an existing 40,000-square-foot building, formerly home to the F.A. Neider Co. Construction will begin this summer with the facility operational by summer 2024, according to company officials.

“The Augusta Distillery team is proud of our plan to build a state-of-the-art facility in Augusta,” said Judd Weis, co-founder and board vice chairman of Augusta Distillery. “Over the next few years, we will be committing over $23 million to create an extraordinary distillery, guest experience and event center. Our hope is that, by delighting our consumers, this investment will create a spike in local tourism and additional economic opportunity for our neighbors in Augusta and Bracken County. We would like to thank the Commonwealth of Kentucky, City of Augusta and Bracken County for providing the support necessary to make this project a reality. This is a very exciting time for our team and our neighbors.”

To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved Augusta Distillery for up to $200,000 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.

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. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.

In addition, Augusta Distillery can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.

“It is never an accident when a company decides to grow their operations within Kentucky,” said Governor Andy Beshear. “It is a testament to the Kentuckians who help make this state what it is – an increasingly attractive option for businesses to thrive within a surging economy. The continued momentum of the bourbon and spirits industry in the commonwealth is because of support from companies such as Augusta Distillery. I want to thank everyone involved in this project and welcome Augusta Distillery’s growth in Kentucky.”

Headquartered in Augusta, Kentucky, Augusta Distillery was founded in July 2018 and is focused on creating authentic, curated bourbon-centric experiences in Augusta and across the United States. The company’s initial brand expression, Buckner’s 13-year single barrel cask strength bourbon, is distributed nationally and is available at retail in Kentucky and Ohio. Recently added as a Craft Member of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, Augusta Distillery is planning its next release for later in 2022.

According to state officials, the bourbon and spirits industry remains one of Kentucky’s most prominent sectors. Today, roughly 60 spirits facilities employ more than 5,300 people. Since the start of 2020, Kentucky’s spirits industry has seen more than 40 new location or expansion announcements with over $698 million in planned investments and approximately 600 announced full-time jobs.

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