Earlier this year, Sazerac bought a large portion of the debt of the troubled Garrard County Distilling, which gave them the standing to push for a foreclosure auction in court. That proceeding has reached its conclusion last week, with Sazerac announcing they had acquired the Lancaster, Kentucky distillery.
The Garrard County Distilling facility, which opened in 2024, sits on approximately 210 acres and includes two column stills and two 20,000-square-foot barrel warehouses. The distillery closed roughly a year after its grand opening, in the midst of multiple lawsuits from contractors, creditors and trade associations.
Sazerac bills the acquisition as part of its continuing investment in the Kentucky bourbon industry, and has stated it will utilize the facility’s existing infrastructure and capabilities to support the company’s broader production needs. The company expects to hire additional team members initially and will grow over time as operations at the facility develop.
In the past five years, the company has invested approximately $50 million at Barton 1792 Distillery, including a new boiler house, additional fermenters, expanded bottling operations and three new aging warehouses that increased barrel storage capacity by 25%, along with upgrades to existing equipment and facilities.
In January 2025, Sazerac completed a ten-year, $1.2 billion expansion project for Buffalo Trace Distillery, which included a new still house, boiler house, bottling operation, expanded visitor center, 20 additional fermenters, and 19 new aging warehouses.
At The Glenmore Distillery, Sazerac has invested approximately $40 million to enhance processing capabilities and upgrade barrel equipment, distillery controls and bottling lines since 2020. Sazerac is also investing in additional barrel aging capacity throughout Kentucky, including construction of new warehouses in Laurel and Taylor Counties.
“Kentucky has been an important part of Sazerac’s story for many years, and we’re proud to continue investing and growing here,” said Jake Wenz, President and CEO of Sazerac. “Today, nearly 3,000 team members are part of Sazerac’s Kentucky operations, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to continue growing that team. Even with all the investments we have made to expand, we need more supply to keep up with demand, and the addition of the Lancaster facility gives us valuable distilling capabilities to support that growth. We’re excited to become part of the Garrard County community.”
