Sazerac Acquires Garrard County Distilling in Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sazerac has acquired the Garrard County Distilling facility in Lancaster, Kentucky, marking the company’s latest investment in the Commonwealth. The facility joins Sazerac’s existing Kentucky distilling network, which includes Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, and The Glenmore Distillery in Owensboro, and adds production capacity to support growth across Sazerac’s spirits portfolio.

The Garrard County facility, which opened in 2024, sits on approximately 210 acres and includes two column stills and two 20,000-square-foot barrel warehouses. Sazerac will use the site’s existing infrastructure to support broader production needs and expects to hire additional team members as operations develop over time.

“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.”

The acquisition builds on a string of major Kentucky investments by Sazerac. Over the past five years, the company has put approximately $50 million into 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%. In January 2025, Sazerac completed a ten-year, $1.2 billion expansion of Buffalo Trace Distillery, adding 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 since 2020 to enhance processing capabilities and upgrade barrel equipment, controls, and bottling lines. The company is also building new aging warehouses in Laurel and Taylor Counties.

“We’re pleased to welcome Sazerac to Garrard County and look forward to what this investment will mean for our community,” said Garrard County Judge Executive Chris Elleman. “Sazerac’s decision to invest here brings new jobs and economic opportunity to our county while positioning this Distillery for continued growth. We’re proud to have Sazerac become part of the Garrard County community and look forward to working together for years to come.”

Kentucky House Speaker Pro Tempore David Meade added, “Sazerac’s investment in Garrard County is another strong example of the continued confidence companies are placing in Kentucky and our signature bourbon industry. This acquisition brings new opportunity to an impressive facility that already represents a significant investment in our region. Seeing Sazerac put this facility back to work is a positive development for Garrard County and another opportunity to strengthen one of our Commonwealth’s signature industries.”

For more information on Sazerac’s distilleries, visit www.sazerac.com/our-distilleries.

About Sazerac

With over 400 years of history, Sazerac is one of the world’s largest distilled spirits companies. Now in the fourth generation of family ownership, Sazerac’s portfolio includes more than 550 brands such as Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Eagle Rare, Weller, Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, Southern Comfort, and Wheatley Vodka. Sazerac is also steward of distilleries including Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky, Domaine Sazerac de Segonzac in Cognac, France, Paul John Distillery in Goa, India, and Hawk’s Rock Distillery in County Sligo, Ireland. Learn more at www.sazerac.com.