FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) announced new growth within Kentucky’s bourbon and spirits industry as Campari Group plans to add a second distillery at its Wild Turkey campus in Lawrenceburg. The company will invest $161 million and create 31 additional jobs in Anderson County.

What You Need To Know

  • Campari Group will construct a brand-new distillery at the Wild Turkey campus that will be designed to produce 5 million additional proof gallons of Wild Turkey bourbon annually

  • This will significantly increase the current capacity from 9 million to 14 million proof gallons

  • The new facility will locate next to the company’s existing distillery
  • The project also entails an expansion to the waste treatment dry house process to increase processing capacity, doubling the current dry house and waste treatment output

This investment by Campari Group adds to the historic momentum the commonwealth is currently experiencing in our signature bourbon and spirits industry,” said Beshear. “Kentucky is coming off our best year for growth in the spirits industry, with over $2.1 billion in new investments and approximately 700 new jobs for Kentuckians.

Campari Group will construct a brand-new distillery at the Wild Turkey campus that will be designed to produce 5 million additional proof gallons of Wild Turkey bourbon annually. This will significantly increase the current capacity from 9 million to 14 million proof gallons.

The new facility will locate next to the company’s existing distillery. The project also entails an expansion to the waste treatment dry house process to increase processing capacity, doubling the current dry house and waste treatment output. With this investment, Campari Group will also upgrade the current barrel filling operation to handle the increased volumes.

This investment adds to the over $300 million in operation and expansion commitments already financed by Campari Group since the acquisition of the Wild Turkey distillery 14 years ago and comes on the heels of another significant investment announced a few months ago with the acquisition of Wilderness Trail Distillery in Danville. The project is expected to break ground by Oct. 2023 and be completed by the end of July 2025.

Campari’s planned project builds on significant growth in the bourbon and spirits industry across the state. The governor’s office said in the last three years, the state’s spirit industry has grown with over $3 billion planned in investments and creating more than 1,450 announced full-time jobs.

Anderson County Judge/Executive Orbrey Gritton mentioned the partnership that has formed between the county and Campari.

“Wild Turkey’s announcement to expand their facilities in Anderson County is evidence that our community is open for business,” said Gritton. “It has been our pleasure to work with their team on expansions in the past and we are thrilled to see our partnership continue with this announcement. This investment from Wild Turkey/Campari is a decision we do not take lightly, and we would like to thank them for trusting our community with their business.”

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