Western Kentucky Distilling Breaks Ground on $30 Million Plant

The distillery is scheduled to open in mid-2023 as the first official distillery in Ohio County, Ky., producing bourbon and rye whiskey.  The initial investment is $22 million.  A second phase will bring total investment to $30 million.

Phase one of the project will see the construction of a new 25,000-square-foot, $22 million  facility on 64 acres of land in Ohio County. Construction began in June 2022 with the facility scheduled to become operational in May 2023. Once complete, it will be the first official distillery in Ohio County. Phase two of the project will see the expansion of the new facility by 300,000 square feet on an additional 16 acres of land.

The distillery will be capable of producing up to 50,000 barrels of whiskey per year, eventually storing over 250,000 barrels. The Western Kentucky Distilling Co. will be a full Kentucky-themed distillery – producing Kentucky Bourbon, using Kentucky made equipment, owned by Kentucky residents, buying corn from Kentucky farms, and providing 35 full-time Kentucky jobs.

The distillery will launch under the leadership of eighth-generation distiller and Kentuckian Jacob Call who will serve as COO and Master Distiller alongside Kentucky native and president of the distillery, JD Edwards. Both Call and Edwards have many years of experience in the distilling industry and will deliver whiskey made with the best ingredients and quality craftsmanship using long-standing traditional distilling techniques.