LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Louisville-based Sazerac has acquired a Kentucky distillery for $20 million after it landed in a bankruptcy case.
Sazerac announced Friday it bought Garrard County Distilling Co. in Lancaster, about five months after the company was first linked to the property in court records.
The 50,000-square-foot facility will become Sazerac's fourth distillery in Kentucky. The company also operates Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown and The Glenmore Distillery in Owensboro.
Sazerac said the Lancaster facility will give the company more production capacity as demand for its spirits grows.
"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," said Jake Wenz, President and CEO of Sazerac. "We’re excited to become part of the Garrard County community."
Garrard County Distilling facility opened in January 2024 under Atlanta-based Staghorn, but according to our partners at Louisville Business First, it later ran into financial trouble. Truist Bank took control of the property after the previous owners owed the bank more than $26 million.
Sazerac became connected to the property earlier this year through Tom Collins Distilling LLC, which shares an address with Sazerac and bought the outstanding debt from Truist.
Tom Collins won a June auction for the property with a $20 million bid — $19 million for the real estate and $1 million for personal property. The sale was confirmed Aug. 4.
The property includes two 20,000-square-foot rickhouses. At full operation, the distillery can produce between 350 and 400 barrels per day.
The deal is Sazerac's second major move this week.
On Tuesday, the company announced plans to acquire UK-based Au Vodka. That deal is expected to close within the next few weeks.
Sazerac has been expanding its portfolio in recent years. It acquired BuzzBallz in 2024 and Dirty Shirley earlier this year. It also invested in SIPMARGS in May.
That same month, Sazerac offered $15 billion to buy Louisville-based Brown-Forman. Brown-Forman rejected the offer.
Sazerac is co-headquartered in Louisville and New Orleans.
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