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New Bulleit Distillery Takes Possession Of First Whiskey Barrels

Spirits giant Diageo provided an update today on the build out of its planned $115 million Shelbyville, Kentucky distillery, otherwise known as The Bulleit Distilling Co. Probably the single biggest item from its news is the fact the facility’s first new warehouse took possession earlier this month of its first whiskey barrels!

Diageo said the first barrels arrived on July 6 and are stacked six high. The distillery will take barrels on every day for unloading into the warehouse between now and October, it was noted, until it holds a whopping 55,000 of these whiskey storage containers.

In addition, the metal frame of the new distillery is now standing and is visible from the main road.

Bulleit Distillery Barrels
New whiskey barrels for the Bulleit Distillery warehouse (image via Diageo)

“The new team is doing an amazing job of getting the barrels into the new warehouse efficiently and safely,” said James Henson, warehouse manager, in a statement. “Stacking each 3,000 pound pallet up to six high is a delicate business, and they are doing great.”

Once the first warehouse is filled, the second of six planned warehouses will be ready for inventory. Diageo aims to have the distillery operational in late 2016, at which time it should be capable of producing annually the equivalent of 750,000 9-liter cases of whiskey. Along with Bulleit Bourbon, the facility will distill a number of current and future bourbon and North American whiskey brands.

Bulleit Distillery Warehouse
Interior of the first Bulleit distillery warehouse (image via Diageo)

“Things are taking shape and there is lots of excitement here,” noted Dan Feeser, Director of Operations overseeing the project.  “There is lots of activity now, with about 150 construction workers at the site.  We expect that at the height of construction we will have about 250 construction workers on site. I am very pleased to say that so far this project is on schedule.”

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