Templeton Rye, for better or worse, has long been something of a poster child for the challenges of being a sourced American whiskey brand. Not too long ago, murky labeling practices resulted in a rather unpleasant class action lawsuit against the brand, which was distilled at MGP in Indiana and finished in Templeton’s home state of Iowa. Subsequent settlement of the lawsuit resulted the loss of at least $2.5 million out of Templeton’s coffers to refund those individuals and businesses who fell within the guidelines.
Today, however, Templeton Rye is looking to get more legit in its desire to offer a truly Iowa-made experience. Word out of the brand’s home state is that a real honest-to-goodness distilling operation is set to take root there. The Iowa Economic Development Authority approved last week what’s reported to be $1.6 million in tax credits to help facilitate a $26 million expansion and renovation of Templeton’s existing operations.
We reached out to Iowa government officials for public documents related to said expansion, and they provided them to us. We’ve embedded the full documentation below for your consideration, but in essence, what’s planned in Templeton, Iowa, is the buildout of two barrel aging warehouses, totaling 64,500 square feet, and a 34,500 square foot distillery. It is projected 27 jobs will be created as this project unfolds, with an expected completion date of sometime in the spring of 2019.
As for when one might expect to see actual Templeton Rye-distilled whiskey on store shelves, co-founder Keith Kerkhoff told the Des Moines Register it could be about six years from now. Construction, meanwhile, is projected to begin next March.
[scribd id=328918537 key=key-5gbJ6GsgPTXXKRVRkVHu mode=scroll]
Latest On The Whiskey Wash
Latest News