The Campari Group will look to add a second distillery at its Wild Turkey campus in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, as a $161-million investment was recently announced.
“This investment by Campari Group adds to the historic momentum the commonwealth is currently experiencing in our signature bourbon and spirits industry,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. “I want to thank Campari for expanding its Wild Turkey campus in the commonwealth and continuing to invest in Anderson County and the Lawrenceburg community.”
In a statement from the Campari Group, officials announced that the new Wild Turkey campus distillery will be designed to produce about five million additional proof gallons of Wild Turkey bourbon annually.
The new facility will be located just next to the company’s existing distillery. The project will also see an expansion to the waste treatment dry house process, which would also increase processing capacity, doubling the current dry house and waste treatment output.
The Campari Group will also upgrade the current barrel filling operation to handle the increased volume.
This investment adds to the $300 million in operation and expansion commitments already financed by Campari Group since the acquisition of the Wild Turkey distillery 14 years ago.
And this announcement comes on the heels of another Campari investment announced a few months ago with the acquisition of Wilderness Trail Distillery in Danville. The project is expected to break ground by October and finish by the end of July 2025.
“We are delighted to announce this important investment and we appreciate the support received by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and the local authorities,” said Ugo Fiorenzo, managing director of Campari America and Canada. “Since 2009, when Campari Group acquired the Wild Turkey Distillery, we have significantly invested in the bourbon category, which now represents Campari Group’s second major leg after the aperitif portfolio. This expansion project confirms, once again, our commitment to this category and it will allow for the continued growth of the Wild Turkey and Russell’s Reserve franchise, both in the United States and internationally.”
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Campari Group has a portfolio of more than 50 brands globally. Founded in 1860, the group trades in more than 190 nations around the world with positions in Europe and the Americas. Campari Group is headquartered in Sesto San Giovanni, Italy, and owns 23 plants worldwide with its own distribution network in 23 countries.
For this expansion, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved a 10-year incentive agreement with the Campari Group under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $950,000 in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $161 million and annual targets of:
- Creation and maintenance of 31 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 10 years; and
- Paying an average hourly wage of $32.57 including benefits across those jobs.
Additionally, KEDFA approved Campari for up to $250,000 in tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act, which allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing.
By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.
In addition, Campari can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.
For more information, check out www.camparigroup.com.
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