Kentucky bourbon business sells off bottling plant that opened in 2023
Barrel Craft Spirits, an award-winning independent spirits blender, announced it has sold its blending facility in Louisville and will consolidate operations.
The plant in Jeffersontown, which was part of a $15 million expansion in 2023, was sold to American Craft Bottling, according to a news release. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
“We regularly refine our commercial strategy to stay ahead of evolving industry trends to support long-term growth,” said BCS founder Joe Beatrice. “While the economic environment has presented challenges across the spirits industry, it has sharpened our focus and reinforced the importance of proactive decision-making.”
Barrell, known for its transparency and innovative blends that explore different distillation methods, barrels and aging environments, will consolidate its operations to the original Gilmore plant. Ongoing work will not be disrupted, according to the release.
No employees will be laid off, according to the company.
“We’re grateful to our loyal fans and whiskey enthusiasts who have continued to support us with each release,” said Beatrice in a statement. “We plan to continue bringing you the most innovative, creative, and complex products our industry has to offer in 2026 and beyond.”
Founded in 2013, Barrell Craft Spirits had been growing at a rapid pace until recently. In a 2022 interview, Beatrice said that the company had been growing “in excess of 10% a year for several years.” That prompted them to buy a 31,000-square-foot shell of a building and outfit it as a purpose built facility for bottling and blending up to 1 million cases a year.
Downturn in Kentucky bourbon, American whiskey
News of the sale comes as Kentucky’s $9 billion bourbon industry continues to contract. The Jim Beam plant in Clermont has been idled for all of 2026 and whiskey production the U.S. has fallen sharply — down nearly 30% as of August of last year.
Some distillers, including Brown-Forman and Diageo, have announced layoffs. Sales of Kentucky bourbon have been down over the last year, but the state is sitting on a glut of more than 16 million barrels of bourbon in warehouses.
