Casey Jones Distillery will expand operations with a $1.9 million project that’s expected to create 15 full-time jobs, state and local economic development officials said.
The Christian County distillery — established in 2104 on Witty Lane a few miles west of Hopkinsville — will add a 1,000-gallon distillation, fermentation and mash cooking system, according to a press release from Gov. Andy Beshear’s office.
Additional equipment to support the production of bourbon and other spirits will include a bottling line, distilled water system and alcohol storage.
A rickhouse, roughly 3,800 square feet, will be built to house barrels and age spirits.
Arlon “AJ” Jones, a master distiller and co-founder of Casey Jones with his wife, Peg Hays, said the expansion means that “our dream and our goal of being the premier craft distillery in Western Kentucky is going to come true.”
The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority has preliminarily approved a 15-year performance-based incentive for Casey Jones Distillery under the Kentucky Business Investment program. According to the press release, the agreement can provide up to $200,000 in tax incentives based, in part, on the distillery meeting certain targets. The distillery must create and maintain 15 full-time jobs for Kentucky residents for 15 years. The jobs must have an average hourly wage of at $16, including benefits.
Casey Jones currently has approximately eight full-time equivalent employees, said Hays.
The rick house, a wood structure, will be a prominent fixture on the distillery property. Construction will begin in a month to six weeks.
“We plan to use it as a tourism piece,” Hays told Hoptown Chronicle.
Christian County Judge-Executive Steve Tribble and Carter Hendricks, executive director of the South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council, both praised the distillery owners for the expansion plans.
Beshear said, “Kentucky’s bourbon and spirits industry is currently in a period of incredible growth and expansion. We are seeing example after example of companies choosing the commonwealth to expand their distilling operations, which is a testament to the resources, workforce and communities that support this industry. I want to thank Casey Jones Distillery for their commitment to Kentucky and wish them nothing but success in the future.”
Casey Jones spirits are sold in Kentucky, California, Arizona, New York, New Jersey, Tennessee and Michigan — and in Canada. Its products also are sold online in 40 states through Spirit Hub.
Christian County is home to two distilleries. MB Roland, established in 2009 by Paul and Merry Beth Tomaszewski , is on Kentucky 115 in South Christian.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
