Sazerac, the company behind Buffalo Trace bourbon, has purchased a shuttered distillery in Lancaster, Kentucky, as it works to close the gap between its production capacity and customer demand. The acquisition, completed through a court-ordered auction for roughly $20 million, adds the Garrard County Distilling facility to a portfolio that already includes Barton 1792 and Glenmore.
A fast turnaround for a facility that barely opened
The property is notable for how quickly it changed hands. The Garrard County Distilling facility opened in 2024 and closed just a year later due to financial difficulties. Sazerac now plans to revive operations at the plant, and it said it intends to hire more workers as part of that effort.
The newly acquired site includes two 20,000-square-foot barrel warehouses and sits on 210 acres of land. According to a company statement, Sazerac will use the existing infrastructure to support its “broader production needs.” They plan to use the property for both production and aging, servicing its entire portfolio rather than dedicating the site to a single brand.
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That distinction matters. Sazerac has spent the last year pushing into ready-to-drink cocktails and soju, but this purchase signals the company isn’t shifting away from its core whiskey business. It’s a reminder that while the buzzier categories get attention, the traditional spirit that built the firm still needs room to grow.
What the spending spree looks like in Kentucky
This isn’t Sazerac’s first big check written in the state. The company completed a $1.2 billion expansion at its Buffalo Trace facility last year, and it also spent a combined $90 million on upgrades at Barton 1792 Distillery and The Glenmore Distillery. Even with those projects finished, the firm said it still wasn’t producing enough.
“Even with all the investments we have made to expand, we need more supply to keep up with demand, and the addition of the Lancaster facility gives us valuable distilling capabilities to support that growth,” Sazerac President and CEO Jake Wenz said in a statement.
Last year, the company disclosed plans to spend $1 billion on new and existing facilities to expand spirits production in and around Kentucky. The Lancaster purchase fits into that broader strategy, though it wasn’t initially part of the announced plan.
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The recent acquisition pace has been aggressive. Beyond the distillery purchase, Sazerac has been expanding through deals and new product launches in categories like ready-to-drink cocktails. The Lancaster facility, however, keeps the business anchored to its whiskey roots even as it diversifies.
They said they plan to use the property to support the company’s “broader production needs,” according to a statement. The firm added that the addition of the Lancaster facility builds on its other investments in Kentucky, where it now employs nearly 3,000 team members.
“Kentucky has been an important part of Sazerac’s story for many years, and we’re proud to continue investing and growing here,” Wenz said. “Today, nearly 3,000 team members are part of the company’s Kentucky operations, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to continue growing that team.”
