Alltech Breaks Ground on $4.5M Distillery Project


[Lexington, KY] - Shovels slid into soft dirt Friday as Alltech broke ground on its $4.5 million distillery project in downtown Lexington, Ky. Located adjacent to the company's brewery, the 20,000 square foot facility will house production and storage for Alltech's Pearse Lyons Reserve whiskey, Bluegrass Sundown after-dinner Bourbon coffee beverage, and soon-to-be-released Bourbon. The project is expected to take approximately one year, making the anticipated completion date September 2012.

"In a time of economic downturn, this distillery project is of great significance," said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. "Because of the success our beverages have experienced, particularly within the last few years, we are able to fund the future, not just for Alltech but the local community through the creation of jobs."

Alltech's Beverage Division, LLC, currently employs 34 people, 14 of whom were hired within the last year. The division's continued expansion is expected to create a dozen additional jobs within the next year outside of construction.

Located in downtown Lexington, Ky., Alltech's Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company has been crafting award-winning beers since 2000. Kentucky Ale was launched in that year, Kentucky Light followed in 2003 and Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale completed Kentucky's Triple Crown of Beers in 2006. The beers are now sold in Kentucky, Ohio, Massachusetts, Indiana, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Tennessee, and the company intends to expand distribution to several other states by the year's end.

With the introduction of Bluegrass Sundown and Pearse Lyons Reserve just before the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in 2010, Alltech moved into the spirits business and made history distilling the first malt whiskey in Kentucky since 1919. Both products led to Alltech becoming the first craft member of the Kentucky Distillers Association earlier this year.

Tours of the brewery and the division's new visitors' center are available Monday through Friday at 3 p.m. and on Saturday at 1 p.m.

For more information on Alltech's family of ales, visit kentuckyale.com and follow the brew crew on Twitter @KentuckyAle. For information on the company's spirits, visit lyonsspirits.com.

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