The Kentucky proposal combines distilling, maturation and bottling along a winding production route beneath a photovoltaic roof.
By Fiona MacLeodConstruction & Projects Correspondent· Georgetown, Kentucky
Blue Run Spirits unveiled a proposed $51m distillery development in Georgetown, Kentucky, in March 2023. Designed by architect Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the solar-powered scheme would bring distilling, maturation, blending and bottling into a single development.
The plans include 35,000 sq ft of distillery space and a 20,000 sq ft rickhouse. The design is called Meander, taking its name and form from the winding course of the Royal Spring through Georgetown.
Blue Run was founded in 2020 and opened in October that year. At the time of the announcement, the company reported annual sales growth of 300% since opening and had released 13 bourbon and rye whiskeys.
Its distribution had also expanded into New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Washington, Minnesota and Ontario. The company's 14-year-old small batch bourbon and 13.5-year-old single barrel bourbon had won awards at the 2021 San Francisco Spirits Competition.
The Georgetown proposal sits alongside other US whiskey capacity announcements, including Middle West Spirits’ planned 75,000 sq ft expansion in Columbus.
Chief executive and co-founder Mike Montgomery said the development would support Blue Run's longer-term business plans by accommodating forecast demand and demand beyond those projections. He also said it would give whiskey director Shaylyn Gammon and liquid advisor Jim Rutledge an operational base.
Montgomery described sustainability as a priority and said the intention was to create a modern, welcoming facility. He presented the architecture as part of the same design approach the company applied to its whiskey and bottles.
BIG founder and creative director Bjarke Ingels said the layout arranged whiskey production into a continuous sequence, moving from distillation through maturation to bottling. That route would extend for half a mile through gently rolling terrain, with the building changing direction along its length.
According to Ingels, a continuous roof covered in photovoltaic tiles would turn with the building while maintaining the intended solar orientation. The spaces beneath would accommodate different activities, with the winding form creating outlooks and more enclosed areas.
The announcement does not specify the roof's generating capacity, expected electricity output or the share of site energy demand it would meet.
The timetable announced in 2023 called for groundbreaking that year and an opening in 2025. These were planned milestones, not confirmation that construction had started or the facility had opened.
The supplied material contains no subsequent construction or completion update, and does not establish a planning approval or funding milestone.
October 2020
Blue Run Spirits opened.
2021
Two Blue Run bourbons won awards at the San Francisco Spirits Competition.
March 2023
Blue Run unveiled its proposed $51m Georgetown distillery development.
2023
Groundbreaking was planned for the year of the announcement.
2025
The announcement targeted opening the Georgetown facility.
The proposal combines a substantial whiskey production investment with a specific approach to building layout and solar generation. Its half-mile process route would connect distilling, maturation and bottling, while photovoltaic tiles form part of the roof design. For the trade, the distinction remains important: this is an announced development and timetable, without confirmation of construction progress or quantified solar performance in the supplied material.
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