Buffalo Trace, one of the largest bourbon distillers in the world has filed a plan to expand its reach into Lawrenceburg.
Buffalo Trace Distillery, which is located in Frankfort, has filed plans to build 24 barrel houses on Highway 151, about 2 miles from the Franklin County line. Once completed, the expansion would generate millions of dollars a year in whiskey and property taxes that will benefit each of the county’s taxing districts.
“I’m elated,” said Judge-Executive Orbrey Gritton, who on Friday afternoon praised the work done by the joint city and county economic development board and Mayor Troy Young in attracting Buffalo Trace into Anderson County. “I cannot tell you how happy this makes me,” said Gritton. “These types of huge deals don’t come around very often, and it speaks well to how well our economic development board is doing and how well the city and county government are collaborating to get things done.”
Mayor Troy Young, who in concert with Gritton, reshaped the former economic development board with a collection of local developers, experts in energy, real estate and others, echoed Gritton’s comments. “This is the kind of things we’ve been striving for during the past few years, and this isn’t the last one we’re going to see,” said Young. “A big shout out to the economic development board and all of the people who have been working on this. They know how to attract business.”
The project, if approved, will be located on about 450 acres of land owned by Kerry and Lou Smith on Graefenburg Road. The Smiths have filed to have the property’s zone changed from agricultural to light industrial. A request for that change is scheduled to be considered by the Anderson County Planning and Zoning Board when it meets at 7 p.m. on May 10 at the city council annex on Woodford Street.
The meeting is open to the public. The project will also require a conditional use permit, which can be obtained simultaneously with the zoning change.
Click here for more Bourbon Flight news.
Click here to sign up for The Bourbon Flight Newsletter.
