Jack Daniel’s plans ‘biggest-ever expansion’

Jack Daniel’s has announced it is going ahead with a US$100 million expansion, which will be the largest in its history.

Brown-Forman, which owns the brand, said that the investment will see new stills and barrel warehouses added to the existing operations in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

The expansion work will begin this autumn and is expected to be completed within two years. A second production building will be built on the same grounds as the current distillery, which will help ease capacity pressures that have built up as a result of the brands continuing growth and success.

Jeff Arnett, Jack Daniel’s master distiller, said: “It’s a good time in the whiskey industry, and our future prospects look really good. We don’t want to find ourselves without any additional throttle, if we need it. This will basically secure that we’ve got the ability to give Jack Daniel’s to all of those who want Jack Daniel’s for years to come.”

The whiskey brand has enjoyed 21 years of consecutive growth, and saw a 9% increase in sales in the last year. Jack Daniel’s is sold in over 160 countries around the world, with nearly 11m cases sold last year.

Being built on the same grounds as the current distillery means that the new production facility will have access to the same cave spring water as its source, which Arnett added, “is going to ensure that every drop of Jack Daniel’s is made here in Lynchburg from the same water source.”

The expansion will add around 90 full-time jobs over the next five years and the distillery currently employs over 430 staff.