The Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky opened on Kentucky Derby Day in 1935. It’s had many owners over the years as consumer interest in whiskey has ebbed and flowed. Diageo purchased the distillery in 1972, and it’s been used for many things over the years from small-scale distilling, to bottling, to warehousing to tourism. The distillery re-opened to the public just over 10 years ago in 2014. Today, the Stitzel-Weller Distillery is home to Blade and Bow Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, I.W. Harper and Orphan Barrel and is a featured stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
Stitzel-Weller Shuts Down Bottling Operations – Remains Committed to Tourism
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Earlier this year, Diageo announced it was moving its bottling line at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery to its two other distilleries in Shelbyville or Lebanon, Kentucky.
Here is the statement they released at the time.
“Diageo has a longstanding commitment to Kentucky, demonstrated by a nearly $290 million investment in our in-state production facilities and visitor centers since 2019.
“While our visitor center at the historic Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville will continue to be the home of Blade and Bow whiskey, and an important destination on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, we have made the difficult decision to consolidate the site’s bottling operations within other U.S. Diageo facilities. This decision is part of a broader multi-year program to strengthen Diageo’s supply chain by improving productivity, resilience, and agility.”
Stitzel-Weller Distillery Winding Down Warehousing
The statement goes on to say that warehousing at the historic property is winding down and moving the remaining inventory to other Kentucky locations.
“As such, over the next 2-3 years we will also be shifting the majority of maturing and warehousing operations from Stitzel-Weller to Diageo’s other Kentucky facilities, in Shelbyville and Lebanon. Through these sites in the heart of bourbon country, homes to Bulleit bourbon, we will continue to invest in Kentucky’s economy while contributing to the local tourism and hospitality sectors. We remain committed to supporting workforce programs, local charitable organizations, institutions of higher education, and environmental organizations in the region. We do not take these decisions lightly, and we recognize the impact on our employees. For those affected, we are providing support in the form of severance packages, outplacement assistance, and employee assistance resources, as well as information on open roles across our organization.”
Stitzel-Weller Distillery Warehouses for Sale for $35 Million
JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated), a leading global commercial real estate company has listed the Stitzel-Weller Distillery at 3800 Tucker Ave, Louisville, KY, 40216 for sale. What the listing does not make clear at first glance is that the actual distillery and the brand are not for sale. What is for sale is the property and buildings that make up the warehouse space for the distillery.
The Stitzel-Weller Distillery warehouses have an asking price of $34,816,885 for 32.6 acres and 15-barrel warehouses with a capacity to hold 329,196 barrels. Some quick back of the napkin math puts the average warehousing cost at $105.76 per barrel.
We reached out to Diageo for clarity on what was for sale and what will be happening with the parts of the distillery that are remaining. Here is their response.
“The distillery is not for sale. We remain committed to our visitor center at the historic Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville, which will continue to serve as the home of Blade and Bow whiskey and as a key destination on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. While the visitor center will remain open, we are now in the next phase of our supply chain program and are exploring the sale of the unused warehouse portion of the property.
“Stitzel-Weller continues to be the home of Blade and Bow whiskey where essential distillation and maturation operations for our bourbon are still ongoing.”
If you are looking for a place to store 300k+ barrels, you may want to look at this historic property, warehouses and related items.
Related Story – A Day on the Trail: A Tour of Dead Distillers at Cave Hill Cemetery – Part 2
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