Blue Run Spirits, a relatively young but award-winning brand of craft spirits, has just announced an ambitious $50 million whiskey distillery…
The project is joined by a headquarters in Georgetown, Kentucky. Renderings by international architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group show buildings that appear to flow like a river.
Designed by international architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the first digital renderings show a 35,000-square-foot distillery and a 20,000-square-foot brick house. Named “Meander,” the flow of the buildings is intended to evoke the journey of the limestone-rich water from Georgetown’s Royal Spring on its way to the distillation, aging and blending process.
Involving BIG is a big deal: The Copenhagen firm has designed Google’s headquarters, the Lego Brand Museum, the Audemars Piguet Museum and Hotel, the flagship San Pellegrino factory and the “world’s best restaurant,” Noma.
“For Blue Run, we have summarized the entire whisky-making process in a single linear sequence: from distillation to maturation to bottling,” explains Bjarke Ingels, founder and creative director of BIG.
“The half-mile-long process meanders through the gentle slopes creating bends and banks, inlets and viewpoints. A single photovoltaic tile roof twists and turns to maintain optimal orientation even when the activities below require grandeur or privacy.”
Words from Blue Run Spirits whiskey distillery CEO and co-founder Mike Montgomery
“We are thrilled to be able to reveal a first glimpse of Bjarke Ingels Group’s design for the new Blue Run Spirits distillery in Georgetown, giving everyone an idea of where we are headed in developing a welcoming, unexpected and modern facility with a true focus on sustainability,” Blue Run Spirits CEO and co-founder Mike Montgomery said in a statement.
“This will be a game-changing addition for Blue Run’s long-term business plans, allowing us to meet anticipated and unanticipated demand while providing our whiskey director Shaylyn Gammon and liquor consultant Jim Rutledge with a home base.”
Founded in 2020, Blue Run is known for releasing ryes (sourced) and high-rye bourbons that sell out fairly quickly. Given that the company’s founders include a Nike designer and that the company itself touts elevating whiskey “through modern design,” it’s no wonder the new buildings represent such a radical departure from the typical distillery.
Work on the distillery and winery will begin this year, with an expected opening date of 2025.
Don’t drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly.