Campari Group has commenced delivery on its pledge to increase production capacity, starting in the US for Bourbon brand Wild Turkey.
The group announced last week that US$161m will be pumped into a second distillery for Wild Turkey in Kentucky. The move, located next to the existing distillery in Lawrenceburg, will see capacity increase from the current 9m proof gallons per year to 14m, an increase of 56%.
Construction is scheduled to start in October with operations coming online by the end of July 2025.
The announcement comes six weeks after Campari outlined plans to “accelerate our investments in supply chain with the aim to double our overall production capacity in key aperitifs, Bourbon and Tequila categories”. The company has tapped into an arrangement set up by authorities in Kentucky that could provide up to $1.2m in tax incentives based on employee-related targets for the project.
Wild Turkey, which accounts for 8% of group sales, came under Campari’s control in 2009 when Pernod Ricard sold the business for US$575m. Since then, Campari has strengthened its Bourbon presence, buying into Wilderness Trail Distillery, also in Kentucky, late last year.
