LOUISVILLE, KY – Less than halfway through 2025, it’s already been a banner year for Jackson Purchase Distillery (JPD). Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear welcomed JPD’s CEO Lloyd Jones and Master Distiller Craig Beam to his Team Kentucky Update on June 5th to celebrate the contract distiller’s tremendous success and impact on the community.
“Today, we congratulate the leaders of Jackson Purchase Distillery as they will soon officially fill their 100,000th barrel of bourbon,” said Gov. Beshear. “Thank you for helping make bourbon the great ambassador of our commonwealth it is.”
Jackson Purchase Distillery launched in 2021, when a team of Kentucky business veterans took over a mothballed distillery in Hickman, KY – just a stone’s throw from the Mississippi River. Bourbon legends Craig Beam (longtime Master Distiller at Heaven Hill) and Terry Ballard (former Head Distiller for Willett) head up production, expertly leveraging the unique local climate, water and grains to create unforgettable bourbon.
With a capacity now reaching 5,000 barrels per month, JPD will fill its 100,000th barrel some time during the week of June 9th. To make space for aging all those barrels, the distillery recently finalized plans for two new warehouses alongside its original one in Hickman, in addition to the two new traditional rickhouses at the distillery site. The distillery’s rapid expansion led to another milestone in March, when the Kentucky Distillers’ Association invited JPD to move up to the Heritage level of membership, joining the biggest names in Kentucky Distilling.
“We have an awful lot to celebrate, and we’re grateful to our team, our customers, and our community for making it all possible” said Jackson Purchase Distillery CEO Lloyd Jones. “As I’ve often said, there is no better place in Kentucky to have a distillery than in Fulton County.”
As a Fulton County native, Jones has kept Jackson Purchase Distillery focused on its community. The two new warehouses will bring the total investment in the Fulton County community to $40 million, creating 48 jobs. JPD buys its ingredients from more than a dozen local farmers, and makes its spent grain available to feed livestock in the area. The company also sponsors numerous local events and organizations, and the first of five barrels donated for auction recently brought in $10,100 for Ken-Tenn EMS, the area’s only emergency medical service.
Jackson Purchase Distillery’s whiskies are currently sold exclusively to other brands on the wholesale market and to investors through platforms like CaskX. JPD produces whiskey with several distinct mash bills, including a new American Single Malt, and can customize the product to customer’s specifications. With its oldest bourbon barrels now reaching the 4-year mark, JPD’s whiskey will soon be available through numerous brands, as well as other distribution channels to be announced soon.
About Jackson Purchase Distillery
Founded in 2021, Jackson Purchase Distillery is one of the fastest growing distilleries in Kentucky. The Hickman, KY-based company offers contract distilling, selling new-fill barrels to craft brands, distillers in need of increased capacity, and companies that purchase barrels for future third party sales. The distillery’s 36-inch and 24-inch copper column stills now produce up to 60,000 barrels per year. For more on how Master Distiller Craig Beam and Assistant Master Distiller Terry Ballard are crafting authentic Kentucky bourbon from locally sourced grains and calcium rich well water, visit www.jacksonpurchasedistillery.com.
