Located on the western most point of Kentucky sits a quaint farm distillery called Jackson Purchase. The distillery is so far west that it’s actually closer to Memphis, Tenn., than Louisville, Ky.!
Situated in the city of Hickman in Fulton County, Jackson Purchase Distillery is one of the newest members of Kentucky’s Bourbon Country, and it’s strictly operational, meaning it has no gift shop and is not open to visitors or tours. It’s essentially a bourbon-making factory with a great team at the helm.
Distilling Dream Team
In early 2021, a group of businessmen with distilling industry experience acquired the once-dormant distillery that was built in 2008 but had never been used. They invested an additional $10 million in infrastructure, expansion and a distilling dream team, which includes veteran distillers Craig Beam (Heaven Hill) and Terry Ballard (Willett).
The distillery is now up and running, producing quality Kentucky bourbon for CaskX under the hands-on, experienced leadership of Beam and Ballard.
Master Distiller Craig Beam is a seventh-generation distiller whose family is linked to another famous Kentucky distillery: Jim Beam. Craig’s father, the legendary Parker Beam, decided to pursue a distilling career at the nearby Heaven Hill Distillery in the 1960s and worked there until he lost his battle with ALS in 2017. Craig Beam joined his father in the distilling industry at Heaven Hill in the 1980s.
Assistant Master Distiller Terry Ballard was formerly the Head Distiller at Willett Distillery in Bardstown, well-known for its high-end and highly-coveted Willett Family Estate bourbon and rye whiskey releases. Ballard started at Willett in 2011 and quickly worked his way up to Head Distiller.
Jackson Purchase Distillery combines age-old bourbon industry traditions with modern technology to create highly sought-after mash bills for companies both large and small.
One of the distillery’s most prized possessions is its 24-inch, 30-foot-tall, 100% copper still from the world-renowned Vendome Copper & Brass Works in Louisville. Nearly all of the top bourbon distilleries in Kentucky use Vendome-made equipment, but most don’t invest in 100% copper due to high costs.
There’s also a limestone aquifer on site, so access to the vital limestone-filtered water in the bourbon-making process will be effortless and natural. And since corn grows bountiful in Fulton County, the distillery will be using locally sourced grains for the bourbon.
Investment
Due to industry demand, Jackson Purchase is already eyeing expansion opportunities in Fulton County to the tune of $26 million, creating 54 full-time jobs.
CaskX offers investors a rye bourbon mash bill from Jackson Purchase. To learn more about bourbon barrel investment, click here. And to learn more about Jackson Purchase and CaskX’s partnership, check out this video below.
