Kentucky's New Blue Run Spirits Distillery Is Designed Like A Museum

When Blue Run Spirits was founded in 2020, many couldn't imagine how quickly the young whiskey brand would expand. Based in Georgetown, Kentucky, Blue Run Spirits has since launched 13 bourbon and rye whiskey labels, each one marked with its signature bright metallic blue butterfly. According to a press release, the company has recently broken ground on a highly ambitious project: construction for a 20,000-square-foot rickhouse and 35,000-square-foot distillery. Of course, this won't be your typical distillery of the uninspiring warehouse variety. 

Instead, CEO and co-founder Mike Montgomery has loftier goals for his distillery. Montgomery hopes to make Kentucky have the same regional prestige for its bourbon that Sonoma Wine Country has in California or the region of Champagne in France. With these boozy meccas as inspiration, Blue Run Spirits intend to build a distillery that should do the Kentucky bourbon tradition proud. Case in point, the company released the architectural concept designs for their new construction, and it's the last thing you'd expect. 

While some distilleries are all about function over form, the new Blue Run Spirits Distillery is engineered to look like a sleek modern art museum, appearing as a flowing double infinity sign from above. This overall look, dubbed as "Meander," is meant to replicate the rippling journey of the Royal Spring in its hometown of Georgetown. It's a nod to the fact that the sweet waters of the Royal Spring help power all of the whiskey and bourbon made by Blue Run Spirits Distillery.

The design may seem out of place in the rustic locale of Kentucky, but this is parred for the course of the architectural firm behind the plans. The firm in question, Bjarke Ingels Group, is based in Copenhagen, Denmark and has designed the likes of the Google Headquarters, Lego Brand Museum, and even the illustrious Danish restaurant Noma. Details of their "Meander" design include "a single shingled roof of photovoltaic tiles" and a plethora of tall glass walls, both opaque and clear (via press release). Though construction isn't expected to be finished until 2025, the industry is already astir with this revolutionary take on how a distillery can be both functional and an architectural marvel.