BIG unveils meandering design for new 'blue run spirits' whiskey distillery in kentucky

Blue Run Spirits whiskey distillery by BIG

Bjarke Ingles Group (BIG) has released a first look at the planned new headquarters for whiskey distillery Blue Run Spirits in Georgetown, Kentucky. The design, called ‘Meander,’ is meant to evoke the journey of the limestone-rich water of Georgetown’s Royal Spring as they meander through the distillation, aging, and blending process to become the Blue Run bourbons and rye whiskeys. The 35,000-square-foot distillery and a 20,000-square-foot rickhouse will break ground in 2023 in the Lanes Run Business Park and are expected to be operational in 2025.

BIG’s meandering design for the new whiskey distillery | all images courtesy of Blue Run Spirits

‘For Blue Run, we have boiled the entire process of whiskey-making down to a single linear sequence – from distilling to maturing to bottling. The half-mile-long process meanders through the gentle hillsides creating bends and banks, inlets, and outlooks. A single shingled roof of photovoltaic tiles twists and turns to maintain optimal orientation even as the activities underneath require grandeur or intimacy. In the same way the Royal Spring is shaped by how the water flows through it, Blue Run Distillery is shaped by the flow of the whiskey and the processes and people who make it,’ shares Founder & Creative Director, BIG, Bjarke Ingels (find more here).

‘We are thrilled to be able to reveal an early look of Bjarke Ingels Group’s design for the new Blue Run Spirits distillery in Georgetown, giving everyone a glimpse at where we are heading in developing a welcoming, unexpected and modern facility with a true focus on sustainability,’ says Blue Run Spirits CEO and cofounder Mike Montgomery. ‘This will be a game-changing addition to Blue Run’s long-range business plans, allowing us to meet forecasted and unforeseen demand, while also giving our Whiskey Director Shaylyn Gammon and Liquid Advisor Jim Rutledge a home base of operations.’

‘Design is at the center of everything we do at Blue Run – from our liquid to our bottle to our new distillery,’ continues Montgomery. ‘The design BIG has developed is in dialogue with the landscape, the meandering path to making whiskey and a manifestation of the bold, distinct and inviting ethos that signifies Blue Run Spirits.’

render of the distillery at night