Patriot Brands LLC, a startup spirits maker established earlier this year, plans to build a distillery and historical park in Henry County with a $5 million investment expected to create 15 full-time jobs, Gov. Matt Bevin announced today.
“The Commonwealth has a long, proud history of distilling and it is our pleasure to welcome Patriot Brands to this Kentucky tradition,” said Gov. Bevin. “The economic impact made by our major bourbon and spirits producers is recognized at a national and an international level. Start-ups like Patriot Brands are drivers of product diversity in the marketplace. Not only will this company add innovation to one of Kentucky’s signature industries, it will also be honoring the rich heritage of Kentucky distilling and paying tribute to the patriots who fought for the liberties we treasure today.”
Patriot Brands will construct an 8,000-square-foot distillery in Pleasureville to produce bourbon and other spirits. In addition, the site will provide educational opportunities. Working with local Amish community members, Patriot Brands plans to build a history park to honor patriots of the Revolutionary War and a grist mill. The location will also feature a bed and breakfast and several unique tasting venues, including an authentic 18th century log cabin and a 300-square-foot treehouse.
The company noted the Pleasureville location on Castle Highway (US 421) as a major selling point since the facility will lie less than an hour’s drive from both Louisville and Lexington and approximately 90 minutes from Cincinnati. The operation, Six-Mile Creek Distillery, will also sit in the heart of bourbon country, within 35 miles of six major distilleries. Construction is expected to begin in September with operations underway by August 2017.
“We are honoring those Patriots with a good bottle of Kentucky bourbon for whom distilling was a necessity of life and who, without orders, pay, commission, equipment or the hope of any monetary reward, struck a decisive blow for the entire country under Col. Isaac Shelby – the first governor of Kentucky – in the Battle of Kings Mountain,” said Damien Prather, founder and owner of Patriot Brands. “General Washington called them ‘the…Spirit of the Country.’”
Prather, a native Kentuckian and former tax attorney, founded Patriot Brands in March. He also owns PRA-CON, a construction company specializing in restaurant development, and considers himself a student of Kentucky history. Prather originally purchased the land in Henry County for personal use with no intention of constructing a distillery. However, he said the opportunity to share the region’s rich history and the community’s location along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail proved too great a combination to pass up.
Sen. Paul Hornback, of Shelbyville, said the company will honor Kentucky’s heritage.
“I am excited to welcome Patriot Brands to Henry County,” Sen. Hornback said. “This company, proudly founded by a native Kentuckian, will honor our state’s heritage in many ways, and I thank them for their investment in our local community and the creation of good Kentucky jobs.”
Rep. Rick Rand, of Bedford, noted the historical significance of Patriot Brands’ location in Henry County.
“I’m proud to welcome Patriot Brands to Pleasureville and look forward to the day when its facilities are up and running,” Rep. Rand said. “This will be a great addition to one of our signature industries, and it also means a lot that the company is using this opportunity to highlight those who fought for our freedom during the Revolutionary War. I want to thank our local and state officials for working with Patriot Brands to make this possible.”
Henry County Judge-Executive John L. Brent welcomed the new business.
“We are pleased and excited to hear that Project Patriot has chosen Henry County as its home,” he said. “Their tourism concept fits perfectly into Henry County's agricultural landscape. We look forward to welcoming them and their patrons to our community.”
To encourage Patriot Brands’ investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in July preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $200,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
Additionally, KEDFA approved Patriot Brands for up to $200,000 in tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act (KEIA). KEIA allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing.
Patriot Brands can also receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives. Last year, the Kentucky Skills Network trained more than 84,000 employees from more than 5,600 Kentucky companies.
A detailed community profile for Henry County can be viewed at www.bit.ly/henrycoky.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at www.ThinkKentucky.com. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion on Facebook or follow on Twitter. Watch the Cabinet’s “This is My Kentucky” video on YouTube.