Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear highlighted new growth in Kentucky’s signature bourbon and spirits sector as San Francisco-based Bespoken Spirits Inc. announced plans to relocate its headquarters and manufacturing operations to Greyline Station in Lexington. The $3.2 million relocation will create 16 new high-wage jobs paying an average hourly wage of $70.77 including benefits.
“The relocation of Bespoken Spirits’ headquarters and manufacturing operations to Kentucky adds momentum to the state’s always growing signature bourbon industry,” said Gov. Beshear. “Bespoken is a welcome addition to the Lexington community and will continue to solidify Kentucky as the world’s leading producer of bourbon. I want to thank company leaders for their vision to grow in Kentucky and look forward to seeing their success here in the commonwealth.”
The relocation of Bespoken Spirits’ headquarters and manufacturing operations will include building improvements, equipment, start-up costs and other related expenses. The move will also enable Bespoken to move up in the supply chain to include distillation, completing the characterization and recipe catalog from grain to glass.
“Rather than putting spirit into a barrel and waiting passively for nature take its course, we instill the barrel into the spirit, actively and precisely controlling the process to deliver premium quality tailored spirits full of nuance and flavor,” said Scott Savage, vice president of research, development and production at Bespoken Spirits. “As a born-and-raised Kentuckian and engineer, I am thrilled at the opportunity to bring this company to my home, enabling faster growth with significant cost advantages.”
Bespoken Spirits is a privately owned modern spirits start-up company, founded in 2019, that is blending technology and tradition to take craft spirits to new heights. The process unlocks billions of flavor combinations, while reducing the environmental impact of each sip. Bespoken has received well over 150 medals in spirits competitions. The company has built a rich library of spirit characterizations and recipes for spirit rectifying to produce a target spirit, thus the name Bespoken.
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton is working to grow agtech in Lexington and said Bespoken is a good fit: “Bespoken is a good fit for Lexington. They’re moving their headquarters here to the part of bourbon country where agtech has also found a home.”
Commerce Lexington CEO Bob Quick commended the company on its sustainability efforts: “With whiskey production dating back to the earliest days of our community, Lexington offers a robust distilling network that provides strategic advantages in supply chain, workforce and partnerships. We applaud their commitment to sustainability and their innovative approach to aging whiskey. It is an honor to welcome Bespoken Spirits to Lexington, the heart of bourbon country.”