The Bardstown Bourbon Co., Bardstown, Ky., announced the creation of its Collaborative Whiskey, Bourbon and Rye Wholesale Distilling Program, which is slated to open this summer. The new program will offer wholesale customers the opportunity to create custom, authentic, Kentucky whiskey products, while also providing barrel financing, the company says. The program works to expand the growth of the craft distilling industry by providing craft distillers and brand owners high-quality whiskey to strengthen their supply, it adds.

Currently, many craft distillers and brand owners obtain their whiskey from large industrial distilleries, are limited in their abilities to produce custom products, have no financing options and are reluctant to promote the location and source of their whiskey, the company notes.

With a production team led by Bardstown Bourbon’s Master Distiller Steve Nally — a 40-year veteran of the spirits industry and former master distiller of Maker’s Mark — The Bardstown Bourbon Co. says the program will provide craft distillers and brand owners the opportunity to work with a team of whiskey experts to create their own Kentucky whiskey products. The program also will enable customers to benefit from highly competitive wholesale prices; ensure consistent, high-quality production that can rapidly scale; control the future source for their product; finance new fill barrel production and aging; and provide a production location and environment that they can celebrate and promote.

“We are very excited to offer a suite of much needed services that we believe will help foster continued innovation and growth in the whiskey industry,” said David Mandell, president and chief executive officer of The Bardstown Bourbon Co., in a statement.

The company, in collaboration with Live Oak Bank, also is offering customers comprehensive financing of the purchase price of newly filled barrels with terms of as many as 10 years, it says. This is an enormous benefit in an industry that is capital-intensive and often without many good banking options, it adds.

“This program is a game changer,” said Daniel Linde, chief financial officer for the company. “As the first company to offer a comprehensive barrel financing program for whiskey, we are helping our customers continue to develop and grow their brands, without tying up all of their capital in production.”

As the domestic and international whiskey and bourbon market continues to expand, The Bardstown Bourbon Co. will help its customers meet growing demand, it says. The distillery has an initial 1.5 million proof-gallon capacity with barrel storage on its property that accommodates as many as 185,000 barrels. The distillery also is designed to expand as production grows.

Set on 100 acres of active farmland and adjacent to the Bluegrass Parkway, The Bardstown Bourbon Co. and its 37,000-square-foot distillery form the gateway to Bardstown, Ky., the “Bourbon Capital of the World.”

“This is such an exciting time for bourbon,” Nally said. “I look forward to working with other distillers and brand owners to make great products. We also look forward to integrating some of these brands into the Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s visitor experience, and we will use our facility to highlight and promote their brands.”