LANCASTER, Ky. (FOX 56) – Bluegrass Bottling LLC is where bourbon goes to get bottled.

Lisa Strevels runs the Kentucky-based, woman-owned business. She aid the bourbon craft industry is booming, and she wants to keep up with the demand.

On Tuesday, Gov. Andy Beshear’s office said that it will give $6.25 million towards Strevels’ expansion project, as part of the state’s $1.1 billion investment into the spirits industry, yielding 900 full-time jobs and more than 50 new-locations or expansion projects like Bluegrass Bottling.

“The ideas, and the artwork, and the talent that actually goes into one bottle, it’s just amazing,” Strevels said. “So we just want to be a part of that. We want to keep up with them, and offer more availabilities to new brands, we need to expand. We’ve way outgrown this building.”

Strevels started the business at the beginning of 2020, and in less than three years, her business is already adding a new facility in Lancaster. The property will be 100-acres and will add 27 new jobs.

“Well, we’re going to do a lot of production; we’ve got several different department that we’re going to add personnel to, as well as, executive personnel,” Strevels said.

Her bottling business has grown throughout the pandemic, and is still growing through this inflation period.

“It’s the greatest part of the industry because we don’t have to wait that four years for the bourbon release; we know when the barrels have aged, and so now, the baby has been born and we’re ready to get it to market.”

On Tuesday, Strevels met with clients from Scotland, adding to the list of the out-of-state brands Bluegrass Bottling bottles bourbon for.

Strevel’s husband, Chris Strevels, said the business adds a new client just about every day.

“You know, we’re from Garrard County, and we just want our community to grow. We’re just a small town, and we want to bring some business and some life back to that county. It not only helps us, it helps the schools, it helps a lot of different things,” Strevels said.

As a woman-owned business, Strevels said the bourbon industry has been very welcoming to Strevels, “I’m proud to be a part of this industry. I think women just need to get out there, and live her dream, if you can think it, do it, be strong.”

Strevels said construction of the new property will begin in a couple of months, and what she is looking forward to most is having more space, not running out of storage, and accommodating more small craft businesses getting a piece of the bourbon empire.

“Some people only want to bottle a couple of cases, versus thousands of cases, people will have trouble finding a bottler, so that’s where we come in,” Strevels said. “It gives everybody an opportunity to get bottled.”