33 to lose jobs as Stitzel-Weller Distillery downsizes, ends bottling operations

Posted by author January 31, 2025 Jobs

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Another distillery on Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail is laying off dozens of people in a move to save money and consolidate some of its workforce.

Diageo’s historic Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville over on Fitzgerald Road told WAVE News that they will be shutting down the site’s bottling operations and shifting those assets to other Diageo facilities in the U.S.

The bottling operations at Stitzel-Weller are slated to phase out by April of this year. They will continue to distill and mature some bourbon on-site, but that will be just for the visitor’s center. That’ll continue until the site runs out of stock.

The visitor’s center is pretty much the only thing that will remain open. The center employs about 20 employees, but 33 others will likely lose their jobs or be affected by this change.

A Diageo spokesperson released a statement, saying:

“Diageo has a longstanding commitment to Kentucky, demonstrated by a nearly $290 million investment in our in-state production facilities and visitor centers since 2019. While our visitor center at the historic Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville will continue to be the home of Blade and Bow whiskey, and an important destination on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, we have made the difficult decision to consolidate the site’s bottling operations within other U.S. Diageo facilities. This decision is part of a broader multi-year program to strengthen Diageo’s supply chain by improving productivity, resilience, and agility. As such, over the next 2-3 years we will also be shifting the majority of maturing and warehousing operations from Stitzel-Weller to Diageo’s other Kentucky facilities, in Shelbyville and Lebanon.

Through these sites in the heart of bourbon country, homes to Bulleit bourbon, we will continue to invest in Kentucky’s economy while contributing to the local tourism and hospitality sectors. We remain committed to supporting workforce programs, local charitable organizations, institutions of higher education, and environmental organizations in the region.

We do not take these decisions lightly, and we recognize the impact on our employees. For those affected, we are providing support in the form of severance packages, outplacement assistance, and employee assistance resources, as well as information on open roles across our organization.”