Sazerac Co., a Louisiana-based liquor giant, is scouting Murfreesboro for a new distillery.
“Murfreesboro is an attractive location because Sazerac seeks a location where its presence can benefit the economic growth of the community and enhance its local community relationships and connections with [Middle Tennessee State University’s] fermentation science degree program,” Sazerac spokeswoman Amy Preske told The Daily News Journal.
State Sen. Bill Ketron told the News Journal that Sazerac is specifically eyeing property near an old rock quarry on Asbury Road, off Florence Road.
Sazerac makes more than 30 bourbons, including Buffalo Trace and the notoriously hard-to-get Pappy Van Winkle. (It also makes Fireball, the cinnamon whiskey that is hugely popular in Nashville, especially on Lower Broadway.) In 2014, it bought East Tennessee’s Popcorn Sutton/Avery’s Trail Distillery.
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What your story didn’t point out is that the Asbury Rd location borders residential neighborhoods on three sides. The proposed access point to the site passes directly through the Thistle Downs neighborhood, this will include semi truck traffic as well as employees and visitors. Another major point is the eviromental impact whiskey fungus will have on the surrounding neighborhoods and the decline in property values. I do not support the current location for this distillery. There surely must be better locations in Murfreesboro or Rutherford County for this project other than directly adjacent to residential neighborhoods