Warehouse 30 at Barton 1792 Distillery Completely Collapsed

Barton 1792 Warehouse Collapse. Photo WLKY News, Louisville Kentucky

No injuries reported; 18,000 Bourbon barrels housed in the warehouse have fallen between the two collapses

On June 22nd, Warehouse 30 at Barton 1792 Distillery partially collapsed, leaving 9,000 barrels on the ground but luckily no one injured. As of July 4th, the warehouse has completely collapsed. Again, no injuries are reported and no one was inside. Warehouse 30 held approximately 18,000 barrels in total, but the distillery does not know at this time how many barrels can be salvaged.

As a result of the first collapse, Bourbon runoff from the barrels entered the nearby river, leading to environmental concerns for fish and wildlife. Yesterday, however, the Barton 1792 Distillery team was prepared and had equipment on site to address these concerns. Due to their quick action, no runoff from the second collapse is known to have entered any waterways. The Distillery team is working closely with the local fire and police departments, as well as with the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection (KDEP).

The remaining half of the warehouse was unable to be secured after the initial collapse due to worker safety concerns. Officials expect it to be weeks before the root cause is determined. Plans are already underway to construct a new warehouse to store the recovered barrels at the Distillery.

The remaining barrel warehouses at Barton 1792 Distillery, as well as warehouses at the Sazerac-owned Buffalo Trace Distillery, have been inspected and deemed safe.

Caroline Paulus
Caroline Paulus is the Senior Editor for The Bourbon Review. She lives and writes in Lexington, Kentucky. Follow her on Instagram @misswhiskeyhistorian to keep up with her latest in bourbon news - and a few old finds, too.