Distillers are expanding their bourbon production and storage and dispatching sales teams around a world that's increasingly thirsty for a traditionally Southern beverage. Surging exports, the weak
U.S. dollar and rising popularity among younger Americans are driving the boom. "It's an exciting time to be in the bourbon business," says Max L. Shapira, president of Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc.,
a family-owned liquor company based in Bardstown, Ky.
Wild Turkey, part of beverage company Pernod Ricard SA, sold more than one million cases worldwide last year for the first time. A
$36 million expansion will nearly double its production. The distillery at Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey is about to undergo a nearly $6 million addition to install nine more fermenters. Maker's Mark
is preparing for a second expansion. And Jim Beam, the world's biggest bourbon maker, is in the midst of a $70 million expansion.
"Younger consumers are interested in drinks that were,
you might say, their grandfathers' drinks," Shapira says. Wild Turkey is projecting 12% growth this year in its export business. Heaven Hill expects low-double-digit growth overseas, where it has
boosted its sales staff.
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