Speyside Bourbon Cooperage, a bourbon barrel manufacturer, plans to open its first Pennsylvania facility in Clarion County.
The company plans to invest more than $14.6 million to purchase 20 acres and build a stave mill to produce narrow pieces of wood used to make bourbon barrels. The project is expected to create at least 51 jobs within the next three years.
“We are so pleased to be joining the Clarion Township community. This location makes such good sense for our company,” Speyside General Manager and Vice President Darren Whitmer said. “Clarion Township allows us to extend our footprint into an area rich in the natural resource we need to make our barrels – American White Oak. We have already experienced how great the community is, and we recognize that we have a ready workforce experienced in the wood industry we hope will join our team when the time comes.”
The Department of Community and Economic Development submitted a funding proposal for a $63,000 workforce development grant to train its new workers and a $139,653 Pennsylvania First grant.
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage is a subsidiary of Speyside Cooperage, a Scottish company, and TFF Group, a global cooperage company.
Speyside has six current stave mills in the United States.