Whiskey House of Kentucky has partnered with The Koetter Group to build 12 state-of-the-art rickhouses utilizing K-RAX barrel storage technology over the next six years. 

Constructed on Whiskey House of Kentucky’s property in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, each warehouse will be seven stories high, hold 48,048 barrels, and designed to improve barrel maturation performance, enhance worker and contractor safety, reduce maintenance, and strengthen structural integrity and longevity. 

“As the leader in custom whiskey production, we want the most innovative and advanced rickhouses in the industry for our exclusive customers,” Whiskey House co-founder and CEO David Mandell said in a news release. “The Koetter Group provides us with an incredible product that delivers significant improvements in warehouse maturation, air flow, safety, and durability.”

The pioneering K-RAX warehouse design increases maturation performance and airflow by using a full-length vented cupola in conjunction with their continuous floor vents around the entire perimeter of the building. In addition to air flow, the floor vents allow alcohol vapors — which are heavier than air — to exit the building for lower vapor build up, which reduces barrel and structural damage. 

The K-RAX warehouse improves worker and contractor safety with its full width walk boards, wire mesh fall protection next to walkways, elimination of pinch points throughout the warehouse, and stronger dunnage that provides improved worker safety and smoother barrel rolling.

K-RAX warehouses are constructed using Southern yellow pine that is glue laminated, heat treated, and kiln dried. As a result, the material is stronger and prevents powder post beetles from damaging the wood. Moreover, the CNC machined connections create a very tight fit for very little movement. This eliminates the need for a plumb bob and enables unbalanced loading so that barrels can be loaded and unloaded from any floor or side of the building without jeopardizing its structural integrity.

“The Koetter Group could not be more excited to partner with Whiskey House,” Bob Koetter, owner and CEO of the Koetter Group, said. “Over the years we have been asked by multiple distilleries to help innovate barrel-storage warehouses. We are very thankful that Whiskey House is giving us the opportunity to bring our innovation and advanced warehouse solutions to the bourbon industry.”

Civil work for the construction of warehouses five and six began in March 2025 with Phillips Brothers Construction. K-RAX mobilized on the Whiskey House property the week of May 26 and begins construction on warehouse five on June 16.

Since the start of operations on July 1, 2024, Whiskey House has produced more than 97,000 barrels, 56 unique mashbills, and 59 different recipes for its exclusive custom whiskey production customers. The 110,000-square-foot distillery boasts a highly sophisticated manufacturing system that is fully automated and runs on proprietary software 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Read more: Whiskey House to Offer Financing Through New Partnership

About Whiskey House of Kentucky

Whiskey House of Kentucky is designed from the ground up to create high quality, customized American whiskey. By incorporating best practices, programs, and state-of-the art technology from advanced food manufacturing, and applying them to distilling, Whiskey House delivers quality, flexibility in customization, and the ability to test and scale innovation projects for spirits companies around the world. Whiskey House has no brands of its own and a campus closed to the public, removing potential conflicts of interest between the company and its customers. For more information, visit WhiskeyHouse.com.