Worker dies at Sazerac-owned Bourbon distillery

Operations have been suspended at Glenmore Distillery in Owensboro, Kentucky after a man was killed in a fall from a suspended walkway on Monday (14 January).

According to the coroner, Jeff Jones, 44-year-old Dennis Layman died as a result of a blunt force trauma after falling from a suspended walkway at the Sazerac-owned facility.

Sazerac spokeperson Amy Preske told local media that Layman had worked for the company since 2017 and that the site was mostly used for bottling.

An emergency call was made at just after 1pm on 14 January. Local authorities said that investigations remain ongoing, but state that the incident is not considered a criminal investigation.

Preske added that operations at the site are currently suspended.

Last year, a Bourbon barrel warehouse collapsed at a Sazerac-owned distillery, putting around 18,000 barrels of the spirit at risk. In June one half of the warehouse fell down, followed by the other half in July. Fortunately no injuries were reported in either incident.

State Labor Cabinet spokeswoman Susan West told wkyt.com that there were no distillery work-related deaths reported in Kentucky in 2018.

Sazerac acquired Glenmore in 2009. Distilling operations ceased at the site in 1993 and today it is mostly used for bottling and warehousing.