RICHMOND, Va. -- Speyside Bourbon Stave Mill in Virginia, Inc., a manufacturer of white oak staves and headers for bourbon barrels, will invest $114,000 to expand its manufacturing facility in Bath County. The company will add new equipment and a second shift to the operation, creating 45 new jobs.

“Speyside Bourbon Stave Mill’s decision to expand within its first year is an exciting win for Bath County and Virginia’s forestry industry, and the 45 high-quality jobs this project will bring demonstrate that manufacturing industry growth is happening in both urban and rural regions of our Commonwealth,” said Governor Ralph Northam.

“The company’s significant footprint across Virginia is a strong testament to our business climate, robust supply chain, and skilled workforce. We look forward to Speyside’s continued success in the Commonwealth, and thank the company for choosing to reinvest in Virginia.”

Speyside Bourbon Stave Mill in Virginia, Inc. is a subsidiary of Speyside Bourbon Cooperage, Inc., an offspring of Speyside Cooperage Ltd., which was founded in Scotland in 1947. In 2008, Speyside Cooperage was sold to the Tonnellerie François Frères Group, a publicly held company founded in 1910 and headquartered in France.

Stave mills seem to be on the rise. Barrel and stave maker Indepedent Stave announced it would build a $66.5 million cooperage in Kentucky last year, adding 220 jobs. Another company, Taylor Stave, invested $395,000 at its facility in North Carolina in March 2017. The investment will create 28 jobs over the next three years.

Speyside operates stave mills and bourbon cooperages in the United States, with facilities in Kentucky, Ohio, and in Bath County, Smyth County, and Washington County, Virginia. Speyside’s Bath County specialty saw mill manufactures white oak staves and headers used in the production of bourbon barrels, using only the finest white oak sourced from Virginia.

 “Speyside has quickly become one of our leading forest products industry partners in the Commonwealth,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring. “Their use of Virginia white oak has created tremendous opportunities for forest landowners, and the fact that they continue to expand their operations here is a sign of their success and commitment to our forest products industry.”

“We are pleased that our flagship facility in Virginia has performed so well, especially during its first year of operation,” said Jim McCoy, manager of Speyside Bourbon Stave Mill in Virginia, Inc. “We appreciate the support we have received from the Commonwealth and are delighted to be bringing 45 additional new jobs to Bath County over the next three years.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Bath County to secure the project for Virginia and will support Speyside’s job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program. VJIP provides consultative services and funding to companies creating new jobs or experiencing technological change in order to support employee training activities.