James E. Pepper | Kentucky
The original James E. Pepper distillery was founded in 1879, when the legendary Colonel James E. Pepper - in whose honour the Old Fashioned cocktail was created - built his distillery on the site, which he then operated until his death in 1906. The distillery continued operations until 1958, when it was shut, and then abandoned for over fifty years, eventually falling into disrepair. Over the last few years a portion of the site and adjacent buildings have been revitalised as a vibrant ‘Distillery District’, full of thriving local businesses. The James E. Pepper Distillery is now the anchor tenant in the historic main distillery building and distilling finally resumed at the Pepper distillery in late 2017. Thorough historical research and the collection of historic materials from over the years now play an important role for visitors to the distillery and museum. Materials include detailed mechanical drawings of the old distillery, a large collection of preserved, vintage Pepper whiskey, and historic letters from Colonel Pepper himself.
