OLD PEPPER DISTILLERY
By Alek Olson
Every story has a beginning, a middle and an end.
The story of the James E. Pepper Distillery has started and stopped several times throughout its rich history, dating back to 1780. And while it’s had its ups and downs, its past has not stopped it from becoming the iconic, top-tier distillery it is today.
Elijah Pepper made his first batch of whiskey during the American Revolution and found his passion. In 1812, he opened his own distillery in Versailles, Kentucky. But Elijah Pepper passed away in the 1830s and his son, Oscar, took over and renamed the distillery the Old Oscar Pepper Distillery. During Oscar's prosperous time operating the distillery, he and his team created what is now known as the “Sour Mash Process” that is used industry-wide to this day.
Sadly, Oscar's success was short-lived. When he died in 1865, distillery operations were left in the hands of his 15-year-old son, James E. Pepper. As James was only 15, he did not yet possess the business acumen nor the financial stability to grow the business. James took a loan from his legal guardian and family friend, Colonel E.H. Taylor. Taylor’s financial and experiential guidance allowed James to ambitiously grow the business, but James’ inability to pay back the loan he took led Taylor to take ownership of the distillery, and later sell it to what is now the Woodford Reserve Distillery.
But James wasn’t quite finished in the bourbon business. In 1879, he found a way to open a new distillery down the road in Lexington, Kentucky. The James E. Pepper Distillery thrived for many years, becoming a nationally iconic brand. Pepper made innovations to grow his new distillery that helped progress the whiskey industry as a whole. In fact, it was James E. Pepper's tenacity in fighting political regulations that allowed distillers to start bottling their own product–something still in effect to this day. James has also been said to have created the famous cocktail, “The Old Fashioned.”
Prohibition halted production and stifled sales for this and for most distilling operations, and afterwards, the James E. Pepper Distillery was not able to pick up the momentum that it once had. In 1967, when the bourbon market once again hit hard times, the storied distillery closed its doors — but its story does not end there.
Fast-forward to the early 2000s, when New York entrepreneur, sports enthusiast, and whiskey buff, Amir Peay found an old photo while researching sports history in the Library of Congress that led to a bourbon revival. Amir found an iconic photograph of the “Battle of the Century” — the World Heavyweight Championship fight between Jack Johnson and James Jeffries in 1910 in Reno, Nevada. In the photograph, he noticed a large banner in the background that read “James E. Pepper Whiskey,” and curiosity got the best of him. He soon discovered the historical significance of this Southern distillery sponsoring a fight between two African-American fighters west of the Mississippi River, and knew there was a story to tell — and that it wasn’t over just yet ...
Further research led Peay to decide in 2008 to bring back the James E. Pepper name and restore the historical Lexington distillery to its original glory. Over the following decade, Peay learned everything he could about distilling, located the original distillery blueprints, purchased a copper still from Vendome Copper to replicate the original still used since 1934, and even recreated the mash bills used in 1958. It was quite a feat, considering the distillery had been abandoned for more than half a century.
Finally, after all of his research, hard work, and planning, Peay officially reopened the distillery in 2017. Since then, several whiskies have been produced under the newly resurrected brand, some of which have been proudly distilled in partnership with Midwest Grain Product (MGP). From their 1776 Bourbon to their Old Pepper Rye, James E. Pepper Distillery crafts some of the best spirits on the market and they do it for a reasonable price.
We at ATF Magazine highly recommend you make your way down to Lexington, Kentucky, and take a tour of this historic distillery, located in the city’s Distillery District, and taste the different whiskies they have to offer. Jared Bickel, Director of Operations and Level 3 Sommelier, has assembled a world-class team that is well-informed and well-equipped to take visitors on the tour and to lead them through the interactive walk that honors the history of the distillery.
Every tour includes live distillation and a chance to taste newly made whiskey straight from the copper pot still. This interactive sensory experience is a highlight of the tour and a rare opportunity in Bourbon Country.
Visit jamespepper.com to learn more about this historic distillery and to book your tour.
