“The James E. Pepper Distillery has lived up to my expectations… and is producing some excellent whiskeys.” Michael Veach, Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame Author & Historian

Distillers, Blenders & Bottlers ~ Lexington, Kentucky

Our Whiskeys

Dark rye whiskey bottle with a large 1776 numbers on a gold colored label.
Dark bourbon whiskey bottle with a large gold 1776 numbers on a brown colored label
Tall clear rye whiskey bottle with Old Pepper in black letters and a photo of the old distillery on a gold colored label.
Tall clear bourbon whiskey bottle with Old Pepper in black letters and a photo of the old distillery on a gold colored label.
Small clear bottle with amber colored whiskey with a wooden top and a horizontal oval red label with white James E Pepper letters

Sold Out Products: 6 Year Bourbon, 15 Year Bourbon, 15 Year Rye, and Sherry Cask Finish Rye

About Us


Old Pepper Whiskey antique advertisement. One hand handing the whiskey bottle to another handThe Pepper family brand of whiskey is an iconic Kentucky whiskey brand initially produced during the American Revolution and continued through 1967. The family built and operated two main distilleries: first founding the site that today hosts the Woodford Reserve Distillery, and later the James E. Pepper Distillery in Lexington. In the late 1960s the bourbon industry hit hard times, and both the brand and distillery in Lexington were abandoned for over half a century.

In 2008 the brand was relaunched by whiskey entrepreneur Amir Peay. A decade-long campaign of thorough historical research and collection of historic materials was used to retell the lost story of this iconic American whiskey brand and to distill new stocks of "Pepper" whiskey (visit the History Page to learn more). To initiate the relaunch of the brand, partnerships with the Lawrenceburg Distillery in Indiana and the Bardstown Bourbon Co. in Kentucky were formed.  Today some of our whiskies contain whiskies distilled at those distilleries.

After a multi-year construction effort, the historic James E. Pepper Distillery—which after fifty years of neglect had fallen into a terrible state of disrepair—was completely rebuilt and restored. In December 2017, the distillery once again began distilling whiskey using the same historic recipe as when it shut down in 1967. Learn more about the distillery project on our Distillery Page.

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