Close-Up on The Barrel House

Interview with The Barrel House Distillery of Lexington, KY

By Richard Thomas

Situated in the old barrel house of the James E. Pepper Distillery on Lexington, Kentucky’s Manchester Street, The Barrel House Distillery did more than just bring distilling back to a historic building. When Jeff Wiseman and Pete Wright started initial production in 2008, they also brought distilling back to the heart of the Bluegrass after an absence of five decades. During a visit to The Barrel House, The Whiskey Reviewer spoke to Wiseman and Wright about their experiences in running a micro-distillery and their future plans.

RT: Jeff, you come from an air freight and shipping background? And Pete, you are in medicine? Tell me about making the shift from your previous careers and starting up a distillery?

Pete: You know, I think our skills complemented each other fairly well. You know, with Jeff knowing something about construction, and meeting the construction needs that we had. With my background in medicine, I had a grounding in chemistry for the science of distilling. Although Jeff has a lot more in the art of distilling.

Jeff: We both still practice our respective fields. This is a labor of love, and something we do on weekends and sometimes Fridays together.

RT: How did you end up here, in Old Pepper’s barrel house? Was that by design?

Jeff: We kind of stumbled into it. About the time we were starting, there was a move to redevelop the Distillery District. Bars, restaurants, shops, art galleries. So about the time we were starting, they were working on that.

Pete: We had looked at a lot of different options, like some land in the country, and if we did that we could potentially grow some of our own grain. That was appealing, but when we found this place, it was pretty much hands down that it made sense for our needs.

RT: It was too cool to pass up.

Jeff: Exactly.

RT: So I saw on the other side [of the building] that you’ve got your big barrel bourbon that’s racked up and maturing, and I read on your website that you expect that to be ready sometime in 2014. Is that early 2014 or late 2014?

Jeff: I’d say mid-to-late 2014.

RT: What I didn’t know before I came around was that you’re experimenting with a small barrel bourbon, that I saw back there. Are those two the same mash bill in different types of barrels or..?

Jeff: Yeah.

RT: And that’s just to see how it goes?

Jeff: Right.

RT: Do you have any new projects that you want to try after the big barrel bourbon, like maybe a rye?

Pete: We may play around with wheat and the whiskey, and as Jeff pointed out to you [during the tour], we’re trying out sorghum, and possibly a brandy. But I wouldn’t see us trying that until we’ve got the bourbon out and established. Although we do like the idea of tinkering from time to time.

RT: Where is Barrel House stuff available now?

Jeff: We’re in Iowa, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois,

RT: I noticed you have a mixologist listed on staff. A lot of artisanal moonshines and white whiskeys are made with cocktails in mind, and I was wondering if your mixologist has any input on the spirit-making process here?

Jeff: Not much. Most of what we’ve done predates him, like the rum we started working on in 2008.And neither of us are mixologists. Maybe some rum on the rocks, but that’s about it.

RT: So instead of him offering input, it’s more along the lines of “Here’s the stuff. How should it get used?”

Jeff: Yeah, that sounds about right.

RT: You’re making moonshine and experimenting with small barrel bourbon, and both of those things are controversial in their own ways. Some pundits say putting unaged and small barrel spirits out is just releasing a bad product to get something out there ahead of proper aging, and that all “clear stuff” and small barrel whiskey is bad.

Jeff: Well, the moonshine first of all isn’t like that. It’s got a lot of flavor, and the mixologists make good use of it. The second part is that in Kentucky, moonshine is part of our heritage.

Pete: And variety is the spice of life. When Jeff and I got into this, I wouldn’t have called us afficiandos, but variety is good. As Jeff points out, these things are either mixable, although I cry at the idea of someone mixing a 13 year old bourbon, but some of these things are great for infusing into other products. And at the same time, it speaks to our heritage.

We’re very proud of what we’re doing here. We don’t necessarily expect our moonshine to be served over the rocks or neat on a regular basis, although Jeff and I do that. It’s a fine product that has its own niche. That’s the most important thing.

As for the small barrel, when I was younger I had a narrower, more specific idea of what I wanted, but as I’ve gotten older… I can see how from time to time I might want a less complex, but still well-done small barrel whiskey rather than something done in a 50-gallon barrel. I think it’s nice to have options.

RT: We were talking about history earlier, and you opened up here in 2008. Then Town Branch opened, and between you distilling has come back to Lexington after a half century absence. When your tours come through on the weekends, what have you noticed from locals in terms of response to bringing distilling back to Lexington?

Pete: I think it’s been pretty enthusiastic. I think one of the things about our distillery is that people see it, and it’s tangible and they see something they think they could be doing. That also seems to get a positive response.

One thing Jeff and I would like to see done is more people aware that we’re here. The papers have been very good to us in that respect, but there is still a lot to be done. After five years, we still get people who say “I had no idea you were here.”