Lexington’s James E. Pepper Distillery To Be Rebuilt

Georgetown Trading Company, owners of the James E. Pepper whiskey brand, have announced their plans to bring the brand home by building a new distillery in the now-redeveloped remains of the James E. Pepper Distillery, located on Lexington, Kentucky’s Manchester Street.

The James E. Pepper Distillery, Lexington’s last operating distillery, closed in 1958, and although the neighboring warehouse continued to store bourbon into the 1970s, the main building was abandoned for over five decades. The Manchester Street area began its journey towards urban renewal when Buster’s Billiards, a popular college student hangout, was forced to move by the 2008 demolition of its historic downtown block in a real estate boondoggle.

The first signs of new life in the old Pepper plant came at roughly the same time, when The Barrel House Distillery opened there in 2008 and became one of the earliest entrants in America’s craft distilling scene. Serious redevelopment of the Pepper property began in 2014, and now the old distillery buildings host an ice cream parlor, micro-brewery, bar and the celebrated Middle Fork Restaurant.

“Truly a momentousday for the Pepper brand”, said Amir Peay, owner of Georgetown Trading Company. ““This has been a dream project for many years and we are thrilled to finally make it a reality.”

The James E. Pepper Distillery will become the anchor tenant in the main building of the property, and a grand opening is projected for mid-2017.