There are a lot of limbs to check within the family tree of bourbon history.
Taylor, Blanton, Van Winkle just to name a few.
However, there’s one name that might be at the roots of this storied industry.
Pepper.
A name in bourbon about as old as our country’s independence.
Pepper Distillery started back during the American Revolution in the Blue Ridge Mountains by Elijah Pepper,” Pepper Distillery operations assistant Katherine Foley said.
“Elijah moved that distillery to the town of Versailles on Glen Creek. He built his distillery there which is now where Woodford Reserve stands.”
The Pepper Distillery went through multiple phases of being built up just to be lost, mainly to financial struggles.
However, it withstood those shortfalls to settle in Lexington comfortably since the 1930’s.
Dawning the name of Elijah’s grandson, James.
“The building we’re in right now dates back to 1934, this was the original distillery building. Our retail area used to be what was the loading dock,” Foley said.