James E. Pepper Distillery

1228 Manchester St UNIT 100, Lexington
(859) 309-3230

Recent Reviews

william baker

I love their bourbon! And their tour was fantastic, and very informative. Plus my tour guide was really cute. ???Update: we are now married

Jared F

My wife and I stopped in for a tour last week and had a very good experience. Our tour guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. It was interesting to learn the history of the Pepper Distillery and how it came back around after being abandoned for years and nearly being torn down. The distillery district is a unique experience as a whole with several restaurants, a brewery, cidery, ice creamery, etc. This is definitely worth a stop to check out!

Joe Johnson

A fun distillery tour with samples, tons of education, and a lot of cool stuff in this bourbon district.

Todd Oney

Nice distillery tour detailing the history of the site. Bill was a great tour guide providing multiple samples at the end of the tour. Location is in a revitalized area with restaurants nearby.

Steve Toth

We had a great tour that was very hands on. It is a smaller distillery but also the reason they can give such a detailed tour. We got to try the high wine. That was worth the entire tour. We also enjoyed some amazing old fashioneds made with love by a wonderful bartender. This place is a jewel.

Rob Keisling

Great tour with a cool urban revitalization vibe. A lot of history to learn in a short period. It seems Old Man Colonel Pepper had an interesting life before he died after falling and breaking his hip. True story according to our guide, that's the level of detail and history they go into. Our guide was a retired teacher and she really knew her stuff. The facility is pretty sweet, you can see how large it once was. One of the few tours with white dog along the way. Pepper's products are surprising. The 1776 is everywhere and cheap (they don't sample that one). The BIB and rye are top tier. This stuff beats most bourbon people seek after and pay too much for. I will go back to this one.

Barb Fritz

Could have been a fun tour but tour guide was unprofessional, had difficulty communicating information. Disappointed.

Finnian OBrien

This was our favorite stop on the Bourbon trail! Catherine gave us so much information and the tour was very fun (plus the bourbon the was very good). Would recommend!!

Dan Jeffers

Originally I booked this tour because it fit our schedule. But I'm glad I did. So much history packed into a small space. Bettina ("B") our tour guide was incredible. One of the best tours on the trail! Thanks!

Brandon

We stopped in for a flight. The bourbon was smooth and I recommend putting this on your itinerary.

Jacqueline Stump

I did a tour of James E. Pepper Distillery in February of 2024 with Alyssa as my tour guide. Alyssa was a fantastic tour guide who was very knowledgeable and who made the tour extremely engaging and enjoyable! I thought the price was a great deal for the experience. There are also so many other great locations to stop at after the tour, which was a win-win (ie, brewery, delicious pizza restaurant, out-of-this-world ice cream). I would definitely recommend the distillery and tour to anyone visiting the area.

Ken Buchele

Our tour guide "B" Bettina made the tour very interesting and fun. We enjoy the history behind many of these companies. We like the Pepper whiskeys as well.

Patrick Todd

Great tour! Kathryn was an amazing tour guide and was very knowledgeable

Ryan Tuck

Simply put the best tour I could imagine. Make sure to start off right and arrive early so you can get their old fashion before the tour. My tour guide Zelda was amazing and because it was a cold day I had the tour to myself. She made sure to answer all my questions and gave me so much great historical and distillation information. Got to see the mash percolating. Tasted directly from their Still. Got to taste straight from a barrel and got a shot glass to take home. Was such a great tour and excellent bourbons and ryes to taste right from downtown Lexington!

Todd

Nice little distillery.

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