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The Latest on Kentucky’s Bourbon Scene

James E. Pepper Distillery

Lexington

The James E. Pepper distillery opened in Lexington in 1776 and  had become something of an industrial giant in the city before fading into obscurity in the mid-20th century. In 2008, however, the brand was revived by Amir Peay, a Californian with an interest in bourbon. Peay first learned about the brand when he noticed the advertisement for James E. Pepper Whiskey on a 1910 boxing photo. After acquiring the brand, Peay underwent a decade-long distilling journey that led him to reopen the James E. Pepper Distillery in Lexington in July.

Peay stayed as close to the original brand as he could, with old bourbon recipes, original whiskey bottles, photographs and even pieces of the still. The distillery’s flag, not seen since its closing, now flies inside the visitors entrance. Peay’s love of the history of the brand can be seen in the memorabilia on display inside the distillery. Tours explain the fascinating history of the brand and the founder, James E. Pepper, once notorious for his wealth and horse racing.

Though the new distillery won’t function on the mammoth scale of the original Pepper brand, a portion of the 1836 building that housed the last Pepper distillery can now produce about 33,000 cases a year, with room to grow.

After tours, groups can sip on rye whiskeys, such as the Old Pepper Rye and the Henry Clay straight rye. In the future, bourbon made on-site will be available for tastings.

www.jamesepepper.com

New Riff Distilling

Bellevue

An impressive distillery and event space opened in northern Kentucky in 2014 with one thing in mind: anticipation. New Riff Distilling wanted its first official batch of bourbon to stand out in flavor, which is why the company waited four years for the whiskey to age before releasing it to the public.

New Riff released its first bottles of bourbon to the public in September. The owner, Ken Lewis, envisioned New Riff as a fresh take on Kentucky bourbon. New Riff’s just-released bourbon offers a rich flavor with an aroma of butterscotch, vanilla and some confectionary rye spices.

The closest bourbon distillery to Cincinnati, New Riff offers three different tours to taste this new product. Groups can watch the company’s process up close. At one point, participants can dip their fingers into a fermenter to taste whiskey mash.

“What’s nice about New Riff is that we are big for a little guy and little for a big guy,” said Hannah Lowen, vice president of operations for New Riff Distilling. “It’s an intimate experience, but we have a fermenter that is big enough for a wow factor. You can see every part of the process. We were built with tourism in mind.”

The distillery’s Bonded Tour provides a firsthand look at the ins and outs of bourbon distilling. The Barrel Proof Tour takes groups to the West Newport Whisky Campus for a walk through the company’s barrel warehouses, which can hold over 20,000 barrels of whiskey. Inside, the Lab grants behind-the-scenes access that ends with a more thorough tasting session.

www.newriffdistilling.com