James E. Pepper Distillery

The historic James E. Pepper Distillery is a family-owned American company and distillery based in Lexington, Kentucky.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the distillery began production in 1880 when the famed distiller Colonel James E. Pepper built and operated the distillery until his death in 1906.  As a strong advocate for the whiskey industry, Colonel Pepper played a pivotal role in the passage of the Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897, ensuring consumers of the quality of the whiskey in the bottle.  The Bottled-In-Bond tax stamp seal found across the cork of bottles was derived from the strip label invented by Pepper to seal his bottles against tampering.  He was the first distiller in Kentucky to bottle his whiskey at the distillery, and his trademark “signature strip label” was a guarantee of the quality within the bottle.  The distillery ceased operations in 1967, remaining shuttered and abandoned for over 50 years.  Distilling resumed on site in 2017 following a decade of historical research and the collection of historic materials.  Early whiskey releases from the distillery have garnered impressive awards and accolades on the national stage.