James Pepper

The Pepper family produced whiskey in Kentucky since the Revolutionary era; Colonel James E. Pepper (1850–1906) built his distillery in Lexington around 1879–1880 and the Old 1776 brand became historic. After a long period of inactivity of the site and brand in the second half of the 20th century, the brand was relaunched in the 21st century (early relaunch activities documented around 2008) and production at the historic distillery resumed in 2017. The relaunch took place under the guidance of modern investors/managers (including Georgetown Trading Co. / Amir Peay) with an initial combination of purchased spirits and subsequent on-site production.

Highlight the historical heritage of the Pepper brand, recover historic recipes and ensure product integrity through documented production practices; the relaunch is oriented toward balancing respect for traditional recipes with modern production practices.

Lexington and the Distillery District, Kentucky (with warehousing/expansion activities also in Woodford County / Midway).

Mixed model: the relaunch initially involved the use of purchased/finished whiskey in partnership with other producers; since 2017 the historic distillery has resumed on-site distillation. Labels may therefore contain both internally produced spirits and acquired batches; origin information is indicated on labels and official product sheets.

Production in copper stills (system inspired by historic designs; Vendome is cited as the technical supplier of equipment for the refurbishment) and a mixed operational model (sourcing + in-house production since 2017).

Aging in American oak barrels for bourbon/rye expressions; some product sheets and databases report the use of first-fill American oak casks for certain releases.