James E. Pepper Distillery
James E. Pepper Distillery
5
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Sunday
11:30 AM - 5:30 PM
About
Located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. Join us for an intimate, educational and high caliber tour that includes the story of the historic Pepper Brand & Distillery, a tour of the working distillery and a tasting of our award-winning whiskeys. All tour guests receive a complimentary tasting glass and groups are limited in size for an optimal experience. Adults 21+ $20; Young Adult 14-20 $10; Veterans $10; Active Military Free Tour; restricted to age 14 and above. Please check in for your tour at least 10 minutes prior to the start time!
Duration: 1-2 hours
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See what travellers are saying
- William GDayton, Ohio87 contributionsTerrific distillery tourInformative tour with a very nice tasting experience. Katherine, our guide, was very professional, energetic; and knowledgeable. I learned many new facts about the bourbon process as well as the unique history of the James E Pepper brand.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 7 October 2023
- Escape307039Grand Haven, Michigan1 contributionGreat bourbon tour downtown LexingtonThe tour with Alysa was fabulous, with a lot of detail behind the history and current status of the distillery. Located in the Distillery District, you can walk to many eateries and bars. The tasting was good with chocolates.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 27 October 2023
- krhat65Niverville, New York12 contributionsWell worth the time!My partner and I took a tour of the facility on Sunday, October 29. Our guide, Bill, was wonderful! Very informative as to the process of distilling bourbon and rye, as well as the history of distilling in Ketucky. Tasting the product at different stages of the process was a bonus. While so many of the distilleries are "off the beaten path", it was nice to have one right in town. If you enjoy whiskey and history, this tour is for you!Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 31 October 2023
- smileyhorn2Goodlettsville, Tennessee11 contributionsMake James Pepper Distillery in Lexington part of your agendaAlyssa was an excellent tour guide and provided an entertaining and educational tour. While in Lexington, please make sure this tour is on your agenda. Another nice feature is the complex near the James E Pepper Distillery includes a few other places such as a bar and restaurant. Highly recommended....Visited November 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 2 November 2023
- Suzie K1 contributionGreat tour! Kaylee was an amazing tour guideMy husband and I were able to het a reservation for the tour the day before we went. We took the distillery tour on a Saturday and it was amazing. Our tour guide, Kaylee, was so personable and knowledgeable about the history of the distillery and the distilling process. It was all around a great time.Visited November 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 5 November 2023
- adelly2 contributionsGreat TourMy family and I have been to a few distillery tours in Lexington, KY over the past few years and I have to give a shout out to our guide that day at Pepper's. Kaylee was great. She covered a lot of information on the tour. She was friendly and gave off a nice personable vibe. Give that girl a raise!!!Visited October 2023Travelled with familyWritten 13 November 2023
- Kelli B4 contributionsA cocktail and US history lessonMake sure you leave time to wonder the distillery district, a must do tour at James E Pepper distillery the history that is entertwininned into our country history is awesome. Oh and the Bourbon is also great. Try the Old Fashioned.Visited November 2023Travelled with familyWritten 17 November 2023
- Nahpsee V1 contributionTiny distillery but worth the visit!Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, nice, and courteous. I can't remember her name but it was the only female that worked there (taller with glasses). Very well kept establishment, great bourbon, great gift shop options.Visited December 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 1 January 2024
- Ryan T1 contributionBest Bourbon Tour I can ImagineSimply put the best tour I could imagine. Make sure to start off right and arrive early so you can get their original and classic 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 not to mention excellent small batch bourbons and ryes to taste right from downtown Lexington!Visited January 2024Travelled soloWritten 19 January 2024
- Adam H3 contributionsGreat tour at a great valueThis was an awesome experience as we got to see the whole distillery and tour the whole process from start to finish. Our guide Bee was very knowledgeable as well as funny and personable. The value of this tour was twice as good for half the price of tHe otHer tour we did this weekend.Visited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 5 February 2024
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5.0
1,374 reviews
Excellent
1,301
Very good
65
Average
7
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Bruce D
Claremont, California, United States28 contributions
Jul 2022
It was a great tour; informative, fun and very good whiskey.
Our tour guide (Mimi - really Mary, but everyone calls her Mimi) was very knowledgeable, high energy and super responsive to the tour. We spent a lot of time on the history of the distillery and then went into the production buildings. James E. Pepper is a relatively small production so you could get up really close to the production lines.
At the end there was a barrel tasting and we sampled several of their bottles.
All in all a very good tour.
Our tour guide (Mimi - really Mary, but everyone calls her Mimi) was very knowledgeable, high energy and super responsive to the tour. We spent a lot of time on the history of the distillery and then went into the production buildings. James E. Pepper is a relatively small production so you could get up really close to the production lines.
At the end there was a barrel tasting and we sampled several of their bottles.
All in all a very good tour.
Written 20 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tracy C
2 contributions
Nov 2021 • Couples
We took the distillery tour. Our tour guid, B, was awesome. She started by hand crafting everyone an Old Fashioned cocktail. As she talked about the history of the distillery she made the tour more intimate than industrial. By far our favorite tour.
Written 27 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
So glad that this one was your favorite! Cheers!
Written 10 December 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Brad P
1 contribution
Mar 2022 • Couples
Did the tour today. Great history that was well presented. Bourbons and whiskeys were quite good. Jared, operations manager, went above and beyond with my wife and I at the bar. Took time to recommend other great bars and restaurants which were spot on and really enjoyed the conversation. Highly recommended.
Written 25 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jenny M
Ankeny, IA484 contributions
Dec 2020 • Couples
I was very disappointed this tour cost $20 for 30 min and we had 2 tastings with 1 chocolate. We did get to see the distillery. Slade was our tour guide and he was very knowledable and friendly. They do offer free tours to active military. It is a small distillery with only 10 employees.
Written 16 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rachel C
3 contributions
Mar 2022
This was my second time touring James Pepper and it was just as great as the first tour. We had B as our tour guide and she was excellent! Very informative, good bourbon history, and our group enjoyed the tasting experience that started with the white dog and went down in proof from there, really allowing you to taste the difference in proofs. Definitely recommend sticking around after to have a cocktail and then give yourself lots of extra time to explore the entire Pepper District!
Written 7 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Glyr
7 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
We took the tour with Mimi. Mimi had the script down and answered a lot of questions well. She was still quite new so some of the details she did not yet know. She was very enthusiastic and seemed to love what she was doing.
It is a really interesting property and we wish we would have left more time to explore the other businesses in the Distillery District to see the rest of the old property. Their bourbon and whiskey products are not extensive but they are all very good and not excessively priced for a small craft distillery. They have a rye forward bourbon but we actually preferred their rye whiskey.
Having arrived a bit early for the tour we were able to try their Old Fashioned which is unique and original. Their version of the history says the first old fashioned was made with their whiskey. Afterwards we bought a flight of the single barrel eyes and left with one of those, a blended rye and a bourbon.
It is a really interesting property and we wish we would have left more time to explore the other businesses in the Distillery District to see the rest of the old property. Their bourbon and whiskey products are not extensive but they are all very good and not excessively priced for a small craft distillery. They have a rye forward bourbon but we actually preferred their rye whiskey.
Having arrived a bit early for the tour we were able to try their Old Fashioned which is unique and original. Their version of the history says the first old fashioned was made with their whiskey. Afterwards we bought a flight of the single barrel eyes and left with one of those, a blended rye and a bourbon.
Written 23 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jessica L
3 contributions
Jul 2021 • Couples
My husband and I enjoyed our tour of the distillery. It provided history of the building, the family that started it, and bourbon distilling in the area. Our knowledgeable guide provided us with a tasting of a rye in different stages of fermentation as well as a sample of a bottled bourbon and rye. If you choose to take them up on the offer of an Old Fashioned made the Col. Pepper way you will not be disappointed! We were pleased with our stop at James E. Pepper along our road trip.
Written 28 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for stopping at our distillery! We are so glad you enjoyed your tour and everything that you learned along the way! Cheers!
Written 29 July 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
NathnL
Lexington, KY10 contributions
Dec 2020 • Couples
A gem in Lexington. They go through a full history of the site, bourbon in Lexington, and have a cool display of old documents and other old pieces. In addition to the detailed history they show you each piece of equipment even the corn grinder. I would highly recommend. There is also plenty to do around the site restaurants, bars, and another distillery.
Written 20 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yvonnebl
2 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
The tour leader was very good. Mimi was well informed and presented the information in a humorous manner. The entire group seemed to enjoy her presentation.
The bourbon we sampled was very good. The chocolate given during the tasting added an entire different spin on the taste of the bourbon.
The bourbon we sampled was very good. The chocolate given during the tasting added an entire different spin on the taste of the bourbon.
Written 17 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are so glad you were able to experience it all. Cheers!
Written 19 May 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Alfie B
49 contributions
Aug 2023 • Solo
I'm currently on assignment in Lexington for a few months and trying to make the most of it. One of the journeys I intend to undertake is the Bourbon Trail. A co-worker of mine who is big into bourbon highly recommended the tour at James E. Pepper Distillery. The tour takes about an hour and comes with tastings of 3 different bourbons.
Our tour guide was great (I think Kayla?). She's clearly enthusiastic about the distillery and bourbon, and engaging when discussing the history and facts. I was surprised at how close up you get within the distillery (you can literally peer over the fermenting grains) and thought it was interesting that they let you try the high wine.
Overall I think this was a great start to the Bourbon Trail and recommend this tour if you're in Lexington.
Our tour guide was great (I think Kayla?). She's clearly enthusiastic about the distillery and bourbon, and engaging when discussing the history and facts. I was surprised at how close up you get within the distillery (you can literally peer over the fermenting grains) and thought it was interesting that they let you try the high wine.
Overall I think this was a great start to the Bourbon Trail and recommend this tour if you're in Lexington.
Written 12 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Agreed, the Hilton is very close and a good choice! Cheers
Written 20 April 2019
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