kcgumbohead Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 1 hour ago, geclbxf said: How was the tasting at Pepper? Depends on your expectations. I went because I have been following the Distillery progress for a few years now and as a history fan I am appreciative of these Distillery reclamation projects, especially if those in charge seem to have a genuine passion for the history of their particular property. JEP seems to have it though they are much smaller scale than Castle and Key for instance. The “Distillery district” as its called Occupies the footprint of the original distillery campus but the current JEP Distillery occupies only a portion of that old campus. I looked at it as support for a project whose future production I greatly anticipate. The tour is a good one and on par with the ones we all know of from the majority of Distillery tours minus the bottling line and aging facilities. The tasting is two part. Your get the white dog and they say they are distilling several different mashbills, high rye bourbon on 7/1, they are using 53 gallon barrels also. The gift shop tasting is the current 1776 which I believe is MGP but I am not 100%, the main thing is, its NOT their distillate. So, you taste the JEP distillate only in its raw form as the aging whiskey is too young yet to bottle ( its aging in the C&K rackhouses), and you get the NDP stuff in the giftshop. I passed as I am looking forward to their own in house product. Distillation restarted late 2017 so 2018 to be safe, that means 2022 before I expect to see any of that. Well worth a visit if in Lex as its a cool property and a legit history to explore. They also make a nice cocktail at the in house bar. The restaurants and an ice cream parlor on premises make for a well rounded visit. If you are looking for JEP distilled whiskeys you are a couple years early, I knew that ahead of time and plan to revisit in the future. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geclbxf Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 Thanks so much for the well developed answer - just more proof of why this site is so great - people helping people. Sounds like I will check it our when I am in Lexington next. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 On 7/12/2020 at 12:36 PM, geclbxf said: Thanks so much for the well developed answer - just more proof of why this site is so great - people helping people. Sounds like I will check it our when I am in Lexington next. Thanks! That was a pretty damn thorough answer, wasn’t it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geclbxf Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 Damn straight!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamMatt Posted July 25, 2020 Share Posted July 25, 2020 No doubt its best to check specific distilleries as currently as possible, but It's Bourbon Night on YouTube posted "What To Expect When Touring KY Distilleries During The Pandemic" yesterday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MWN7b_oeS4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geclbxf Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 On 7/11/2020 at 12:10 PM, kcgumbohead said: Depends on your expectations. I went because I have been following the Distillery progress for a few years now and as a history fan I am appreciative of these Distillery reclamation projects, especially if those in charge seem to have a genuine passion for the history of their particular property. JEP seems to have it though they are much smaller scale than Castle and Key for instance. The “Distillery district” as its called Occupies the footprint of the original distillery campus but the current JEP Distillery occupies only a portion of that old campus. I looked at it as support for a project whose future production I greatly anticipate. The tour is a good one and on par with the ones we all know of from the majority of Distillery tours minus the bottling line and aging facilities. The tasting is two part. Your get the white dog and they say they are distilling several different mashbills, high rye bourbon on 7/1, they are using 53 gallon barrels also. The gift shop tasting is the current 1776 which I believe is MGP but I am not 100%, the main thing is, its NOT their distillate. So, you taste the JEP distillate only in its raw form as the aging whiskey is too young yet to bottle ( its aging in the C&K rackhouses), and you get the NDP stuff in the giftshop. I passed as I am looking forward to their own in house product. Distillation restarted late 2017 so 2018 to be safe, that means 2022 before I expect to see any of that. Well worth a visit if in Lex as its a cool property and a legit history to explore. They also make a nice cocktail at the in house bar. The restaurants and an ice cream parlor on premises make for a well rounded visit. If you are looking for JEP distilled whiskeys you are a couple years early, I knew that ahead of time and plan to revisit in the future. So my wife and I went to Pepper today for the tour and tasting. Was VERY well done. Guide did a nice job, and as KC said the history is just dripping off this site and they cover the Pepper history all the way back to the Rev War. We thought JEP is a modest well thought out facility. Was surprised to hear they are only producing 750 barrels per year on site. Also was impressed with their social distancing and mask requirements and constant signage. I too had the great old fashioned from the bar. I really liked the single barrel rye which is new to their lineup. The 3 year old was Bardstown Bourbon company liquid, and the 4 year old is MGP. Both were really nice and an OK buy at $50. I too look forward to seeing and hearing how their own distillate turns out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markandrex Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 In the event that anyone is coming through KY, Makers Mark has announced that they are closed to the public again due to COVID concerns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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