Alltech Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co.

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Alltech Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. Alltech's Lexington Brewing Company in downtown Lexington, Kentucky has been creating award-winning beers since 2000. Kentucky Ale was launched in that year, Kentucky Light followed in 2003 and Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale completed Kentucky's Triple Crown of Beers in 2006.

On September 25, 2010, excitement poured into Kentucky as 800 athletes and 900 horses representing more than 60 countries convened at Lexington’s Kentucky Horse Park for 16 days of competition at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the world championships of equestrian sport. When the party began, Kentucky Ale was flowing as over 600,000 spectators from around the world enjoyed the taste of the Official Beer of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

www.kentuckyale.com

www.lyonsspirits.com

Kentucky Brews

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Kentucky Ale

Kentucky Light

Ky Bourbon Barrel Ale

Lyons Spirits

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Town Branch Bourbon

Town Branch Bourbon

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The Story of Town Branch Bourbon

Town Branch, our bourbon. Bourbon whiskey has a long and varied history. Whiskey production uisce beatha abbreviated down into whiskey, was brought across from Europe by the Scottish and Irish settlers. They first came to Maryland and Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th Centuries. There they used the same techniques that they had developed in the highlands of Scotland using barley and wheat. Soon, however, they started to use Indian Corn (maize) to produce their whiskeys. When the Continental Congress came into being, in order to pay for the War of Independence, they levied a tax on whiskey. The feisty Scots and Irish objected to it. This led to the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791 – 1794. As a compromise, non-other than George Washington gave them an incentive: move across the Ohio River to Kentucky, which at that stage was still part of Virginia. There in return for them paying a levy on their whiskey, each distiller/farmer will be given 60 acres of land in which to grow Indian Corn. They chose the Bluegrass Area, and the surplus of alcohol they made they sold as whiskey.

Many of them settled in Bourbon County. In order to transport the whiskey they were transported in casks down the Mississippi River down to New Orleans where the new spirit was welcomed by the French, who at that time still owned Louisiana. Coming from Bourbon County, every cask was stamped Bourbon, and hence the name came into being.

Why use charred casks? They found that the coopers would char the barrels to make them pliable. Indeed, I remember my uncles doing precisely that, building a barrel around a central fire and pulling the staves together to create the barrel. Others, however, say that it was for a totally different reason. They say that the Reverend Elijah Craig, of Bourbon County had actually ran out of barrels and the only barrels he had left over were those which had been used for pickled fish. So he charred the barrel to get rid of the aroma of fish. But whatever the reason, as the whiskey traveled down to Louisiana, it picked up some of the flavors and congeners from the barrels, and these became very well appreciated.

It was also interesting that the 60 acres of land was given by the then Governor of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson. The definition of bourbon, however, was never really laid down as the legal definition, unlike (4:50) and tequila. It wasn’t until 1964 that Congress decreed that the legal definition of bourbon would be 51% maize (Indian Corn) matured for at least three years in charred casks made from new oak. The state of origin was not stipulated, but it is only Kentucky that is allowed to put its name on a bourbon label. So, Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey has its own unique situation.

Today, we have the birth of a Lexington bourbon. Today, we have something now that is at the end of the bourbon trail. Today, we have the rise of Town Branch.

Whiskey, the abbreviation of uisce beatha, Gaelic for "water of life."
How do we rate a whiskey? Whiskeys are rated in four ways:

The Nose – the aroma.
The taste – its arrival on the palette.
The finish – how much residue is on the palette, it will tell you a lot about the aging process.
The balance of the flavors, the caramels, the woodiness, and how they all come together.

Today, Town Branch Whiskey, a bourbon from the first distillery to be inducted into the Kentucky Distillers Association since1880, is now with us.

Why the name Town Branch? Town Branch, the Town Branch River, is synonymous with Lexington, Kentucky. Indeed within one year of the founding of Lexington the James Pepper Distillery was established in 1780 quickly followed by other distilleries Henry Clay, Henry Gilbert and Company, Ashland Distillery Company and William Tarr was set up in 1879. Little did we know that you would have to wait over 100 years for the Lexington Distilling Company to be founded. So the town branch is intended to bring back part of the history and mystique of our town of Lexington. Perhaps through the town branch we may in fact now get away from being one of only two major cities that do not have a river going through it. Enjoy the Town Branch and let’s bring Lexington back to life.

Pearse Lyons Reserve

Pearse Lyons Reserve

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Pearse Lyons Reserve™ symbolises the passion of its founder and master distiller, Irishman Dr. T. Pearse Lyons. Distilled in dual copper pot stills from Scotland, Pearse Lyons Reserve is the first malt whiskey produced in Kentucky since 1919. Produced in the old-world tradition in the heart of Kentucky, this whiskey is the culmination of years of experience and passion.

The Lyons family invites you to savour every dram of Pearse Lyons Reserve, with our compliments.

A Spirited Past

In 1999, Alltech’s Lexington Brewing Company began in the heart of Kentucky creating the award-winning Kentucky Ale, Kentucky Light, and Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. A devotee of brewing and distilling even before completing his Ph.D. in yeast fermentation, Alltech founder Dr. Pearse Lyons subsequently mastered the craft working at distilleries near his home in Ireland. Five generations of coopers hail from Lyons’ family and whiskey-making is indeed a family tradition: Lyons’ grandfather proudly earned his living as a Master Cooper and his son continues the family legacy today, receiving his Ph.D. in brewing and distilling in Scotland.

In the year of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, Dr. Lyons and Alltech are proud to unveil the Lyons Spirits range: Pearse Lyons Reserve and Bluegrass Sundown.

Accolades:

Pearse Lyons Reserve Claims Bronze Medal in Debut at Craft Distilling Conference

In its debut, Pearse Lyons Reserve captured the bronze medal in the single malt whiskey category at the American Distilling Institute’s Craft Distilling Conference in Portland, Oregon, held April 4-8

In the Mix Magazine

Color: Golden

Nose: I get single malt scotch, a little iodine, smoke and peat. I shared it with a friend, Brittany Chardin, who has a fantastic nose and palette; she guessed (blind) a fine Irish whiskey. You get the point – a fine old world aroma not often found in an American whiskey.

Taste: Starts off soft and luxurious with a mid-palette burst of flavors including mint and sweet smoke. The finish is long and clean. A fine whiskey and an unusual find.

WhiskyCast

The nose is sweet with notes of molasses and brown sugar, a touch of nutmeg, and vanilla. The taste is smooth and spicy with chili peppers that fade slowly to reveal slightly tart notes of lemon crème and molasses. The finish is dry and long with a subtle touch of oak and a hint of brown sugar. An excellent debut! Rating: 90