In the heart of Lexington, Kentucky, is Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company, a unique stop on the world-famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail® experience and one of a handful of joint brewing and distilling operations—or “brewstilleries”—in the world.
The site is home to Town Branch Distillery and our brewery that produces the Kentucky Ale® family of beers. It is the oldest craft brewery in Lexington. Alltech founder and president Dr. Pearse Lyons acquired the 200-year-old Lexington Brewing Company in 1999 and resurrected the Lexington brewing and distilling tradition that dates back to 1794.
Dr. Lyons’ background in brewing and distilling made him the ideal person to combine two great things – beer and bourbon. Hailing from five generations of barrel makers, or coopers, he was the first Irishman to earn a formal degree from the British School of Malting and Brewing. While in college, he interned at both the Guinness and Harp Lager breweries and later worked as a biochemist for Irish Distillers, makers of the beloved Jameson whiskey.
Ground was broken on Town Branch Distillery in the fall of 2011, just steps away from the gleaming brew kettles of the brewery. Named after Lexington’s Town Branch stream, the waterway rich with limestone that once enticed numerous distillers to set up operations along its course, Town Branch Distillery was added to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® in 2012. It is the first new Lexington distillery built in the last 100 years. Today, the distillery produces Town Branch® Bourbon, Town Branch® Rye, Bluegrass Sundown® liqueur, and Pearse Lyons Reserve®, the first malt whiskey produced in Kentucky since Prohibition. (Description provided by brewery)
Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m
Sunday: Noon – 5 p.m.
Note that merchandise is available for purchase in the Visitor Center, and beer is available only for sampling on the tours, which run daily.
