Colonel James E. Pepper (1850-1906) was a larger-than-life Bourbon industrialist and flamboyant promoter of his family brand. He was the third generation in the Pepper family to produce Old Pepper whiskey, founded in 1780 during the American Revolution. His namesake distillery in Lexington was at one point the largest whiskey distillery in the United States, operating from 1880 until 1967, when it was abandoned along with the brand for over 50 years. After a decade of historical research and a multi-year reconstruction effort, the brand was relaunched and the historic distillery was renovated and rebuilt.