The James Pepper Distilling Co., producer of the award winning James E. Pepper ‘1776’ whiskey brand, is pleased to announce that Aaron Schorsch has joined the team in the role of Master Distiller at the historic James E. Pepper Distillery in Lexington, KY. Prior to joining the Pepper distillery, Schorsch spent 10 years as a Distillery Production Operator at the Seagram’s Lawrenceburg whiskey distillery in Indiana, two years as a Brewery Production Supervisor at Samuel Adams brewery, and four years as a Distillery Production Supervisor at the Jim Beam distillery.

“We are thrilled to have Aaron come aboard and to be able to utilize his wealth of knowledge and experience in this exciting journey,” said Amir Peay, proprietor of the company. “I look forward to working together and we are already well on the way to making great whiskey in this iconic building once more. In the short time he has been with us he has already brought tremendous value in the design and execution of the final stages of the project.”

The project to renovate and rebuild the downtown Lexington distillery, originally built in 1879 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was announced in May of 2016 and is on track for production to commence by October of 2017.

The project will feature a 12 inch solid copper column still from Vendome Copper in Louisville which is being designed in reference to the historic mechanical drawings from the old distillery and the old still made by Vendome in 1934 – the year Prohibition was repealed in Kentucky. The distillery will have an initial annual production of over 42,000 proof gallons, with the ability for greater capacity in the future. It will also utilize the old limestone well at the distillery 200 feet below ground. Once completed the distillery will feature a museum on the founder, the Colonel James E. Pepper.