The first era of the Lexington Brewing Co. began in the 1890s and came to a halt during Prohibition, changing ownership several times in the decades that followed. By the time Pearse Lyons and his son, Mark, explored the brewery in 1999, it was a dilapidated shell of what it had once been. However, Pearse was a visionary and entrepreneur and saw only what it could be. Spurred by a passion for brewing and distilling that courses through the Lyons family lineage of Irish coopers, Pearse revived Lexington Brewing Co. and restored a craft beer tradition that dates back to the 1700s.   

Pearse continued to dream big as he set his sights on distilling — a natural progression given his background in fermentation, his family’s heritage and Kentucky’s bourbon tradition. Two copper pot stills that were commissioned from Scotland arrived at Lexington Brewing Co. in 2008. As autumn began to settle in late September 2012, the ribbon was cut on Town Branch Distillery, located across from Lexington Brewing Co., and the doors opened on the first new distillery to be built in Lexington, Kentucky, in more than 100 years. Those gleaming copper pot stills now stand in celebration of timeless traditions and bold imaginations. 

In 2006, we filled freshly decanted bourbon barrels with Kentucky Ale® — our earliest craft beer iteration. Initially considered experimental, the resulting barrel-aged brew was a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale® that has now become one of our most popular beers, with an ever-growing fan base. Our use of bourbon barrels in brewing became a hallmark of Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. and paved the way for other quality barrel-aged beers.

The opening of Town Branch Distillery launched our single malt whiskey — the first malt whiskey to be produced in Lexington since Prohibition. Today, our lineup includes Town Branch® Malt, Town Branch® Bourbon, Town Branch® Rye and specialty extensions, such as Town Branch® Sherry Cask Finished.