From animal feed to beer and whiskey, there’s little that Alltech’s grains haven’t touched. Town Branch Bourbon is no exception.
Founded by Pearce Lyons in the 1980s, Alltech has been a huge part of the Kentucky economy. Alltech develops and sells agricultural products like animal feed and has become synonymous with the FEI World Equestrian Games. In 1999, Pearce Lyons realized that all of that grain could be put to another use and founded the Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company. As an Irishman and former employee of Irish Distillers, Pearce Lyons had a soft spot for whiskey and distilling, so building a distillery was a natural fit.
Thanks to the work of Pearce and his son Mark Lyons, the distillery became the first new distillery to be built within Lexington, Kentucky in more than a century. The Kentucky city is modernly known for raising horses, but actually sits on a limestone-rich body of water known as the town branch of Elkhorn Creek. This type of water is great for growing crops, watering horses, and distilling fantastic bourbon. So when it came time to name their bourbon, the Lyons settled on Town Branch Bourbon as an homage to the source.
Town Branch was released in 2012 at 90 proof and no age statement, although it’s registered as a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. It begins with a smoky nose that’s got a hint of brown sugar cinnamon underneath. Town Branch is a light bourbon, with vitually no heat. However, instead of heat, you’ll find yourself tasting a ton of oak, char, caramel, and cherry flavor. Remarkably, taking a sip of Town Branch is akin to taking a bite of a slightly burned cherry pie – but in a good way. The finish is long and leaves you with the warm cherry taste. It’s a truly original bourbon that easily stands out from the crowd for us.
The Town Branch collective has grown to include a single malt whiskey, small batch rye, single barrel rye and bourbon, and so much more. The Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company also continues to grow with its Pearse Lyons collection and new Ha’Penny gins. But no matter how much they continue to branch out, we hope it all stays as delicious as the original Town Branch bourbon.
STATS: Town Branch Bourbon
- Price for us: $31 for 750 mL
- Proof: 90
- Aged: NAS
- Distillery: Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company, owned by Alltech
- Recommendation: Neat
