The Bourbon experience heightened in the City of Lebanon with the arrival of Limestone Branch Distillery.  The distillery is located within minutes of downtown on the Lebanon By-pass.  Visitors can experience the distilling process close-up.  Guests who are over 21 may sample a taste of an authentic moonshine recipe, or a variety of Limestone Branch’s uniquely Kentucky small-batch products. 

The distillery offers tours Monday through Saturday at the top of the hour from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  The distillery is open 360 days a year.  It will be closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and Easter.  The distillery tour is located under one roof and on a single floor, making it easily accessible.

Limestone Branch Distillery was founded by brothers Steve and Paul Beam.  They chose Lebanon and Marion County for many reasons.  Clearly, the location is very important, since Lebanon is in the heart of Bourbon Country .  The location also offers an abundance of local grain and the presence of the essential limestone water that is so necessary for our unique and personal recipes,  Most importantly, Steve and Paul’s great-great grandfather,  Joseph Washington Dant began distilling sour mash whiskey in 1836 only a few miles down the road.  As the operation grew its management was taken over by their great grandfather, W.W. Dant.  W. W. was also a partner at this time in the Smith and Smith distillery in Loretto, KY.  After W. W. passed away, John Proctor Dant, his brother moved the Loretto distillery to Louisville. The Dant family was responsible for many early Kentucky bourbon brands.  At the same time, just over the county line in Nelson County, their other great grandfather, Minor Case Beam was busily producing Old Trump and T.J. Pottinger brands of fine sour mash and rye whiskeys.  Minor Case was the eldest son of Joseph M. Beam.  Joseph M. was grandson of Jacob Boehm, who in 1788 passed through the Cumberland Gap to arrive in Kentucky.  Family lore says that he came with a pot still strapped to his back.  Jacob promptly changed his surname to Beam and sold his first barrel of whiskey in 1795.

Even though prohibition ended the family’s ownership of the distillery, grandfather Guy S. Beam carried on the family’s heritage as a Master Distiller for many of Kentucky’s finest distilleries.

Under the guidance of their father, the brothers have reconstructed a small distillery reminiscent of an era gone by.  Here a 150-gallon hand hammered copper pot still is used to produce small one-barrel batches of the finest spirits possible.  This offers an experience for the visitor as unique as the distillery’s products.