Distillery District in Lexington, Kentucky Tempts with Bourbon, Craft Beer, Handcrafted Ice Cream and Entertainment

Distillery District in Lexington, Kentucky Tempts with Bourbon, Craft Beer, Handcrafted Ice Cream and Entertainment

Ice Cream, bourbon and beer, oh my! Distillery District in Lexington, Kentucky tempts visitors with all sorts of sights, flavors and experiences including our explorations of the day -- ice cream, beer and bourbon. However, the entertainment district is full with much more!

The James E. Pepper Distillery is back alive with bourbon distilleries and more local tastes and entertainment!

The Distillery District has brought back to life grounds of the historic James E. Pepper Distillery which began distilling bourbon in 1879. After being abandoned in 1958, the site came back alive with the experiential entertainment district 50 years later. Included in the district are two working bourbon distilleries!

Party perfect room at Crank and Boom!

Unique Flavors Using Local Ingredients at Crank and Boom:

We began our visit ambling into Crank and Boom for some unique handcrafted ice cream! Crank and Boom cranks up intriguing flavors using local ingredients when they can including 100% Kentucky dairy from JD Country Milk and more. Crank and Boom started when owners, Toa and Mike, crafted coconut ice cream for their Thai restaurant. From then on, they were addicted to crafting ice cream. Today, they craft such flavors as coffee stout, bourbon and honey, Kentucky blackberry and buttermilk, blueberry lime cheesecake as well as standards such as strawberry. The interior of Crank and Boom is really adorable, so I can see fun party for kids here! There even is a selfie booth on the top floor which is pretty amusing addition as well!

Salted caramel ice cream from Crank and Boom!

When choosing a flavor, I immediately jumped at the salted caramel. Amazing with the right richness, saltiness and sweetness! My daughter went with the chocolate fudge brownie. Deliciously decadent:

Chocolate Fudge Brownie for chocolate lovers!

My husband had a Bourbon Ball Sundae featuring Buffalo Trace!

Bourbon and Honey ice cream featuring Buffalo Trace.

Craft Beer Tasting at Ethereal Brewing Company:

After indulging the sweet tooth, we headed to Ethereal Brewing Company for locally brewed craft beer. Ethereal had a decent selection of brews on tap and we were pretty excited to try a sampling. Ethereal features both Belgian farmhouse and American craft beers.

Quite a selection of craft beer!

Look at those brews:

Beer tasting at Ethereal Brewing Company!

Ethereal also has a nice rec area. Really a fun little spot!

Darts for a fun little game!

Bourbon Distilling Begins Again!


Afterwards, we took a stroll through Barrel House Distillery to explore the world of bourbon. In addition to bourbon, Barrel House had a few other

Bourbon is still crafted today on the original campus of James E. Pepper Distillery.

Distillery District has even more to offer than what we experienced. A number of restaurants featuring a variety of flavors are perfect for a meal during your adventure. Of particular interest for the adults in your group is the Elkhorn Tavern which distills its own spirits. Also, check for live music at a variety of views and take some time to stroll through local art studios.  Distillery District is such a fun location for celebrating local and enjoying arts, flavors and more. The district is growing, so there will be more to explore soon!