1780 James E. Pepper Distillery Token Grades ng. Established in 1780, at the dawn of the American Revolution, and distilled over 3 family generations, the Pepper family brand of whiskey is one of the oldest & most legendary whiskey brands in both Kentucky and American history. Starting with Elijah Pepper (distiller 1780-1838) and then his son Oscar Pepper (distiller 1838-1867), Oscar’s son the Colonel James E. Pepper (distiller 1867-1906) was the 3rd generation of that distilling legacy. James E. Pepper was a larger than life bourbon industrialist, a flamboyant promoter, and took the family brand to it’s highest peak. A Kentucky captain of American industry, he raced thoroughbreds in the Kentucky Derby, traveled in a private rail car & helped introduce the world to the Old-Fashioned cocktail. He nicknamed his whiskey “Old 1776” and proudly proclaimed his continued use of his grandfather’s original Revolutionary-era recipes.