James Pepper 1776 Bourbon – Established in 1780, during the American Revolution, the Pepper family brand is the oldest brand of whiskey made in Kentucky. The brand was fondly called Old ‘1776’, by its scion, the Colonel James E. Pepper. The award-winning 1776 label was launched in 2012 in partnership with other distilleries to revive the old brand and has since gone on to much acclaim in the world of whiskey.