Monthly Archives: January 2008

Bourbon History along the Town Branch of the Elkhorn Creek, Lexington, Kentucky

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Bourbon has a long and rich history in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky. The distilling of whiskey began about as early as settlers arrived here from the north and east. The reason this area was so conducive to the making of whiskey was on account of the numerous limestone springs in the area that could provide cool clear water all year long. The importance of good water to the area’s distilleries cannot be overstated. One of the unique ingredients of Kentucky bourbon is the water that comes up from its limestone springs. The water that comes out of the springs has been filtered of impurities and unwanted minerals, such as iron. In addition, the spring water is rich in calcium. The calcium in the water reacts favorably with the yeast during the production of whiskey.

Though there are no distilleries any longer in use in Fayette County, some of the earliest of our Bourbon History took place along the Town Branch of the Elkhorn Creek in Lexington.

Elijah Culpepper, came from Culpepper County, Virginia to Kentucky when it was still a county of Virginia. Legend has it that some time around 1776, Elijah Culpepper settled at what came to be known as the “Old Pepper Spring” near Lexington on the Frankfort Pike. There he is said to have built a log cabin distillery about 1780. The story goes that Elijah Culpepper, finding his name “too long and too troublesome to write,” dropped the “Cul” and became Elijah Pepper.

Elijah Pepper’s son, Oscar Pepper, operated several distilleries in Kentucky including the current Labrot and Graham’s Old Oscar Pepper Distillery and another in Versailles. He hired James C. Crow as his master distiller. James Crow is known for using his knowledge of biochemistry to introduce scientific principles into the distilling process. Together the two men brought fame to the Old Crow and Old Pepper brands. Their whiskey became a big hit with men such as Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, John Calhoun, Ulysess S. Grant, William Henry Harrison, and Daniel Webster. Labrot and Graham’s Old Oscar Pepper Distillery is named for Oscar Pepper.

Austin Texas: Demographics and Trail System

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Commerce Lexington will be going to Austin, Texas this year to see what we can learn from a successful university town of comparable scale and geography. The following case study material was prepared in 2001. Certain figures are not in 2008 dollars and undoubtedly the city has grown.

• Founded in 1838
• Population: 1,126,700 people in the metropolitan area. 632,833 in Austin city limits (Lexington population = 260,512)
• Austin is the second fastest growing city in the United States
• The 21st largest city in the country
• Area: 2,705 square miles in metro areas. 232 square miles within the city limits
• Time Zone: Central Time
• Sales Tax: 8.25 percent
• Location: Austin is 236 miles from the Mexican border. Within 200 miles of San Antonio, Houston and Dallas
• Austin ranked as “Best Place for Business” (Forbes, May 2000) More than 1,330 tech companies.
• Fourth most visited city in Texas, with more than 16 million annual visitors.
• Austin is a clean-air city. Smoking is prohibited in buildings open to public.
• Live Music Capital of the World with more than 100 live music venues
• Austin has 11,800 acres of greenbelt used for recreation18 miles of well-surfaced scenic paths
7.5 miles of natural surface trails
• several more miles of connected trails are planned

Current population of Travis County: 812,280 (Lexington 260,000)

Travis County population in 1960: 212,136 (Lexington 132,000)

NOTE THAT AUSTIN HAS GROWN FOURFOLD IN THE TIME WE HAVE DOUBLED IN POPULATION

Median age: 29.5 years (Lexington 33 years)

Household income: $42,250 (Lexington $39,813)

Bachelor’s degree 33.9 (Lexington 35.6%)

MAYBE QUALITY OF LIFE FIGURES INTO AUSTIN’S SUCCESS. TRAILS AND GREENSPACE ARE A BIG PART OF AUSTIN’S IDENTITY. Continue reading →