Eastern Light Distilling officially unveils its new brand as co-founders Caleb Kilburn and Cordell Lawrence commit their full focus to the creation of a new craft bourbon distillery in Eastern Kentucky.
In December, Kilburn and Lawrence departed from Kentucky Peerless Distilling Company where they had honed their craft for nearly the past decade. Both are eternally grateful for the friendship and mentorship of Corky and Carson Taylor and the entire Peerless family, as well as for the incredible knowledge and expertise they established over the past decade at the award-winning distillery.
Now they are looking east and focusing on a new mission—creating a community of craft bourbon makers and delivering Eastern Kentucky a tangible piece of the state’s signature bourbon industry.
First announced last summer, Eastern Light will be a locally owned and operated distillery located in the foothills of Eastern Kentucky. Far more than another distillery producing a single bourbon brand, Eastern Light will help bring innovation to the spirits industry while supporting craft distillers unlike anything before it, making Kentucky’s bourbon heritage accessible to more makers.
The name Eastern Light is inspired by the rising sun which illuminates a region of Kentucky full of culture, ingenuity, and talented artisans. It is a region marked by natural beauty and abundant resources. The distillery’s brand evokes newness, innovation, directionality, and hope—all of which are reflected in Eastern Light’s mission to provide craft makers with something new in the bourbon industry, a tailored brand experience and their own distillery homeplace.
Caleb and Cordell’s shared goal is to continually push themselves and the industry to expand the legacy of what’s possible in the world of whiskey and Kentucky bourbon. But this is not something they can accomplish alone. Both are immensely grateful to their family, friends, colleagues, investors, craft partners and the many others who share their strong faith that Eastern Light Distilling will create a new legacy while honoring an age-old tradition.
About Eastern Light Distilling:
Eastern Light Distilling will be headquartered in Morehead, Kentucky. The 230-acre campus will be home to an approximately 50,000 square foot distillery building, rickhouses, a full bottling facility, a unique bourbon tourism experience, a special event space and other operations employing more than 50 full-time staff.
Eastern Light will also become the distillery home for many different craft bourbon brands, offering our partners the unique opportunity to showcase their stories to bourbon enthusiasts and tourists alike.
More information about the company is available at www.EasternLight.com.
Listen to Bourbon Lens on your favorite podcast app or stream on Spotify. If you’d like to support Bourbon Lens, subscribe to our Patreon, sign up for our “Weekly Pour” Newsletter, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
If you like cocktails, subscribe to our second podcast, Cocktails with Friends. Cocktails with Friends is hosted by our good friend and partner, Bob Cutler.
Recent Bourbon Lens Coverage
- 2XO Gem of Kentucky is the Double-Barreled Bourbon Worth Hunting
- Hidden Barn’s Third Annual Maderia-Finished Bourbon is a “Perfect Harmony”
- Loch Lomond Crowned Scotch Whisky Producer of the Year at the 2024 IWSC
- Redwood Empire Whiskey Announces New Haystack Needle Single Barrel Program
- Pendleton 1910 Bourbon: New Whiskey, A Decade in the Making
- Southern Distilling Company Limited Edition Southern Star Bourbon Finished in Honey Barrels
