LEXINGTON, Ky. — Never Say Die, the multi-award-winning bourbon that’s distilled in Kentucky and matured across the Atlantic in England, will open its first brand home in downtown Lexington this fall. The location marks a homecoming for the brand, distilled and aged 6+ years in Kentucky before its barrels sail to White Peak Distillery in Derbyshire, England, for further maturation.
The aging journey follows the path of the brand’s namesake: a long-shot racehorse born near Lexington on co-founder Pat Madden’s family farm, who won the 1951 Epsom Derby at 33-1 odds. That win paid off for Liverpool bettor Mona Best, who used her winnings to open the Casbah Coffee Club — where The Beatles played some of their earliest gigs.
A Pub Downstairs, a Story Upstairs
The new two-floor micro-distillery combines an English-inspired pub on the ground floor with an immersive upstairs experience walking guests through the brand’s history. The pub leans into Never Say Die’s “Kentucky provenance, English character” identity, serving British pub food alongside American favorites, a curated selection of British and European drinks, and Kentucky bourbon, with regular live music as a nod to the Casbah’s Beatles connection.
Upstairs, guests move through a 1950s-style British library where the brand’s story unfolds, into a tasting room finished in limestone and oak with a racetrack-shaped tasting table for sampling the core lineup. The experience concludes in a barrel room styled on a traditional Kentucky rickhouse, where guests can taste — and bottle their own — the brand’s forthcoming “Double Ocean” Bourbon, an expression that crosses the Atlantic twice in its original barrels before returning to Kentucky. Double Ocean will be exclusive to the brand home. The location will also be the only place in the US to buy Never Say Die’s Barrel Strength Bourbon, previously a UK exclusive.
The site operates under its own distilled spirits plant (DSP) license, with spirits also produced on site, making it one of the first micro-distilleries in the heart of downtown Lexington.
Brian Luftman, co-founder of Never Say Die, said:
“The story of our namesake racehorse and the Bourbon that followed is an unbelievable tale, so we are delighted to be opening up our very own brand home which gives us the chance to immerse people in that journey first hand; to walk them through the story, pour them the whiskey, and let them taste the difference the trans-Atlantic journey makes. The English pub and the live music are our way of continuing to pay homage to the horse and everything his story set in motion – right down to The Casbah Coffee Club and The Beatles. We can’t wait to welcome people through the doors.
“It’s also the only place in the world where people will be able to taste and bottle our forthcoming ‘Double Ocean’ aged Bourbon. When we first launched the Bourbon we were so surprised by the profound effect the ocean crossing has on the flavor of the whiskey, so we’re excited to reveal how two transatlantic journeys affect its character.”
The Core Lineup
Never Say Die’s core range includes Barrel Strength Bourbon (56–61% ABV), Small Batch Bourbon (47.5% ABV), and Rye Whiskey (52.5% ABV), each made with a proprietary sweet mash and limestone-rich Kentucky water. Since launching in 2022, the brand has been recognized at the Global Spirit Masters, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and the Ascot Awards, among others.
Location
The Never Say Die brand home opens in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, in fall 2026 at 249 W. Short St. To sign up for updates, visit neversaydiebourbon.com/brandhome.
Story via Bourbon Lens | Bourbon Lens News
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