By JORDAN STRICKLER

Kentucky Correspondent

PIKEVILLE, Ky. — The late Pearse Lyons, founder of Alltech, had a long-held dream to help eastern Kentucky. The Nicholasville-based company is now in the process of doing just that with the opening of Dueling Barrels, a brewery and distillery in the heart of Kentucky’s Appalachian region.

The new business is set to become the easternmost member of Kentucky’s famed Bourbon Trail.

“Today, my team completes three years of work,” said Deirdre Lyons, widow of the Alltech founder and current director of corporate image and design. “But this is only the beginning of the dream, which we hope leads to increased tourism in eastern Kentucky.”

The nearly 30,000 square-foot facility houses three copper pot stills and 19 fermenters, with the capacity to produce 40,000 brewer’s barrels annually. The additional tourism is expected to help boost the economy in Pikeville, which has undergone revitalization in recent years.

“We really believe this is going to have a positive impact on tourism and bringing outside dollars to the area,” said Jordan Gibson, president and CEO of the Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

“Overall, the intention is to replace the jobs that coal lost. Currently, the city is doing a really good job of restoring downtown Pikeville, and Dueling Barrels is really going to improve upon that.”

Pikeville Mayor James Carter also believes the distillery is going to be a tremendous boon to the local economy: “It has been inspiring to be a part of the journey to bring Alltech’s Dueling Barrels Brewery and Distillery to Pikeville. This is certainly a tremendous addition to Pikeville and is a cornerstone of our economic diversification that will assist in shaping the future of Pikeville.”

In addition to bourbon, Dueling Barrels will produce a variety of craft styles, beginning with Dueling Barrels Pikeville Ale, an American Pale Ale and Dueling Barrels Hopfield and McCoy IPA.

Pikeville Ale will be bottled and available in stores regionally. Additional brews will be made available exclusively in Pearse’s Place Taproom, which is expected to open in the fall on the second floor of the facility.

“There is a massive population on the East Coast,” said Mark Lyons, who took over the position of president upon his father’s death. “Now they just have to come across the mountains. I think this can be the start of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, not the end.”

Dueling Barrels joins Alltech’s family of breweries and distilleries, which includes Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co. that produces Town Branch Bourbon, Town Branch Gin and Kentucky Ale beer; and Pearse Lyons Distillery at St. James in Dublin, Ireland, which produces Pearse Irish Whiskey.

The company hopes to use its resources and craft beverage expertise to shine a spotlight on eastern Kentucky. Dueling Barrels is expected to join the famed Bourbon Trail in January 2019, extending the experience 142 miles east into Pikeville.

Gibson said this has the possibility of expanding into even more. “We already have a couple of companies that distill moonshine in the area for customers. There is always the possibility that if Dueling Barrels is successful, it might attract more distilleries to the area.”

According to the Kentucky Distillers Assoc., bourbon is an $8.5 billion signature industry in the Bluegrass State, generating 17,500 jobs with an annual payroll of $800 million. Spirits production and consumption pours more than $825 million in federal, state and local tax coffers every year. In 2016, state distilleries filled more than 1.8 million barrels of amber nectar, the largest production volume since 1967.