Never Say Die, the multi-award-winning Bourbon distilled in Kentucky, ocean-aged across the Atlantic and matured in England, has announced that it will open its first brand home in the heart of downtown Lexington, Kentucky.

Work is already underway on the new brand home, which is both a tribute to Never Say Die’s one-of-a-kind transatlantic journey and a homecoming to where the story began. The namesake Bourbon is distilled and aged for a minimum of six years in Kentucky before its barrels set sail across the Atlantic to be further matured at White Peak Distillery in Derbyshire, England.

The unique ageing journey follows in the ‘hoofsteps’ of its namesake long-shot racehorse, born near Lexington on co-founder Pat Madden’s family farm, which went on to win the 1951 Epsom Derby at odds of 33-1. The victory also changed the fortunes of one Liverpool woman, Mona Best, who backed the outsider and used her winnings to open the Casbah Coffee Club – where The Beatles played some of their earliest gigs.

The brand now returns to the city where the story began with a two-storey micro-distillery that combines an English-inspired pub with an immersive visitor experience, taking guests through the brand’s against-the-odds story.

On the ground floor, the English-inspired pub embraces Never Say Die’s “Kentucky provenance, English character” identity, serving British pub classics alongside American favourites, a curated selection of British and European drinks, and a celebration of Kentucky Bourbon. Regular live music will pay tribute to the Liverpool venue where The Beatles began their journey.

Upstairs, guests are immersed in the Never Say Die story before moving through to the tasting room. The experience begins in a 1950s-style British library, where the story unfolds – from the racehorse’s improbable beginnings to the founding of the brand. Guests then enter a tasting room finished in the limestone and oak that define great Bourbon, complete with a tasting table shaped like a racetrack, where they can sample the core Never Say Die range.

The journey concludes in a barrel room styled on a traditional Kentucky rickhouse, where guests can experience – and bottle their own – Never Say Die’s forthcoming “Double Ocean” aged Bourbon, which crosses the Atlantic twice in its original barrels, returning to Kentucky after a year of maturation in England. The expression will be exclusive to the brand home and available nowhere else in the world. The brand home will also initially be the only place in the US where visitors can purchase Never Say Die’s Barrel Strength Bourbon – the expression that started it all and, until now, has been available exclusively in the UK.

Commenting on the news, Brian Luftman, Co-Founder of Never Say Die, said: “The story of our namesake racehorse and the Bourbon that followed is an unbelievable one, so we’re delighted to be opening our very own brand home, giving 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 our transatlantic 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.”

Brian, continued: “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 Never Say Die, we were amazed by the profound effect the ocean crossing had on the flavour of the whiskey, so we’re excited to reveal how two transatlantic journeys influence its character.”

The Never Say Die brand home, located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, is scheduled to open in the autumn.