Lexington’s latest stop on Kentucky Bourbon Trail plays up alchemy of distilling

Bourbon is often thought of as a Kentucky-centric spirit, but one local whiskey maker is looking outward — and it’s led to some of the most unique concoctions in the business and a now an official stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

On April 20, 2023, Macaulay Minton and David Peet founded Dark Arts, a whiskey blending, finishing and rebarreling house that combines different spirits into a unique blend before barreling them in casks made of rare woods that transform each into something that tastes different with each passing pour. In the short time since, the company has quickly grown to have worldwide reach and recognition with a catalog of 100 blends led by four staples — Toasted Mizunara Bourbon, French Oak Stave Finished Bourbon, Barely Legal Bourbon and Amburana Oak Stave Finished Rye.

According to Minton — who’s also an avid traveler and yogi — part of his mission is to expand the perception of what bourbon and whiskey are and can become.

“I’ve always thought that you have to think globally and act locally,” he says. “I just try to bring all these things together like a big fruit salad to show how different cultures interact with whiskey because while Kentucky is the epicenter, the rest of the world has so much to offer too. Not everything has to be compartmentalized because in reality it ties all humanity together. We strive to show and elevate those connections to deliver a new experience to our consumers each and every time.”

Dark Arts’ Alchemical Influence & Tasting Experiences

Minton’s unconventional approach to whiskey is also heavily inspired by ancient alchemy teachings. That influence in the blending process also manifests on the bottles themselves, which showcase the seven phases of alchemy — crop growth, fermentation, distillation, maturation, finishing, blending and bottling — along with the Latin phrase “Obice consuetudines et libera animum tuum” that translates to “Defy Convention, Unleash your Spirit.” If what’s inside them is any indication, Minton and company have done just that.

Other favorite blends range from Blunt Blend — the first ever whiskey created for pairing with cannabis consumption — and Grateful Dead homages like “Ripple Rye,” “Sherry Garcia” and the soon-to-be-released “A Long, Strange Drip” that will honor the band’s founding member, Bob Weir, who died on Jan. 10.

“It’s a whiskey that is unlike any other because it uses sweet and sour mashes in its foundation, each with two different fermentation styles,” explains Minton. “After mixing the two with some honey I tracked down from different pollinators around the world that tastes like French vanilla and caramel, I placed it back into casks and am now waiting for it to transform into liquid gold.”

Aside from its growing list of whiskey blends, Dark Arts also features a robust cocktail menu with drinks including the Minton Manhattan and the Rye Tai — a spin-off of the classic Mai Tai that uses Amburana Oak Stave Finished Small Batch Rye instead of rum. More experiences like alchemical journeys with half-ounce tastings of the House’s four staple blends, Thief From The Barrel experiences where consumers can pick four half-ounce pours from a collection of 15 barrels, take-home bottling experiences and the occasional spirit pairing with foods like caviar and chocolates are also available.

This bevy of options for experiencing Dark Arts has left Minton finding a new title for all of his 15 employees, and it ties directly back to his own foundational ethos.

“A lot of people in the industry call distillery employees brand ambassadors, but we call our staff spirit guides because they’re here to guide you through the spirit of whiskey, whether it’s an alchemical or thief journey or just bottling something to take home.”

Dark Arts’ Origins

Despite being an influential force in the industry now, Minton says he initially envisioned a career as a lawyer before pivoting to brewing and later distilling after enrolling at University of Kentucky’s James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits. It was there where he became enamored with Seth DeBolt’s Distillation, Wine and Brewing Undergraduate Certificate program and began working with Wilderness Trail Distillery and Ferm Solutions — a leading yeast research and technological provider in the fuel and beverage alcohol industries — in Danville.

“I thought to myself ‘if I can work for these yeast guys, I can get a job anywhere in the world,’” Minton recalls. “I was eyeing a move to California, Asheville, Denver or another beer mecca, but it turns out the universe really wanted me to stay here and distill.”

When Dark Arts launched in 2023, the brand initially operated out of rented warehouse space and used contract bottlers until space freed up on the ground floor of the historic James E. Pepper Distillery building in June 2025. Minton feels it’s a full circle moment getting to now call one of the state’s most revered places for bourbon home.

“Being located inside one of the James Pepper Distillery rickhouses and having this historical precedent to create the new future of whiskey made moving here a magical opportunity we couldn’t pass up,” exclaims Minton.

Dark Arts Whiskey House & Alchemy Lab

Where: 1170 Manchester St #190

Hours: DarkArtsWhiskey.com

Online: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday-Tuesday