🥃 Pensive Distilling Co. + Kitchen

Named after the 1944 Kentucky Derby winner, Pensive Distilling brings award-winning American cuisine and house-distilled spirits to a historic Newport building that once housed a Prohibition-era speakeasy. Head Chef Brian Miller's Derby-themed menu features racehorse-named dishes including the over-the-top American Pharoah burger (CityBeat's Top 5 Most Over-the-Top Burger 2022) and the Strike the Gold, paired with bourbon, vodka, gin, and Apple Pie Moonshine all distilled on-site, while distillery tours with password-access speakeasy tastings dive into Newport's bootlegging history and earned Top 3 Overall Tasting Experience on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.