Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. and Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. : Increase First Quarter 2018 Unitholder Distribution 1.0% at ARLP and 0.7% at AHGP

Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP) and Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today announced that the Boards of Directors of ARLP’s general partner and AHGP’s general partner approved an increased cash distribution to their respective unitholders for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 (the "2018 Quarter").

ARLP unitholders will receive a cash distribution for the 2018 Quarter of $0.515 per unit (an annualized rate of $2.06 per unit), payable on May 15, 2018 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on May 8, 2018. The announced distribution represents a 17.7% increase over the cash distribution declared of $0.4375 for the quarter ended March 31, 2017 (the "2017 Quarter") and a 1.0% increase over the cash distribution declared of $0.51 for the quarter ended December 31, 2017 (the "Sequential Quarter").

AHGP unitholders will receive a cash distribution for the 2018 Quarter of $0.7475 per unit (an annualized rate of $2.99 per unit), payable on May 18, 2018 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on May 11, 2018. The announced distribution represents a 35.9% increase over the cash distribution declared of $0.55 for the 2017 Quarter and a 0.7% increase over the cash distribution declared of $0.7425 for the Sequential Quarter.

As previously announced, ARLP and AHGP will report financial results for the 2018 Quarter before the market opens on Monday, April 30, 2018 and Alliance management will discuss these results during a conference call beginning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern that same day.

To participate in the conference call, dial [phone] and request to be connected to the Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. and Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. earnings conference call. Canadian callers should dial [phone] and all other International callers should dial [phone] and request to be connected to the same call. Investors may also listen to the call via the “investor information” section of ARLP’s website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP’s website at http://www.ahgp.com.

An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial US Toll Free [phone]; International Toll [phone]; Canada Toll Free [phone] and request to be connected to replay access code 10118635.

This announcement is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b), with 100% of the partnership’s distributions to foreign investors attributable to gross income, gain or loss that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, ARLP’s distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable tax rate.

About Alliance Resource Partners, L.P.

ARLP is a diversified producer and marketer of coal to major United States utilities and industrial users. ARLP, the nation’s first publicly traded master limited partnership involved in the production and marketing of coal, is currently the second largest coal producer in the eastern United States with mining operations in the Illinois Basin and Appalachian coal producing regions.

ARLP currently operates eight mining complexes in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland and West Virginia as well as a coal loading terminal on the Ohio River at Mount Vernon, Indiana. ARLP also generates income from a variety of other sources, including investments in oil and gas mineral interests and gas compression services.

News, unit prices and additional information about ARLP, including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.arlp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. at [phone] or via e-mail at [e-mail].

About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P.

AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control ARLP's general partner through which it holds a non-economic general partner interest in ARLP and an approximate one percent general partner interest in ARLP's operating subsidiary, Alliance Resource Operating Partners, L.P. In addition, AHGP owns 87,188,338 common units of ARLP.

News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. at [phone] or via e-mail at [e-mail].

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