Tasting Notes – Kentucky Peerless Bourbon

This post sponsored by the Glencairn Whisky Glass

Kentucky Peerless Distillery has finally released a Bourbon. Corky Taylor and his son Carson entered the distilling business a little over four years ago. Corky wanted to bring back the family label. His grandfather, Henry Kraver, owned the Peerless Distillery in Henderson, Kentucky in the 19th century. The distillery closed with Prohibition and Corky wanted to bring that heritage back to the family. He told me he wanted to make the best whiskey he possibly could, and I think he has achieved that goal. He was willing to release their rye at two years of age, but not the Bourbon. He wanted the Bourbon to be a proper four years of age before it went to market. I have tasted it along the years while it was aging and I will say that they could have done a two-year-old Bourbon that tasted fine, but I am glad that they waited. This is an excellent tasting whiskey.

Peerless is proud of their sweet mash production and their 107 barrel entry proof. They have made a conscious decision to make their product available to the public as it comes out of the barrel. The result is a barrel proof whiskey with the minimum filtration needed to remove barrel char. It is as close to drinking out of the barrel as possible.

Peerless Bourbon

Proof: 109.1

Age: 4 years old

Nose: Vanilla and oak with some berries and baking spice notes.

Taste: Vanilla, baking spices and fruit – raspberries and cherries, with a bit of oak. When tasted with a dried cranberry there is less fruit and a French vanilla taste with oak and a little leather. When tasted with a pecan there is a creamy mouth-feel with that rich vanilla and a hint of citrus.

Finish: Very long and dry with oak and baking spices. The cranberry enhanced the spice notes while the pecan added that citrus note to the finish.I have picked a NUB 460 Maduro cigar to pair with this Bourbon. I like the rich tobacco with a hint of vanilla and chocolate in the smoke of this cigar and I thought it would pair well with the Bourbon. The Bourbon enhanced the sweet vanilla making it more caramel and milk chocolate in flavor. The smoke brought out the fruit notes in the Bourbon with lots of raspberry and tart cherry flavors. An excellent pairing.