Back in April of 2024, Steve Akley, the owner of the ABV Bottle Shop, asked me and Rosemary to be part of a group of people that included Maggie Kimberl and Royce and Rebecca Neeley, to select some barrels of whiskey at the James E. Pepper Distillery in Lexington, Kentucky. The bottles were finally delivered and Steve sent me a bottle of each. They are single barrel Bourbon and Rye whiskeys. Matt and I sat down and tasted them the other day and here are our tasting notes.
Old Pepper Single Barrel Bourbon
Proof: 108.4
Age: Four Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Caramel, apples, pears, allspice and oak wood.
- Matt: Vanilla, raspberry, orange zest, cardamom, and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Caramel, apples, pears, raspberries, cardamom, allspice and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and black pepper comes out strong. Tasted with a pecan and caramel and chocolate are forward with black pepper and oak wood.
- Matt: Vanilla, raspberries, orange zest, rosewater and oak wood. The dried cranberry brought out caramel. The pecan brought out chocolate and a nut flavor that was hard to determine – maybe hazelnuts or peanuts.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak wood, caramel, spice and lingering apple. The dried cranberry made the finish long and spicy with oak and black pepper. The pecan made the finish long with oak, wood, chocolate, pepper and lingering apple.
- Matt: Medium long with oak wood and a floral pepper. The dried cranberry made the finish longer. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood, pepper and that nuttiness.
Old Pepper Single Barrel 100% Rye Whiskey
Proof: 114.2
Age: Four Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Rye grass, vanilla, mint and oak wood.
- Matt: Rye grass, caramel, brown sugar and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Rye grass, vanilla, apples, cinnamon and oak wood. The dried cranberry enhanced the rye grass and brought out black pepper. The pecan enhanced the oak and spice at the cost of the fruit.
- Matt: Rye grass, caramel, brown sugar, and oak wood. The dried cranberry enhanced the sweetness of the brown sugar and caramel. The pecan added a nice toasted nuttiness to the flavor.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak and cinnamon. The dried cranberry made the finish long with oak wood and black pepper. The pecan made the finish very long and dry with oak wood and spice.
- Matt: Medium long with rye grass and oak wood. The dried cranberry added some red pepper spice. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood and toasted nuts.
I would pair these whiskeys with a Fuente Short Story cigar. I think the rich tobacco and vanilla in the smoke would pair well with the vanilla and caramel in the whiskeys.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller