Peerless Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Rating: 16/23 N: Kind of dry smoky wood with some grain. A dash of coffee and minerals too. Something a bit herbal with a dash of mint starts coming out too. The nose isn't terribly strong, but it doesn't come across as weak either. I get just a hint of some fruit in the bright cherry to apricot range. Mostly, it's that grainy wood, which leads me to think that this was rapidly aged (though I'm biased here since I already know it's young), but it isn't over-oaked and it's just musty enough to make me think that it might have a full 10 years of age (or at least some 10 year old spirit) if I didn't know better. It's a bit like Russell's Reserve 10 and is comparable in fullness. P: This sure makes a statement! It's woody with sawdust and must. There's a tiny tad of chocolate, but also some grain and a bit of tartness. It's fairly smoky, but far from overwhleming. The balance, strength, and complexity here are all quite good. This has less teabag flavor and sweetness, but more smoke and starkly-defined flavors than Kings County Bourbon does. This isn't weak, but it isn't as full as the Kings County. There's a bit more alcohol coming out here too, though it isn't excessive, and I'm also getting a bit of funk that reminds me a little of Wild Turkey. This is less sweet and rich than Wild Turkey 101 is, but I feel like the fullness is pretty similar, which is quite respectable. There's this kind of dryness and bit of smoke that reminds me more of Russell's Reserve 10. This, however, is smokier, richer, and bolder in a way that reminds me a bit of my bottle of Garrison Brothers Single Barrel (cask strength). The Garrison Brothers is definitely sweeter and richer though with more chocolate and sweet whole wheat bread. This is very smoky. It's a different take on bourbon and I like it. There's some serious clove (though not teabag) and licorice going on here too. It's actually fairly spicy. F: A bit of dried bing cherry comes out on the finish, strangely enough. It's still rich, but less forceful, and it gets sweeter. - Conclusion - I fully expected this to be young and fairly unappealing. Not so. I'd wondered what all of the fuss about Peerless was and I guess now I know. I can't say that I like this as well as Wild Turkey Rare Breed or Russell's Reserve Single Barrel, but it's better than Kings County and competes pretty well with Russell's Reserve 10. I'm not sure what to think about this versus Garrison Brothers. I guess it's fairly comparable in quality. I was in the 15 to 18 range on this, but now I'm in the 16 to 17 and leaning toward 16. This is a nice bourbon with a very unique character. I think I'm going to end up on a 16 here, but I can imagine going up to a 17 in the future. Thank you @pkingmartin for the sample.

Neat. Neck pour. DEPs store pick. I like the Peerless Small Batch but wasn’t blown away. I recall peanuts and preserves which made me think of a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. It was great for a 4 year product but lagged behind New Riff and Wilderness Trail in my opinion. I wasn’t planning to buy a single barrel but the color of this bourbon dragged me in. This store pick is DARK. Side by side with the Small Batch it’s impossible to fathom that these are both 4 years. It looks 10-12 years old. Let’s see if I will regret the impulse buy... Hmmm. Uh oh. Initial impression of the nose wasn’t strong. Wet wood after a rain storm. I’m digging. Okay I found some sweetness finally but that was concerning. Floral with a hint of peanut. Starting to get some fruit. Nice strawberry. Mostly floral though. Hmmm. Nice creamy mouth feel and the flavor on the tongue is straight strawberry jam. That is pretty cool. Never had that before. Okay, the taste is better than the nose let on. The oak is intense on this. This is jumping all over, need to take a step back. Okay, the strawberry jam transitions into a peanut butter cup. Creamy peanut butter surrounded by chocolate. Then oak on the finish. Oh, there is a rye kick on this finish too. Comes with some vanilla and mint. This is a flavor bomb. Did not see that coming. I poured a glass of the Small Batch to compare. No comparison. Small batch is flat and simple compared to this single barrel. So much flavor. I didn’t see that coming. The nose doesn’t hint at any of the waves of flavor of the taste. It’s intense and delicious. And the oak on the finish. It truly makes no sense for being 4 years. Oh and at 4 year ZERO young note. This is going to be fun to throw into blind flights. It’s going to throw people off in the best way. Solid impulse buy!

Nose - peanut toffee, nutella, vanilla, milk chocolate, cherry, apple, orange blossom, cinnamon, nutmeg, sweet oak, marshmallow, graham cracker, leather, mint, black pepper, dry floral notes, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - caramel, vanilla, cherry, peanut butter, graham cracker, toasted marshmallow, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, leather, orange zest, black pepper, sour apple, rich oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with caramel, baking spice, and sour apple flavors. Holy peanuts! Is this a Beam product? If I didn’t know better, I might have mistaken this for some double oaked JB release. The nose is all sorts of nuts. Peanut butter, nutella, toffee, peanut brittle. Some more traditional bourbon aromas appear as well. Leather, baking spices, and sweet fruit, with a decent oak backbone. The palate delivers much of the same, but a bit of unwelcome sourness encroaches, a mix between orange peel and sour apple. The finish is above average, with a mouthfeel falling somewhere between thick and thin. Overall, this is really good bourbon, but the flaws I mentioned above hold it back from greatness. Unfortunately, Peerless charges a premium for all their products, and $80 is steep for a four year old whiskey that’s not magical. At least with Booker’s at around the same price, you get something that’s a minimum of six years old. Many thanks to @pkingmartin for the sample. I’d like to try more Peerless offerings, but will do so via samples or restaurant pours, instead of purchasing a bottle anytime soon.

This is a Justin’s House of Bourbon single barrel pick that comes in at 112.8 proof, a barrel date of August 26th, 2016 and the label says that the barrel had a name of “The Birthday Barrel”. So, let’s see what this birthday barrel has to offer. The nose starts sweet with rich caramel, peanut brittle, cloves, dark chocolate, following into some fruits of orange, cherry, then finishing off with some of those barrel spices of polished oak and leather. The taste is very much the same as the nose with a very rich caramel blanket mouthfeel, peanut brittle, cloves, dark chocolate, leading back to those fruits of orange, cherry then barrel spices of polished oak and leather with a moderate alcohol bite from that high proof before finishing with a long caramel hug with peanut brittle, cloves, cherry, orange, polished oak and leather mix and linger for minutes after the sip is over. Overall “The Birthday Barrel” is a great pick and as the bottle is less than a quarter filled now, a great one to drink during a snow day.

Oak trail spirits pick Nose: just a nice warm hug of ethanol and rich vanilla , maybe a hint of cherry in there. You can tell it's gonna be a bit hot, but all good smells Taste: consistent with the smell. Get a bit of cinnamon with the burn, hints of oak. Then on the finish some chocolate and a definite tobacco note that lingers in a good way. With a cube: more or less the same, just a little less bite Overall: super pleasant, not too complicated but a solid pour. Would rate 3.9/5

“Candied Pear” Aroma - melted brown butter with cinnamon, notes of molasses, chocolate, vanilla ice cream. Taste - honey, up from and it hits again on the finish. Mid palate is a mixture of caramel drizzle, cinnamon, pecan pie, and caramelized pears. The caramelized-pears are very evident with each sip to me and it is awesome,. Overall - this is quite exceptional. Crazy nose, crazy palate. Medium-long finish. Heat is awesome and well balanced into the sweet profile.