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Bourbon

James E. Pepper Whiskey (Rye, Bourbon)

OVERALL
RATING

Whiskey Review: James E. Pepper Whiskey (Rye, Bourbon)

Tasting Notes:

About:
Appearance:
Nose:
Brandy, peaches, grass, lemon, caramel topping, and a slight smell of a freshly unwrapped Band-Aid Palate: Bright and hot heat, black pepper, cinnamon, caramel. It finishes hot and tingly: Although subsequent sips mellowed some, this is definitely fiery. My co-taster found it spicier than I did: I more tasted heat than anything else, like food made spicy just to be spicy. Final Thoughts: This is 114.6 proof, and tastes like it. It’s a bit firewater-ish (not to be confused with Fireball, please!). It cried out to float atop a drink and be set afire. It’s about $30, so not a bad deal, though I think there are better rye options. This is “aged over two years,” but that seems like a stretch. I’d call this a high-proof sipping rye, especially if you want to swallow a sword and breathe fire later. That’s not your thing? Then try it with an ice cube. Score: 80/100 James E. Pepper Straight Rye Whiskey Old Style Color: Also very light; this is another claim to be aged “over two years,” but it looks like it’s barely made the cut. It’s the color of a yellowed clipping from a years-ago newspaper. Nose: Honeysuckle, new pencil erasers, spruce, pine needles fallen on the forest floor Brown sugar, fresh caramel, roasted nuts from a NYC street vendor
Palate:
Bright and hot heat, black pepper, cinnamon, caramel. It finishes hot and tingly: Although subsequent sips mellowed some, this is definitely fiery. My co-taster found it spicier than I did: I more tasted heat than anything else, like food made spicy just to be spicy. Final Thoughts: This is 114.6 proof, and tastes like it. It’s a bit firewater-ish (not to be confused with Fireball, please!). It cried out to float atop a drink and be set afire. It’s about $30, so not a bad deal, though I think there are better rye options. This is “aged over two years,” but that seems like a stretch. I’d call this a high-proof sipping rye, especially if you want to swallow a sword and breathe fire later. That’s not your thing? Then try it with an ice cube. Score: 80/100 James E. Pepper Straight Rye Whiskey Old Style Color: Also very light; this is another claim to be aged “over two years,” but it looks like it’s barely made the cut. It’s the color of a yellowed clipping from a years-ago newspaper. Nose: Honeysuckle, new pencil erasers, spruce, pine needles fallen on the forest floor Palate: This is as smooth as the Barrel Proof is fiery—that is to say, very. This is as smooth as that guy at the bar whose lines you swear are genuine. There is nothing abrasive about this at all. It’s not even strongly flavored, but I like that. After that smooth start, it finishes buttery with a slight sweetness, like pound cake. Final Thoughts: Though this is priced similarly to their Barrel Aged Rye, it’s a very different experience. I much preferred this. The San Francisco World Spirits 2013 agrees: It won a Gold Medal. It’s something to drink on a porch on a hot summer day, no problem. But remember: At 100 proof, that might be a little dangerous—like anything that goes down easy. Score: 91/100 James E Pepper Straight Bourbon Old Style Color: Deeper than the two preceding ryes: This is a luminous gold in the glass. Nose: Brown sugar, fresh caramel, roasted nuts from a NYC street vendor Palate: Hot butter followed by cardamom and white pepper. It’s sweet, almost too sweet especially after tasting the ryes, but it does have some heat on the finish. It’s 100 proof, but I don’t taste strong alcohol. I really wanted to like this, and it won a Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits 2013, but their old style straight whiskey blew me away in comparison. Final Thoughts: This is…fine. Good, even. If I were to taste it without the previous two, I might have been more ready for its sweet ‘n spicy juxtaposition, but I wanted more depth. Considering how delightful I found their 15-year whiskey, maybe I’m just a little spoiled. That said, it’s a lot cheaper than the 15-year—about $30-something a bottle compared with $100. But some things might be worth their weight (in gold). Score: 85/100
Finish:
Comments:

James E. Pepper whiskeyEditor’s Note: These whiskies was provided to us as free samples to review by the party behind them. The Whiskey Wash, while appreciative of this, did keep full independent editorial control over this article.

My first experience with James E. Pepper whiskey was their James E. Pepper 1776 Straight Bourbon Whiskey 15 Years Old. I was told, “It’s like a poor man’s Pappy.”

I don’t have the man part down, and my experience with Pappy has been infrequent and tiny, so I didn’t have much to compare it by. And it’s about $100 a bottle, so it’s an investment of sorts. But I enjoyed it immensely, finding it extremely smooth with a hint of browned butter salted caramel. So I was very excited when given three bottles of James E. Pepper for a vertical tasting:

  • James E. Pepper 1776 Rye Barrel Proof
  • James E. Pepper Straight Rye Whiskey Old Style
  • James E. Pepper Straight Bourbon Old Style

The Pepper family brand of whiskey is a Kentucky and American whiskey brand produced from the American Revolution through 1958. It was relaunched by the Georgetown Trading Co. in 2008: James E. Pepper whiskeys are now produced by MGP. As we reported back in May, Georgetown will be renovating and rebuilding the historic James E. Pepper Distillery. The plan is to bring a portion of whiskey production back to the facility, creating a distillery, museum, and tourist destination in the original complex. Expected opening is in mid-2017.

So how do a selection of their ryes and bourbons stack up—and against each other?

Tasting Notes: 

James E. Pepper 1776 Rye Barrel Proof

Color: Light, yellowed tan, like a rawhide leather

Nose: Brandy, peaches, grass, lemon, caramel topping, and a slight smell of a freshly unwrapped Band-Aid

Palate: Bright and hot heat, black pepper, cinnamon, caramel. It finishes hot and tingly: Although subsequent sips mellowed some, this is definitely fiery. My co-taster found it spicier than I did: I more tasted heat than anything else, like food made spicy just to be spicy.

Final Thoughts: This is 114.6 proof, and tastes like it. It’s a bit firewater-ish (not to be confused with Fireball, please!). It cried out to float atop a drink and be set afire. It’s about $30, so not a bad deal, though I think there are better rye options. This is “aged over two years,” but that seems like a stretch. I’d call this a high-proof sipping rye, especially if you want to swallow a sword and breathe fire later. That’s not your thing? Then try it with an ice cube.

Score: 80/100

James E. Pepper Straight Rye Whiskey Old Style

Color: Also very light; this is another claim to be aged “over two years,” but it looks like it’s barely made the cut. It’s the color of a yellowed clipping from a years-ago newspaper.

Nose: Honeysuckle, new pencil erasers, spruce, pine needles fallen on the forest floor

Palate: This is as smooth as the Barrel Proof is fiery—that is to say, very. This is as smooth as that guy at the bar whose lines you swear are genuine. There is nothing abrasive about this at all. It’s not even strongly flavored, but I like that. After that smooth start, it finishes buttery with a slight sweetness, like pound cake.

Final Thoughts: Though this is priced similarly to their Barrel Aged Rye, it’s a very different experience. I much preferred this. The San Francisco World Spirits 2013 agrees: It won a Gold Medal. It’s something to drink on a porch on a hot summer day, no problem. But remember: At 100 proof, that might be a little dangerous—like anything that goes down easy.

Score: 91/100

James E Pepper Straight Bourbon Old Style

Color: Deeper than the two preceding ryes: This is a luminous gold in the glass.

Nose: Brown sugar, fresh caramel, roasted nuts from a NYC street vendor

Palate: Hot butter followed by cardamom and white pepper. It’s sweet, almost too sweet especially after tasting the ryes, but it does have some heat on the finish. It’s 100 proof, but I don’t taste strong alcohol. I really wanted to like this, and it won a Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits 2013, but their old style straight whiskey blew me away in comparison.

Final Thoughts: This is…fine. Good, even. If I were to taste it without the previous two, I might have been more ready for its sweet ‘n spicy juxtaposition, but I wanted more depth. Considering how delightful I found their 15-year whiskey, maybe I’m just a little spoiled. That said, it’s a lot cheaper than the 15-year—about $30-something a bottle compared with $100. But some things might be worth their weight (in gold).

Score: 85/100

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