Kentucky Peerless Distilling Goes Beyond Its State With Flagship Bourbon

The steady rise of younger whiskey distilleries in Kentucky, be it starting new labels or resurrecting old ones, has seen one thing start to become a constant – the desire to follow in the steps of the big bourbon makers in getting product on shelves outside of the state. We saw this earlier this year with Kentucky Owl, and now Kentucky Peerless Distilling is doing the same thing with its first bourbon in 102 years.

The expansion of Kentucky Peerless Distilling into nationwide distribution with its bourbon comes upon the heels of the launch of it first in Kentucky earlier this year. The original release of it there back in June is said to have sold out on its first day, followed by a similar happening when it was re-released again in August. This taking of this bourbon in front a larger audience is thus the next logical step, with plans ultimately calling for it to be available in over 45 states by next year.

“There’s a saying around Peerless, ‘patience builds character,'” said Cordell Lawrence, Director of Global Marketing & Strategy for Peerless, in a prepared statement. “Peerless is a legacy reborn and our mission is to produce bourbon worthy of the historic name. We are American-made down to our very bottle, never source and embrace the artisanal history of bourbon using cutting edge technology.”

The four year old whiskey is initially coming to New York, Florida, Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia and Kentucky in limited quantities, pricing around $70 per 750 ml bottle. For those unfamiliar with it and the brand, Corky Taylor, 4th generation and CEO, began “breathing life back into his great-grandfather’s legacy that originally started in 1889. After beginning barreling in March of 2015, the Taylor family” has been at it with both rye and bourbon, one barrel at a time.

Practices at Kentucky Peerless include the exclusive use of sweet mash instead of sour, non-chilled filtration, barreling product at 107 proof and bottling it as a barrel strength whiskey. The official tasting profile result, at least for the bourbon, is set to be “rooted in fruits, florals and oaks. The nose features citrus, cedar and honeysuckle as well as a nice balance of spicy oak. Notes of caramel and toasted oak are welcome on the palate while the finish showcases both sweet and spicy notes as citrus and florals duel against dry cocoa and spicy oak.”