This one was a real surprise.

First off, I hadn’t read the bottle and now idea what proof it was – and it was high. Secondly, I had heard a lot about the Peerless Rye, but thought that the bourbon had to be good too, right? And it was $30+ cheaper. So, since I’m all about the bourbon, I thought I’d start there. I wasn’t disappointed.

To the nose it was sweet, almost reminding me of Buffalo Trace, which is a sweet bourbon to me. I caught hints of cinnamon and vanilla, some honey, with very little oak. Maybe a little pepper.

On the palette (neat) I was really satisfied. The cinnamon was still prevalent, bit I also detected apple, which could be why the nose was sweet to me. After letting it sit for awhile and coming back to it, I caught the taste of salted caramel and the pepper was back too.

The finish was long, providing me with a long sense of the otherwise missed oak, pepper, and even worn leather.

For only a 4-year age, I was pleasantly surprised at this bourbon. Whether neat or on ice, it was a real pleasure to try this fantastic pour.

Here’s my Facebook Live video as I opened it and tried it for the first time.

https://youtu.be/pMSsqc2i30M