Kentucky Peerless Announces Their First New Bourbon in 102 Years

Kentucky Peerless Distilling Company has announced a new bourbon that will be available to the public on June 22. This new bourbon is the first new bourbon made under the Peerless name in 102 years and is the first Peerless Bourbon available without a prescription since Prohibition.

For those unfamiliar (myself included), Kentucky Peerless was started in 1889 by Henry Kraver after he purchased the Worsham Distillery. The brand survived into prohibition, where they produced medicinal bourbon. In 2015, the brand was brought back by Kraver's fourth and fifth generations, Corky and Carson Taylor.

This new bourbon is aged four years and comes in 107 proof (53.5 alcohol) using non-chilled filtration, a proprietary mash bill, and is labeled as barrel strength. MSRP is $69.99 for a 750ml bottle. The initial release of this will be available in Kentucky, followed by California, Illinois, New York, Texas, Florida, Washington D.C.. I reached out to Kentucky Peerless and there are plans to bring this to Ohio in 2020.

The tasting notes on the new bourbon are:

Nose: Bright florals, citrus fruits, cedar, toasted brown sugar, herbs, and spicy oak
Taste: An oak infused caramel note that is quickly cut with citrus. Cinnamon, mocha, herbs, and honeysuckle all come into focus shortly after. The second sip remains sweet early, but becomes much earthier in the aftermath. Brûléed sugar, sweet smoke, sweet oak, and hints of tobacco all form this earthy wave.
Finish: A brief return of orange zest before fresh florals, sweet oak, and a residual dark cocoa


Our Take

It's such an amazing time with new bourbons coming out what seems like every week. Kentucky Peerless is particularly exciting because it is the flagship bourbon for Kentucky Peerless and their first bourbon since reviving the brand. This is also something to be excited for because Kentucky Peerless has plans to release this in Ohio so we'll hopefully be able to get our hands on it. Be sure to check back as this is one of the new brands that I'll be keeping an eye out and looking forward to seeing on the shelves.



Source: Kentucky Peerless Distilling Company