In 2014, the Peerless brand was reborn as Corky and Carson Taylor refurbished a building in downtown Louisville and obtained the original Kentucky Distilled Spirits Plant Number (DSP-KY-50) from the original Peerless Distillery in the 1800’s. In March of 2015 they barreled their first rye. The bottle being tasted was selected by Corky Taylor and Mitch Pats. It’s labeled number 150910103 and its. barrel was given the name “Project Black Friday.” It was September 11, 2015 and bottled on September 11, 2018, making this rye exactly 3 years old to the day.

Strong ethanol on the nose announces the 108.4 proof for this single barrel. Behind the ethanol are summer fruits, rye grain, and hints of banana chips and brown butter. The palate brings forth a wild ride. It’s both full of juicy summer fruit flavors yet with a defined rye spice, while still being very clear that it’s also a youthful whiskey and one that has a thinner mouthfeel. The sip ends by being dominated by an in-your-face fiery finish which consists of black pepper, rye grain, oak, and hints of leather.

This is still a youthful rye, and one that carries an inflated MSRP. This 3 year is developing nicely and is trending in a positive direction compared to the initial 2 year offering Peerless put out. This positive trend does make me excited to see what Peerless puts out once this rye has spent a few more years in the barrel. The extra time should also help finally justify the asking price that Peerless feels it should command. In the meantime however, this single barrel does make it clear that Corky and company have a knack for picking out unique tasting barrels that showcase the Peerless brand.

‍The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Cask Cartel. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.‍