Company: Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co.
Distillery: Peerless Distillery
Region: Louisville, Kentucky
Aging: 4 Years and finished in Copper & Kings Absinthe Barrels
ABV: 56.8%
Proof: 113.6
Mash Bill: Undisclosed
Non-Chill Filtered: Yes
MSRP Price: $135
Appearance: Dark Amber
Peerless Rye – Absinthe Barrel Finish Tasting Notes
Nose: Absinthe! Lots of Absinthe! Surprisingly, a lot of other notes come through as well. Caramel and vanilla sweetness really round out the bold black licorice flavors creating an extremely nice nose.
It reminds me of the homemade Pizzelle Cookies one of my friend’s mother used to make.
If you’re a fan of Absinthe, Sambuca, and Mike and Ike candies you’ll really appreciate this pour.
Palate: Lots of absinthe flavors on the palate, but instead of it being extremely overwhelming like taking a shot of absinthe, it’s mellowed out a bit by the caramel and vanilla sweetness of the rye whiskey paired with the nice spice and herbal notes of the absinthe barrels.
The absinthe flavor does overpower any rye spice I would normally find in a Peerless Rye, but I do still get the black pepper.
Finish: Nice oily and buttery mouthfeel that leaves you with a big and bold blast of absinthe and black licorice. As the flavors sit on your palate for 10-20 seconds, you’ll start to notice the caramel, oak, and black pepper that close out the sip.
Is Peerless Rye Absinthe Barrel an Approachable Whiskey?
Peerless Rye with an Absinthe finish is a big, bold smack in the taste buds.
If you’ve ever tasted Absinthe before, you’ll know just how powerful the flavor can be.
This bottle is no different.
If you’d ask my friends, they all know I’m a big fan of Sambuca and love the flavor of an absinthe rinse in my cocktails, so this bottle is right up my alley.
But for many, this whiskey will come as quite a shock. A beautiful shock I hope, but a shock nonetheless.
Basically, this isn’t a whiskey for beginners.
As a matter of fact, the reason I bought this bottle was that it was included in my tasting while I visited the Peerless Distillery in Kentucky.
I went on a Kentucky Bourbon Trail trip with my dad for my birthday and since I’m a huge fan of Peerless Rye whiskey, I wanted to make sure to visit their distillery in person.
We got to meet the owner and spent some time discussing football in the 70s and how he was roommates with the Allman Brothers and during our tasting, they gave us a chance to sample a “bonus pour”.
I chose this absinthe finish and was quite shocked by how powerful its flavors were.
My dad and I were talking about it and he decided to buy me this bottle as a gift because it was such a unique whiskey and would certainly be an excellent talking point anytime I have friends over and am looking for a unique pour to share.
Is Peerless Rye Absinthe Barrel Complex?
At first glance, you wouldn’t think Peerless Rye finished in Absinthe would be all that complex.
But after talking with the team at Peerless, they explained to us how they started with aging the whiskey for 30 days in Absinthe barrels from Copper & Kings.
They said that was way too powerful so they continued testing until they landed on this bottle which was aged for only 10 days in Absinthe barrels.
And let me tell you! The amount of flavor from just 10 days in that barrel is amazing.
What are Peerless Rye Absinthe Barrel’s strongest attributes/flavors?
The strongest attribute of this bottle of Peerless Rye aged in Absinthe Barrels is that I will probably never find another whiskey that tasted like this in my entire life.
It’s such a unique experience and I’m so glad to have bought a bottle so I can share it with my friends. I can’t wait to see their reactions to it.
Is Peerless Rye Absinthe Barrel a go-to whiskey?
Peerless Rye Absinthe Barrel is a whiskey you’re either going to love or hate.
If you’re a fan of Sambuca, you’ll probably really enjoy this one.
With that being said, this is definitely a whiskey reserved for special occasions.
Is Peerless Rye Absinthe Barrel priced accurately to its quality?
While this bottle is a little expensive, it’s such a unique experience that I would say that it is worth the price tag.
I’ve always been a fan of the black licorice and anise flavor of Sambuca and Absinthe, so the price is warranted for me.
Also, my dad bought me the bottle so it is 100% worth what I paid for it!
Conclusion for Peerless Rye Absinthe Barrel
Each time I take a smell or sip of Peerless Rye finished in Absinthe Barrels, it takes me back to a time when I was visiting my relatives in France and they would always pour some Pernod after dinner and fill the glass with water.
I remember the glass going from clear to cloudy because, for some reason when you add water, it clouds up and completely changes its appearance.
We’d enjoy a nice meal and then since everyone smoked cigarettes, they had light cigarettes that had little beads in the filter that made the cigarettes taste exactly like the liqueur we had just tasted.
So when I take a sip of this whiskey, I’m reminded of those times but instead of pouring water in with the Pernod, it’s like I’m pouring an ounce of Peerless Rye whiskey into the glass.
It really rounds out the bold Absinthe flavor with a bit of caramel sweetness and a whole ton of herbs and spices surface from the combination.
I’m glad I purchased this bottle and if you have the opportunity to taste this one, I recommend you give it a shot.
Let Us Know What You Think
I hope you enjoyed this tasting experience with me.
If you decide to give this bottle a shot, please let me know on social media via Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Thanks for reading and cheers!
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