| Whiskey | Peerless Toasted Bourbon (Batch 2) |
| Distillery | Peerless Distilling Co. |
| Region | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Type | Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 100% Malted Barley |
| Proof / ABV | 109.4 Proof / 54.70% ABV |
| Aging | 5+ Years in a Char-Level 3 Barrel then finished in a toasted barrel |
| Filtration | Non-Chill Filtered |
| MSRP | $125 |
| Release Year | July 13, 2024 |
My Trip to the Peerless Distillery
I have always been a huge fan of Peerless Distillery’s Peerless Rye whiskey and just had to visit their distillery when I was in Louisville, Kentucky back in 2023.
I took a trip with my dad and while we were there, we were lucky enough to be joined by the owner Corky Taylor who basically revived this historic distillery with his son Carson Taylor in 2015.
He was extremely nice and spent over an hour with us telling us stories about his history with whiskey, why he re-opened the distillery, and even joined us for the tasting at the end of the tour.
My dad and Corky talked football as we learned more about the barrels and what makes Peerless distillery unique.
Peerless Rye was already one of my favorite whiskeys even before visiting the distillery, but once we arrived at the tasting, I noticed they had a distillery pick Peerless single barrel rye “Honey Cherries” and it absolutely blew me away.
I immediately purchased a bottle and it is still to this day my favorite Rye Whiskey.
So I have high hopes for this toasted bourbon even though I have a hard time believing it could ever beat a Peerless Rye for me.
*Sidenote: I always picked up a Peerless Rye Finished in Absinthe Barrels with is extremely unique and such a cool single barrel in my collection
But without further ado, let’s get into tasting this Peerless Toasted Bourbon!
Peerless Toasted Bourbon Tasting Notes
Appearance: Dark Red Amber
Nose: Heavy delicious vanilla right away, rich caramel, toasted oak, chocolate, malt, malted milk balls, hint of cinnamon, almond, light rye spice, clove, light smoke (beautiful nose overall)
Palate: Rich sweet caramel, prominent toasted oak, heavy vanilla, chocolate, oaky tannic spice, not as much malt as on the nose but still there, rye spice, almond, dark fruits, plum, black cherry, hints of smoke
Finish: Rich bold finish that leaves a lasting impression on your taste buds full of rich caramel, vanilla, toasted oak, and dark fruits
Is Peerless Toasted Bourbon an Approachable Whiskey?
Peerless Toasted Bourbon has a bit of heat on it being 109.4 Proof, but the heat is more than backed up by the flavors.
It advertises as Toasted Bourbon and that is definitely what you get.
It is very toasted oak forward which I am a fan of, but it also has quite a few additional layers of nice flavors to back it up.
It is well-balanced unlike some other oak-forward bourbons I have tasted.
However, this is likely not a whiskey for beginners due to the higher proof-point and heavy oak influence.
I’d save this one for friends who are experienced whiskey drinkers.
Is Peerless Toasted Bourbon Complex?
Peerless Toasted Bourbon is more complex than I expected it to be.
Generally a toasted bourbon is kind of just a regular bourbon but with extra charred oak flavors.
However, I enjoy this Toasted Bourbon from Peerless far more than I do their regular Peerless Bourbon (which is also quite tasty).
I won’t lie though, Peerless Rye is definitely my favorite from Peerless and possibly my favorite Rye Whiskey of distillery.
But like I said, this Toasted Bourbon feels more complex than just adding a little bit of toasted oak onto the standard Peerless Bourbon.
I get a much richer flavor profile that is not only enhanced by the toasted oak, but I think the addition time in the barrel maybe pulled out more dark fruit as well as chocolate and richer caramel notes.
What are Peerless Toasted Bourbon’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Peerless Toasted Bourbon’s strongest attribute is the depth of charred oak influence layered with some of the best oak-influenced flavors you can find in a bourbon.
The highlights of these are clearly the chocolate, cinnamon oaky tannic spice, and bold dark fruits.
I’m drinking this pour on a relatively chilly night after watching Sunday Night Football and the warm flavors are hitting the spot just right.
Is Peerless Toasted Bourbon a go-to whiskey?
Peerless Toasted Bourbon would be an excellent go-to whiskey for fall and winter.
The warm, rich flavors are very comforting and the toasted oak notes would go quite well sitting next to a nice fireplace.
(I’m going to have to revisit this bottle in a few months with my fireplace lit)
It’s kind of hard to explain through flavors and tasting notes why some bourbons just drink well on chilly nights, or by a campfire, or next to the fireplace, but this is one of those bottles.
So would this be a go-to whiskey?
Yes, it would for those cold winter months.
Unfortunately for me, this bottle is never available in my home state of Pennsylvania so I will either have to visit the distillery again or hope to find it if it releases in Ohio.
Is Peerless Toasted Bourbon priced accurately to its quality?
Peerless Toasted Bourbon Batch 2 cost $125 MSRP.
And to be honest, as much as I love these flavors, I don’t think I would pay anything above that price.
I think $100 would be the perfect price point for this bottle, but I don’t regret paying the $125 that I did.
If you haven’t tried Peerless Toasted Bourbon before, I’d say spend the $125 to try it because it is a delicious whiskey, but I don’t think I’d be buying a ton of backups at this price point.
Conclusion for Peerless Toasted Bourbon (Batch 2)
Peerless Toasted Bourbon Batch 2 is absolutely delicious.
I am a massive fan of Peerless Rye whiskey which is also around the $125 price point and this bottle holds its own against it (still think their Rye is my favorite though).
It is definitely worth purchasing a bottle at $125 and I definitely think this bottle is significantly better than the normal Peerless Bourbon and justifies the additional price.
I think this batch of Toasted Bourbon is also significantly better than the Peerless Double Oaked Bourbon as well.
Basically, if I had the choice between Peerless Bourbons, this Toasted Bourbon is the bottle I would go with every single time despite its higher price point.
It is one of the best “Toasted” bourbons that have tasted and it’s a real delight to sip on.
So do yourself a favor and pick this one up if you see it on the shelf.
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