Peerless Single Barrel Bourbon - "Cinnamon Mocha"

DSP-KY-50 Peerless Distilling Co, the Louisville, KY based distillery operated by Corky and Carson Taylor. Part of the river front whiskey loop in downtown Louisville, is creating some very tasty and interesting whiskey. 

This starts with the fact that the Peerless pulls their distillate from the still at a lower proof than others. This tends to enable a deeper more unique flavor in the spirit. Their Master Distiller Caleb Kilburn is almost a savant when it comes to distilling. On Peerless's website they tell the story of  Caleb’s natural sensory skills which enabled Peerless to be named number 15 best whiskey in the world after just two years of starting the distillery back up in 2015.

The other really cool thing that Peerless is doing is their single barrel products, mostly only available in the Kentucky area (unless you get lucky enough to get a store pick from a large chain). This Average Guy highly recommends visiting DSP-KY-50 if you are ever in Louisville. But plan a head as the tasting tours fill up quickly and are almost always sold out (for good reason).

On my last trip to Kentucky I stopped in to pick up a couple bottles and recently pulled the cork on "Cinnamon Mocha". First of all the attention to detail on the bottle and stopper is really slick, almost "Apple Computer" like as they spare no expense. Right out of the gate you get one of those super satisfying cork "pops" almost whispering to you "with a sound like that it has to be good" (yes that's my brain trying this to a Smucker's commercial)

The spirit is bottled at 117.4, and has a beautifully rich dark brown leather / mahogany color. On the nose the color aliens with hints of wood, coffee, and roasted nuts (think warm walnuts). The first sip doesn't disappoint, bringing the heat from the 117.4 spirit giving you that warm familiar "Kentucky hug". 

However, like many whiskeys the second sip forward is where the fun begins. This flavor train has notes of toasted oak, chocolate, nutmeg and a rich buttery mouth feel. The finish rolls right across the palate with clean hints of tobacco and leather in the finish. 

At the risk of being a fan boy I've yet to have any Peerless single barrel (rye or bourbon) that just simply wasn't a rock star. At $134 it's not a cheap bottle but the quality and attention to detail shine through the spirit giving this an A+ or 4.75 out of 5. It's very hard to not love this bourbon, but the complexity of this flavor bomb might not be for those that simply love the sweet softness of something more simple that's mass produced out of areas such as Bardstown <nuff said>.