The James E. Pepper Distillery spices things up with a single barrel rye whiskey.
For the last several years, the Pepper Distillery has been hard at work trying to rebuild the site of its original namesake. Once a thriving part of the whiskey world, the Pepper Distillery was founded in 1780 by Elijah Pepper. Across the Pepper generations, the distillery claimed credit for being the first to seal bottles with stamps, inventing the sour mash process, and ushering through the law that made it legal for distilleries to bottle their own bourbon. Of course, one of the most notable parts of the Pepper Distillery was Colonel James E. Pepper himself – a huge part of bourbon history and awkwardly the name of a Buffalo Trace bourbon.
Once the construction was completed in 2017, Pepper celebrated by releasing a new set of whiskies with a new set of labels. Prior to this, the brand was primarily focused on their 1776 collection including both James E. Pepper 1776 Rye Whiskey and James E. Pepper 1776 Bourbon. But a whole new era of construction certainly deserves a whole new era of product. To date, the new Old Pepper collection includes an American Single Malt Whiskey and a single barrel rye whiskey. With a 4 year age statement and a bold 110.6 proof, Old Pepper Single Barrel Rye is definitely kicking off the new era of the Pepper Distillery with a bang.
As a single barrel rye whiskey, each bottle of Old Pepper Single Barrel Rye will taste distinctly different. Our bottle in particular was pulled from Cask 1131, according to its label. The initial aroma is an interesting combination of light cinnamon, honey, and dried tobacco. The tobacco and cinnamon carry over into the flavor, along with a hint of oak. However, the middle taste and finish of this rye whiskey are more than a little hot. While it’s easy for a 110.6 proof to take center stage, the proof unfortunately overwhelms the middle taste of this rye to nothing but alcohol. The finish is short, dry, and a little disappointing with just an ending whisper of cinnamon.
Considering the brash rye and rich sweetness of the 1776 rye and bourbon whiskies, Old Pepper Single Barrel Rye’s lack of strong flavor is surprising. We were looking forward to experiencing the next level of the bold flavors we’ve come to associate with the Pepper Distillery, but this just ain’t it. Especially with a $53 price point, we’d expect to find a much bigger personality and profile with this rye whiskey.
We’re always rooting for the James E. Pepper Distillery, but we’ll have to single out the Old Pepper Single Barrel Rye.
STATS: Old Pepper Single Barrel Rye Whiskey
- Price for us: $53 for 750 mL
- Proof: 110.6
- Aged: 4 Years
- Distillery: James Pepper Distilling Company
- Recommendation: Mixer
