Old Pepper Finest Kentucky Oak Straight Rye
Each release of the Old Pepper Rye Finest Kentucky Oak is made up of a few of the James Pepper distillery's favorite barrels and is very limited. It is also one of the company's most in-demand and award-winning offerings.
A lot goes into making this expression so special. The initial distillation and maturation process starts with the standard award-winning Pepper rye whiskey recipe, but then the aged whiskey is given a secondary maturation in a new oak cask made from staves of Kentucky Oak. The staves for these barrels were air dried for 24 months prior to assembly, then heavily toasted and lightly charred. An average barrel is air dried for 6 months. This process creates a very unique and favorable taste profile, rich in barrel character and complexity.
The Old Pepper Finest Kentucky Oak is one of the most critically acclaimed offerings from the Pepper Distillery. It most recently took home a Double Gold Medal from the San Francisco World Spirit Competition. Other notable accolades include Best Rye Whiskey in the World from the 2018 New York World Spirits Competition, Double Gold Medal in the 2018 New York World Spirits Competition and the rating of “93 points / Exceptional” in the 2018 BTI International Review of Spirits. This spring Whiskey Advocate reviewed this offering and gave it “90 Points / Outstanding” noting it is a whiskey of superior character and style.