Peerless Small Batch Rye Kentucky Whiskey Review

Reviewed by Freya Knudsen

When I mentioned that I would be reviewing Peerless Small Batch Rye Kentucky whiskey, I had plenty of generous offers to help, one of which was my fiancé who was only too happy to lend his taste buds. I had high hopes for the Peerless Small Batch Kentucky Whiskey, because of the location of origin being renowned for producing the world’s greatest bourbon & rye whiskey. Other than that, I like whiskey but am not very knowledgeable, as many of you will be in my position looking for a thoughtful gift for husbands, fathers, and brothers but not knowing where to start with finding a nice whiskey.

What arrived (editor’s note – for review purposes) was a couple of sample bottles, a branded hat and pin badge along with some information on the whiskey itself.  A nice package of items for a whiskey lover. Described a delivering a buttery mouthfeel with toasted rye and baking spice notes, this sounded like a good Wintery drink leading up to Christmas and beyond.

Personally, I enjoy my whiskey neat over ice and sometimes with a splash of lemonade. We tried the whiskey as a nightcap, not needing to add mixers. The depth of the flavour was lovely with notes of citrus and a certain sweetness. It was easy to drink and very smooth.

Peerless Whiskey has certainly gained its own reputation in the market, winning awards such as package of the year 2017, Spirits Division, awarded as one of the Top 20 Whiskies in the World by Whiskey Advocate Magazine and winner of Icons of Whiskey America Craft Producer of the Year 2019. This is to name a few but in my brief lookup of the whiskey I came across 8 awards over the last few years.

Peerless Whiskey is at a price point that is a nice Christmas treat or gift for him. This seems to be perfect for well-seasoned whiskey lovers, looking for something a little bit different – with its distilling method, known for enhancing the liqueurs’ ability to pick up caramels sugars and vanillas. Along with a number of other production differences to mainstream distilling including low barrel entry proof, sweet mash, barrel strength and non-chill filtered –resulting in higher proof spirits with full-bodied flavour, and a consistently high-quality spirit.

Buying this for the special man in your life will go down a treat, the unique bottle and different production methods have all resulted in a premium whiskey. With the Peerless Family having a long history of crafting dating back to 1889, quality seems to be first and foremost of the values company, utilising innovative production practices to bring out the flavour. Although, if given in a Christmas gift it may well be gone by the New Year…. If Santa doesn’t get to it first.

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £79.95 (75cl) and delivery from £4.95 (editor’s note – the reviewer received sample sized bottles for review purposes)

For more information visit www.kentuckypeerless.com

Available to buy from The Whisky Exchange here.