That Boutique-y Whisky Co. Kentucky Peerless Rye Review

Another brainchild from the geniuses behind Master of Malt, That Boutique-y Whisky Company (hereafter referred to as Boutique-y) is an independent bottler that sources and bottles whiskies from distilleries all over the world. Known for their unusual and interesting offerings (gin ingredients that have been to space anyone?) each bottle also sports an informative graphic-novel-style label that gives the drinker everything they need to know about the whiskey, gin, or otherwise, through the use of clever references, puns, and industry in-jokes. When it comes to their range of whiskies the Boutique-y Whisky company have released everything from single barrel offerings, in-house blends, rare whiskies of extraordinary age and provenance, and even some spirits too young to call whiskey from craft, mid-, and large-scale distilleries the world over.

According to their website, this bottling of Kentucky Peerless Rye was released under That Boutique-y Rye Company’s Rye series, and is the very first independent bottling of rye whiskey from the Kentucky Peerless Distillery to date. Aged 3 years and made using Peerless’ sweet mash technique, this whiskey is bottled at a very approachable 49.1% ABV as opposed to Kentucky Peerless’ traditional barrel proof bottling strength. The bottle itself features the original distillery in Henderson, Kentucky, along with baseball cards for founder of said distillery Henry Kraver, along with his great-grandson Corky Taylor, and great-great-grandson Carson Taylor, co-founders of the new Kentucky Peerless Distillery.

Vital Stats:

Name: Kentucky Peerless 3 y.o. Rye – That Boutique-y Rye Company
Age: 3 y.o.
Proof: 98.2 Proof (49.1% ABV)
Type: Straight KY rye whiskey
Mashbill: Undisclosed (minimum of 51% rye)
Producer: Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co.
Website: https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/peerless/kentucky-peerless-that-boutiquey-rye-company-whiskey/
Glassware: Glencairn

Review

Nose: The nose opens sweet with floral red fruit, brown sugar caramel, faint toasted oak, earthy rye grain notes, faint dried mango, and dark chocolate and clove-forward barrel spices. As you nose deeper the fruit notes, grain notes, and barrel notes all pick up added complexity and depth.

Palate: The palate opens viscous with sweet notes of red fruits and caramel syrup mixed in with earthy baking spices before turning to tart red fruits and peppery rye spice that travels down the sides of the tongue. Once this spice fades, it returns to a sweet grain and fruit-forward profile with some herbaceous young oak notes and ethanol spice.

Finish: The finish opens with residual spice, rye grain, dried red fruit, and leaves an aftertaste of fruit, faint cola cubes, and warm rye spice alongside lingering tropical fruit and toasted oak spice notes.

Overall 

This is a cracking rye whiskey! At only 3 years old what it lacks in age it makes up for with character and complexity a-plenty. When I first opened this bottle, the whiskey seemed muted and underwhelming with light caramel syrup, red fruits, spice, but also with some interesting notes such as dried mango. A couple of weeks later, and a couple of tastings later and it’s a completely different beast with loads of complexity and character! This is also very on-profile for Peerless but at a proof where the tannins and proof aren’t as spicey as you’d get from the non-chill filtered barrel proof small batch. Instead, it’s a fantastic rye whiskey for those looking to expand their rye experience and would also act as a transitional step into Peerless’ own barrel proof releases, as well as other barrel proof rye whiskies. Another bonus is that it falls right in around that 100 proof sweet spot for me where I tend to get the most out of a whiskey in terms of the proof and flavours coming together without one overpowering the other. Altogether, it’s a cracking whiskey that represents the brand well but also gives us a Peerless drinking experience we might not otherwise get. Perfect for a beginner, journeyman, and expert rye drinker alike in my opinion!

Try or Buy?

With a £74.95 price tag this is only a few pounds short of the Barrel Proof Peerless Small Batch and 4 y.o. Peerless Single Barrel on Master of Malt. At this price it’s in direct competition with its higher proof cousins and is only 500ml as opposed to 750ml. That being said, if you already have the other two, or you don’t have access to them and find this in an independent Off Licence I do feel it’s worth a punt to give a unique perspective on a classic profile from a distillery that only ever bottles at cask strength. This would also be fantastic for someone wanting to try a really good craft whiskey without commiting to a barrel proof bottling of Peerless and comes with all the quirky trimmings of being a Boutique-y bottling including custom label, a box full of stickers, and supports a cracking independent bottler and craft distiller.