Hannah’s James E Pepper Single Barrel Rye BWE Pick
Original review written May 24, 2022
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
A great rye with plenty of complexity and intrigue from several different flavor profile characteristics – from fruit to spice to earth, this has it all. Happy to have it open in the collection. 95/100
VITALS:
– Made In: Indiana and Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: Ross & Squibb Distillery/MGP/Old Pepper Distillery DSP-KY-5
– Classification: Single Barrel Straight Rye; Prive Select Barrel
– Age: 4yrs
– Mash Bill: Rye=100% (both raw and malted)
– Casks: 12-month air seasoned Kentucky Oak; Char #3
– Cask #: 1239
– Selected by BWE (Boise Whiskey Enthusiast’s Facebook Group)
– ABV: 55% (110 proof)
– Price: $54.95 USD in Idaho 2022
Visit jamesepepper.distilleryspirits.com for more information
ENJOYMENT METHOD:
I enjoyed the spirit neat from a Glencairn glass with sister, as well as father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.
Check out his review for this rye here!
SETTING:
I imagine James E Pepper Single Barrel Rye would taste that much more phenomenal with a light and fresh cake to coax even more of the sweetness that this rye has. The cake may have honey, vanilla, and floral tones and that would pair well here. It exacerbates the summery brightness of both rye and cake and makes everything warm and the sipper quick to reach for another taste.
Photo by Hayley Maxwell on Unsplash
NOSE:
Malt and rye grain wash across the palate with hazelnut and light vanilla following close behind. Despite being so rye forward, there is already a noticeable complexity to this, with other sweet flavors like honey and flaky pastry with sugar crystals dusted on top. And there are deeper, earthier tones to match this sweetness like leather and caramelized/charred oak. I can’t find much for fruit sweetness aside perhaps from a dark fruit/berry nectar or a cherry jam preserve.
This rye may be 110 proof, however, the alcohol is incredibly mild and doesn’t sting at the nose at all. It’s a rye that invites deep draws and falling into the flavors offered.
PALATE:
– Mouth Feel: Viscous with a bit of grit to it, making the flavor linger and linger.
– Balance: Complex. I don’t know if it’s the proof influence but more and more seems to emerge, all in balance.
– Visual: Flame in color, this falls in long, thick legs from an irregular ring.
– Taste: Sweet vanilla with freshness trailing is the immediate impression. It’s floral yet buttery like a summery cake batter with even some tropical fruit kick like pineapple. Rye spice and grain mixes with a woody caramel that is just shy of being burnt – at the peak of its sugary performance. Accompanying this rye is more of the powdered ginger from the nose, and a pinch of white pepper. Cherries exist at the back of the palate, mixed with a syrup that deepens and enrichens the other existing flavors all the more.
The complexity abounds, and all the while, the alcohol offers just the right amount of kick for the flavors to play off of. This certainly does have a bite to it, and I can tell that it does want to give me a Kentucky Hug if I’d let it. (I like that.) When I give it a Kentucky chew, a brininess comes forward with a subtle fruit leather and light caramel to soothe the burn.
FINISH:
– Lasting Power: Long. The heat lingers at the back of the throat along with a good aftertaste.
– Between Sips: Warm caramel, cherries with a raspy rye – yum, yum, and yum.
– No More: This grows more complex and enjoyable the further into the glass I get, with the balance showing more and more maturity. I am thoroughly enjoying this rye, and I’m quite glad to have it in the collection.
The empty Glencairn is buttery oak and pecan and simple syrup/light caramel. It’s a different kind of empty glass that I’m used to, but it is entirely delicious.
WORTH THE PRICE?
Absolutely. This has complexity, depth, and heat, and it’s everything I could hope for in a rye. If you get the chance to buy any Single Barrel Rye, give this a try. You won’t be disappointed. And even if you’re only a bourbon drinker and trying to get into ryes, this may be a good gateway into doing so.
JAMES E PEPPER SINGLE BARREL RYE BWE PICK RATING: 95/100
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