I’ve shared on several occasions how I’m a huge believer in the transparency and disclosure offered by the Bottled-in-Bond Act and frequently reach for Bottled-in-Bond bourbons. When we last toured the James E. Pepper Distillery in Downtown Lexington, Kentucky, the bourbons were still young. Now, there was a Bottled-in-Bond release and it was time to put this bourbon to the test: Old Pepper Bottled-in-Bond.
The Oldest and Best Brand Made in Kentucky
Produced and bottled at the historic James E. Pepper Distillery near downtown Lexington, this bourbon honors its namesake founder. Pepper was a third-generation distiller who began producing bourbon at the Lexington side in 1880. The bourbon carrying his name was proudly labeled in the day as “Kentucky’s Oldest Brand”.
Shuttered and abandoned in 1967, the site became an eyesore for the community for five decades. The distillery was renovated and reopened and operations commenced. Inside the gift shop (and the internet), you can find some impressive “before-and-after” photos of the site, and highlight all the hard work that went into restoring this historic distiller.
The Tasting
Old Pepper is displayed in a tall bottle with an antiqued wood print of the original distillery (located in the Distillery District) along with a faux tax stamp and adorned stopper.
As a Bottled-in-Bond product, it adheres to the requirements set forth in the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 (America’s first food safety act). As such, it is:
From a single type of spirit
Produced in the same distilling season by the same distiller at the same distillery
Aged for at least 4 years
Unadultered (may be filtered and proofed down)
Proofed with pure water to exactly 100-proof
Labeled with the registered distillery number (DSP-5) and labeled with the real name of the distillery or a trade name (“Old Pepper Distillery”).
The mash bill is undisclosed, but is a blend of four bourbons:
51% corn, 45% 45% rye, 4% malted barley
51% corn, 49% rye
51% corn, 49% malted barley
80% corn, 8% malted rye, 12% malted barley
The first two mash bills would fall in the [very] high rye category, as most bourbons utilizing rye as the flavoring grain fall in the “teens” in terms of percentages of rye.
Eye: Deep copper with thick legs when swirled in my Glencairn glass.
Nose: Classic bourbon notes of vanilla, spice, and oak along with some deep earthy tones.
Palate: True to the nose, with vanilla, pepper spice, and aged oak. This bourbon has a lovely mouthfeel and fully coats the top and undersides of my tongue.
Finish: Medium-long with dry oak and a burst of rye spice that continues a long, long time.
Overall: This starts off as a very traditional bourbon, and the rye spice comes front and forward at the end in the finish. Compared to some of the earlier varieties I’d sampled on the tour, this is definitely better. Priced in the mid-$50s, this is on-par price-wise with other smaller, craft bourbons. Those who tend towards a spicier bourbon will enjoy the crescendo that comes with the finish.
