Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 'Old Pepper' Bottled In Bond

• Bottled in bond Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey distilled, aged, and bottled by the James E Pepper Distillery in Lexington, Kentucky
• Based on the recipe (80% corn, 12% malted barley, 8% rye) produced when the distillery shut down in 1967
• Blended to a consistent high-rye flavor profile with 3 adjunct bourbon recipes, one containing 51% corn, 45% raw rye, and 4% malted rye; one containing 51% corn and 49% malted rye; and one containing 51% corn and 49% malted barley
• Non-GMO corn sourced from the Gilkinson family farm in Fayette County, Kentucky
• Limestone-filtered water is sourced from the original distillery well
• Distilled on a Vendome copper column still and doubler
• Aged in a variety of char # 1–4 Kentucky oak barrels from Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville, Kentucky; barrels are air-dried to season for 18–24 months and toasted before charring
• Aged at least 4 years; non-age statement
• Light and fruit-forward on the nose, with notes of fresh apple evolving into white pepper and cinnamon. Wearing its proof well, the satisfyingly long finish deepens the spice notes, adding oak and leather.
• Non-chill filtered; 50% ABV

James E. Pepper spearheaded the campaign to change Kentucky law to allow whiskey makers to bottle their own product. His whiskey was the first brand in Kentucky to be bottled at the distillery, and his invention of the strip stamp bearing his signature that sealed the top of the bottle (thus assuring consumers that the whiskey had not been compromised) was later included in the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897.  The current packaging reflects this history, incorporating period specific fonts and design and of course the signature strip on the top of the bottle. Fruit-forward finesse—and the house preference for a high rye flavor profile—are on full display in a whiskey made for the winner’s circle.