Straight Rye Whiskey, 'Old Pepper' Bottled in Bond

• Bottled in bond Kentucky straight rye whiskey distilled, aged, and bottled by the James E Pepper Distillery in Lexington, Kentucky
• Mash bill based on the James E. Pepper original “pure” rye recipe featuring only raw and malted rye
• 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 a minimum of 4 years; non-age statement
• On the nose, fresh summer orchard fruit and a whiff of vanilla that hints at bubble gum. On the palate, malty rye grain and oak combine with hard spice and a hint of cardamom, finishing with light caramel, oak, peppercorn, 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. For whiskey drinkers used to standard “nearly Bourbon” Kentucky rye formulations, the Old Pepper Bottled in Bond offers a breath of “pure rye” fresh air, a style that invokes the lighter, sweeter profile of the grain.