Old Pepper Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Year

Intro:

Born with the Republic, Old Pepper Straight Bourbon Whiskey, is hand selected from distilled bourbon from Indiana, aged for 10 years and hand bottled at Distillery No. 5 in Lexington, KY.

Review:

This is the very first review of this bourbon, before any others, The Bourbon Book has first crack at this great bourbon offering from James E. Pepper Distillery.  

A slight astringent sting on the nose, enough to open up the olfactory and then a sweet, woody note follows.  It's the same nose you get from some of the greatest bourbons in the 10 year range.    No burn on the lips or tongue.  I am not sure if Amir Peay is the only person choosing these barrels or selecting his mash bill in current production but this bourbon is excellent.  The white dog I tried at the distillery has a similar taste to this bourbon.  It is well rounded with a slight warmth, then sweetness of grains and followed by a mid length finish.  I am a huge fan of this bourbon.  It's one of a few in my collection that I keep drinking and wanting to have more.  I am not sure what the mash bill is, but I am sure it is a high rye.  

Is it worth the $?

You can only buy this at the distillery.  It is $70.  Is it worth that...yes.  This is not a bourbon for a daily drinker because of that cost, but it is worth having in anyones collection.  A lot of bourbons in the $70 range are not worth having in a collection.  Actually in my collection of many bottle over $100, this far exceeds them in taste.  Example is Woodford Reserve Master Collection Batch Proof, over $100 per bottle and this bourbon is well rounded and not harsh in any of the normal categories when tasting bourbon.  Batch Proof burns from the get go and makes that bourbon very off putting for me. 

I highly recommend this to anyone making the trip to the distillery.  You will not be disappointed.