Christmas 2021 Shopping Lists, the Ryes: Kentucky Peerless Small Batch & Single Barrel Ryes.

We’re rolling along in our Christmas shopping lists, be it for self or others. My post from yesterday has the loose criteria I’m using, if you’re looking for my reference points.

The recommended ryes this year are going to be on the short end, because 1) while I love a good Pikesville 110 or Ol Fo 100 Rye, those bottles are generally available and their quality known, so they may not feel like a special gift to some, and 2) rye hunting in my part of North Carolina is *very* scattershot, and I only recommend things I’ve tried and liked across several pours.

But fear not! What the rye shopping list lacks in quantity it more than compensated with quality. And there’s not much higher quality than Peerless Distilling Rye.

For my money, this is my favorite rye I’ve ever tried. It definitely feels at times like a bourbon drinker’s rye given how prominent the honey notes are, but I feel like that’s a true observation of most Kentucky-style ryes. What really sets Peerless Small Batch apart for me is how *alive* it feels. MGP 95/5 ryes have this sedentary quality to them for me — they’re earthen, plodding, thick, and taste like a greenhouse. Comparatively, Peerless Rye is a ballroom dancer, pirouetting and weaving with an obvious energy and vivacity as it flashes mint, honey, and a subtle layering of rye spices. It’s like someone transplanted the power and fury of those 95/5 ryes into the chassis of a sweeter Kentucky rye, ending up with the best of both worlds.

The Peerless Single Barrel Ryes are of course unique beasts that can vary in character fairly widely from barrel to barrel, but the share the baseline Small Batch Rye’s bon vivant attitude and feel.

It also must be said the bottle design is amazing, and the labels actually include a ton of transparency that a true whiskey nerd will appreciate. Some bottles just look impressive when they’re unwrapped, and all the better when it’s got world-class whiskey inside.

Image courtesy of Jon who also writes on Low Class & High Proof.

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