Peerless Double Oak Bourbon Review

Peerless Double Oak
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Single Barrel
Barrel Proof
Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co
110.6 proof
MSRP: $130 (Small Batch is ~$90)
Review

Please enjoy our Kentucky Peerless Double Oak Bourbon Review! (Note: this is a review of a Barrel Strength Single Barrel Peerless Double Oak Bourbon. However, the more readily available Small Batch is also bottled at Barrel Proof, so the overall flavor characteristics should be similar.)

“Bourbon whiskey twice barreled in new oak.”

Initially Created Out Of Necessity

The Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. first started double barreling their whiskeys out of necessity. When they had issues with leaky barrels, they would transfer the whiskey to a different new charred oak barrel. When this “double barreled” whiskey was eventually bottled, it would be sold as a distillery-only release. I happened to pick up one of these at the distillery many years ago, and at that point, it was one of the darkest and oakiest whiskeys that I had tried. Back then, double oak and double barreled bourbons and ryes were not as prevalent as they are today, so these first Peerless Double Oak whiskeys were quite novel.

Peerless’ First Double Oak Bourbons & Ryes Were Winners

It turned out that these first Peerless double oak whiskeys were quite popular, so they were eventually added to their main product line. Kentucky Peerless filled their first barrel in March 2015, and although the distillery’s first whiskey released back in May 2017 was a rye, their first double oak release was a bourbon. Small Batch Peerless Double Oak Bourbon was officially introduced in September 2021, followed by the Peerless Small Batch Double Oak Rye in November 2022.

This particular bourbon is a single barrel selected by KBI & Bourbonheads, under the careful supervision of John Waddell (@bourbon_colonel86 on Instagram). It was first aged for 4 years, and then transferred to a new second barrel for an additional 2 years. The standard release is a small batch bourbon, and single barrel versions are fairly uncommon.

Tasting Notes – Peerless Double Oak Bourbon Review

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉🏻Nose: Vanilla, ample dry oak, toffee, dark cherries in the background; brown sugar sweetness; hint of real maple syrup; fairly pronounced alcohol
👉🏻Taste: Brown sugar sweetness, but also ample dry oak and tannins; toffee; hints of dark cherries
👉🏻Finish: The finish is quite dry with dry oak, tannins and white pepper spice; a bit of black cherry soda in the background; the flavors linger for a very long time; moderate burn and deep warmth; lasting dryness

Conclusion – A Bourbon Best Enjoyed One Sip At A Time

Kentucky Peerless Double Oak Bourbon is best enjoyed one sip at a time, with a fairly long break between sips to let the flavors fade. Oak is definitely the name of the game here. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought that this was a much older whiskey. The two years spent in the second new charred oak barrel certainly served their purpose! What was created is a bourbon for the oak lovers out there. If you are not one of those, you would likely consider this over-oaked. However, for my tastes, it is just perfect! This is a single barrel, so your results may vary, but the main flavor profile should still be in the same ballpark. Have you tried it? Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our Peerless Double Oak Bourbon Review! Would you like to learn about a another Peerless whiskey? Then read our Peerless Absinthe Barrel Finished Rye review!

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