B-21 Top Recommendation
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"Trust me when I say you need this as a staple on your bar. Mixing, neat, on the rocks – it’s a genuine all-star in any role." - Andrew Kitz, B-21 Spirits Buyer
Chalk this one up to arguably the sharpest Kentucky rye value we've seen in a long time. Old Pepper may be a new name to some bourbon fans, but it's certainly not a new name in Kentucky bourbon history. The James E. Pepper distillery, the brand's current and ancestral home, bears the license number DSP-KY-5, meaning it was the fifth Kentucky to receive official recognition and licensing from the state. So, it's been around a while. However, like many historic distilleries, it suffered decades of neglect, dormancy, and deterioration until a visionary group of entrepreneurs took on the task of resurrecting both the facility and the brand. Through meticulous historical research and dogged belief, the Old Pepper brand and the James E. Pepper distillery kicked back into commission in December 2017.
While the started out bottling contract juice to get the brand going, the brand is now fully on to using its own make in its core releases, and they're scoring where it counts. Fred Minnick has declared them "a Kentucky brand of the future ... making really good whiskies." Based on their Bottled-in-Bond Straight Rye, we agree. As a Bottled-in-Bond, this rye fits all the quality criteria necessary, and as a 100% rye whiskey, it just sings. "Surprisingly approachable and undeniably charming," it shows its rye character in spades but doesn't go overboard in any way. "Medium weight, great balance, refinement, and textural depth all point to expert craftsmanship," writes B-21 Spirits Buyer Andrew Kitz. This BiB Straight Rye is a fitting and thrilling tribute to Col. James E. Pepper, the visionary bourbon entrepreneur and namesake of the distillery, who himself loved a great "pure Rye" more than almost anything else. | 
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