1776 James E. Pepper Bourbon & Rye Whiskies - Wine & Spirits Magazine

1776 James E. Pepper Bourbon & Rye Whiskies


James E. Pepper is an iconic brand in Bourbon history, one of the most popular until the mid-twentieth century. Now Georgetown Trading Co. has relaunched it, working with Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana. They’ve derived their recipe from a letter dated 1887 from James E. Pepper himself, detailing his production methods and grain bills. Straight out of the bottle, it’s easy to see that this is a young whiskey, barely pale brown in color. The rye offers plenty of the grain’s telltale spice, as well as some nice meadow grass, gingersnap and apple-core qualities. The Bourbon projects more oak than its brother, with coconut, caramel and pepper flavor and a mild woodsy bite. Their high proofs and low prices make these great for Manhattans and Old Fashioneds, where the ice dilution tames the heat, but not the flavor.

Spirits Type:

Whiskey

ABV:

both 50%

Producer:

JAS. E. Pepper & Co., Bardstown, KY

Price:

$27/750ml


This story appears in the print issue of December 2013.
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