Peerless

The Peerless name goes back to a Kentucky distillery in Henderson that operated before Prohibition under Henry Kraver. His descendants, the Taylor family, revived the brand and opened Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. in downtown Louisville in the mid 2010s.

Peerless uses a sweet mash process rather than the sour mash common in Kentucky, starting each fermentation fresh instead of adding backset from a previous batch. The spirit goes into new charred oak barrels, and the whiskeys are usually bottled at barrel strength.

Rye came first, followed by bourbon once it had reached its intended age. The official ranges include Small Batch Rye, the 5 Year Old Single Barrel Rye, Bourbon Small Batch, Single Barrel Bourbon and the Double Oak Rye, a Kentucky straight rye given further time in a second new barrel.

Peerless also turns up from independent bottlers. That Boutique-y Whisky Company, the bottler linked to Master of Malt, has released young Peerless rye, such as the Kentucky 3 Year Old rye and a 2016 single cask.