Review #576 - Peerless Double Oak Bourbon Batch 15
Peerless is a relatively small, yet growing operation - when we visited back in 2023, their plan was to produce around 2,600 barrels of whisky for the year. All of their spirits are made using the sweet mash process, meaning they don't add any backset from previous mashes to new mashes to control the pH balance of the fermentation process; they don't chill filter any of their whiskies, either, to ensure maximum flavor delivery in the final product.
This Double Oak Bourbon is one of their more sought-after products - it has a reputation for delivering tons of oaky flavor, but it does also come at a cost. Peerless keeps their specific mashbill a closely-guarded trade secret, but we do know that this is a ryed bourbon - no wheat grain is used in the process.
The distillery uses two new American oak barrels for maturation for their double-oaking process - these barrels are made by Kelvin Cooperage, and typically, these Peerless Barrels are both toasted and charred. Previously, the barrels were specified to use a level #4 char, but in recent years, the distillery switched to the use of a #3 char.
Like all other Peerless whiskies, no water is added after the maturation time - this is barrel proof whisky. The strength ends up a bit lower than some other barrel proof whiskies as Peerless uses a lower barrel entry proof in the first place - 107 proof to be precise, or 53.5% ABV. The bottling strength after the undisclosed number of aging years (often 5 to 8 years at Peerless) is 54.4% ABV (108.8 proof), so this bourbon saw just a moderate increase in strength in those hot Kentucky rickhouses.
Peerless Double Oak Bourbon Batch 15
USA - Bourbon
Price: USD 87 (2025)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 54.4% ABV
Details: Not chill filtered; batch 15, bottled 2024
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times (once blind) over 3 months from a sample). Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: A dark complexion, with a combination of strong oak and heavy sweet scents: butterscotch, brown sugar, and chocolate. The oak has a leathery, slightly tannic quality, and time brings softer notes of banana bread, perfume, and licorice or anise.
Palate: Spicy drying oak, some wood smoke, a bit of astringency - more dry than the nose. There's some pepper and barbecued wood, with subtle brown sugar and soft caramel behind it. Sage and rosemary add herbal notes in the background, and we get a hint of imitation vanilla; it's a medium thickness mouthfeel.
Finish: Toast, smoky dry oak, lots of leather - very wood-forward. Soft linen and herbs give a lighter side to the finish, but we also get some earthy notes and a bit of cola. It's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: The oak influence is this bourbon is very dominant - not entirely surprising, given that fact that this is a double-oaked product, but in this case, it seemed to add more of the drying and tannic notes as opposed to some of the sweet dessert notes we find in other double-oaked bourbons. A bit spicy, but those subtle intricacies of cola, baking spice, and herbs were fun to dig into; this definitely has some depth. A good bourbon, if a little unbalanced to the dry side of the spectrum.
Value is okay; the price on this bottle has stayed steady for several years, and while the Peerless brand often commands a premium, this bottle is still well under $100. If you like a heavily oaked, drier-than-average bourbon, this could be a good one for you.
Our Average Rating: 6.7 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.87
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Peerless reviews:
Review #358 - Peerless Single Barrel Bourbon 'Root Beer Float'
