Toasted barrel whiskeys have been around in some shape or form since 2014 when Michter’s pioneered the style with its US*1 bourbon. While incidental toasting occurs during the charring process, toasting barrels more deeply before charring is less common, as it’s an extra step that adds cost and time. In recent years, however, more distilleries have experimented with toast levels, and Kentucky Peerless is the latest to join the ranks with its new Toasted Bourbon.
Peerless Toasted Bourbon is aged in two separate oak barrels, spending the first phase of maturation in the distillery’s standard, char level 3 barrel before being finished in a medium-toast barrel (a barrel that's toasted for about an hour, at a lower level heat than a charred counterpart). While the first barrel adds flavors of caramel, brown sugar, and toffee, the toasted barrel imparts honey, vanilla, toasted spice, and chocolate notes. According to head taster John Waddell, the medium-toast barrels are also less tannic than those with heavier toast levels, resulting in a more aromatic whiskey that has strong vanilla overtones. (Of course, variations in toast time and temperature will yield different flavor profiles, but you can generally expect vanilla-forward flavors from a toasted barrel finish.)
Toasted Bourbon Batch 1 will be released on March 16 at 10 a.m. at Peerless Distillery, located along Louisville’s Whiskey Row. The first 100 bottles sold there will include a specially numbered label, and bottle signings will be offered until 12 p.m. Following its release day, the whiskey will be distributed throughout Kentucky, and eventually, nationwide at a suggested retail price of $124.
If you’re keen on exploring other toasted barrel whiskeys, consider Michter's US*1 Barrel Strength Toasted Barrel Finish (Barrel No. 23G2641), a toasted barrel Kentucky rye; Basil Hayden Toast, a bourbon made from brown rice that's finished in toasted barrels; the Daviess County Toasted Barrel Finish Series, which features bourbons finished in barrels toasted to various levels; and Barrell Vantage, a blend of straight bourbons that is partially finished in toasted oak.
