Review: Old Pepper Distillery Rye Single Barrel Opens Up Nicely

Man, this Old Pepper Distillery Rye Single Barrel opened up nicely. It has been sitting in the back of my cabinet for a couple of months because I didn’t like it much on the initial/neck pour. However, my viewpoint has completely changed. It is a very good rye. Now, I have to qualify this review by writing that I used a local store pick to review this rye. So, let's get on with the tasting notes. 

Initially, there is a wonderful caramel and fruity rich nose with a little bit of rye. After the initial caramel aroma, the nose transitions to almost all rye…then back to a toffee caramel. The nose is very interesting because it toggles between a rich toffee fruitiness, and straight rye spiciness depending on how long do you let it sit in the glass after a sip.

The palate is clearly rye spice heavy but it has a nice layer of creamy buttery richness and sweetness that is completely different than the neck pour While there is not much viscosity there is a creaminess that makes up for it. 

The finish is almost all rye spice and it lingers a long time. Once again, this is a very good rye.