Kentucky Peerless Double Oak Rye Whiskey

Kentucky Peerless Double Oak Rye Whiskey is a barrel proof, 750mL Kentucky straight rye whiskey — a strictly sweet mash rye, made grain-to-bottle in Louisville and exposed to two separate new oak casks for two full barrel extractions, bottled non-chill filtered with no water added. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.

• ABV: Barrel proof — bottled as it comes from the barrel, no water added (proof varies by batch)
• Size: 750mL
• Style: Kentucky straight rye whiskey, small batch
• Mash: Strictly sweet mash (Peerless does not publish grain percentages)
• Casks: Two separate new oak barrels — two full barrel extractions
• Filtration: Non-chill filtered
• Production: Grain-to-bottle at Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co., Louisville — never sourced
• Origin: Louisville, Kentucky

Two Barrels, Two Full Extractions

Kentucky Peerless does everything itself in downtown Louisville: a strictly sweet mash — a genuine rarity in an industry built on sour mash — distilled, aged and bottled under one roof, and never sourced. Double Oak began with the distillery's bourbon in 2021, and the rye followed in November 2022 as a regular small batch offering. The method is exactly what the name promises: the whiskey is exposed to two separate new oak casks, allowing two full barrel extractions, and the distillery's tasting team now deliberately curates which barrels earn the second cask — selecting barrels with prominent grain, fruit and herbaceous character that the extra oak will complement rather than bury, in Master Distiller Caleb Kilburn's words, intentionally rather than leaving it to chance. It is bottled at barrel proof, non-chill filtered, with no water added. Browse the Peerless collection and more rye whiskey at Del Mesa.

Tasting Notes

The distillery's launch notes: a beautiful nose bursting with roasted nuts, citrus zest and sweet oak. The first sip offers toasted sugar, bold oak, spicy cinnamon and sweet grasses, with citrus lending a tea element; another sip adds warm leather and rich tobacco. The finish returns to celebrate the sweet oak of the barrels, and the mouthfeel thickens to a chew.

How to Enjoy

Start neat, then add a few drops of water — at barrel proof the second barrel's oak opens in stages. It is a rye for slow sipping, and it has the weight to anchor a serious Old Fashioned or Manhattan if you choose to spend it that way.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "Double Oak" mean at Kentucky Peerless? The whiskey matures in two separate new oak casks in sequence, giving it two full barrel extractions — more oak influence, complexity and mouthfeel than a single-barrel ageing, with barrels deliberately selected for the process.

What proof is Peerless Double Oak Rye? It is bottled at barrel proof with no water added, so the exact proof varies from batch to batch — check the bottle in hand for its batch proof.

What is sweet mash? A fermentation method using a fresh yeast mash for every batch, rather than carrying over a portion of a previous mash as sour mash does. Peerless uses strictly sweet mash for all of its whiskeys — unusual in Kentucky, where sour mash is the norm.

Is Peerless whiskey sourced? No. Every drop is distilled, aged and bottled by Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. in Louisville, Kentucky — grain-to-bottle, non-chill filtered.

Two new barrels, one sweet mash, bottled at full barrel proof — order Kentucky Peerless Double Oak Rye online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.