Kentucky Peerless Barrel Proof 2 Year Old Rye Whiskey
Kentucky Peerless Barrel Proof 2 Year Old Rye Whiskey is a 750mL Kentucky straight rye whiskey from Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. in Louisville — grain-to-bottle and never sourced, made by a strictly sweet mash, never chill-filtered, and bottled at barrel proof with no water added, so the exact proof varies by batch and is printed on each bottle's label. The 2-year bottling was the revived distillery's first whiskey release in 2017. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- Proof: Barrel proof — varies by batch (documented bottlings run roughly 107.6–111.6 proof); see the bottle label for this bottle
- Size: 750mL
- Age: 2 years, as titled — the original 2017 release's statement
- Origin: Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co., Louisville, Kentucky (DSP-KY-50)
- Mash: Strictly sweet mash — every batch starts fresh, no backset; as a straight rye it is at least 51% rye grain by law (the exact recipe is undisclosed)
- Bottling: Barrel proof, no water added, never chill-filtered; barrels entered at a low 107 proof per the distillery's own comparison material
A Century Gone, Then Sweet Mash in Louisville
Peerless began in Henderson, Kentucky, where Henry Kraver — a Polish immigrant entrepreneur — acquired the Worsham distillery in 1889 and incorporated the Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. in 1907. Production was suspended in 1917 for wartime grain conservation, the distillery was dismantled after Prohibition, and the name slept for roughly a century. Kraver's great-grandson Roy "Corky" Taylor and his son Carson rebuilt it in downtown Louisville — distilling from 2015 in a roughly 115-year-old industrial building, and re-acquiring Kraver's original plant number, DSP-KY-50, a number modern distilleries almost never recover. The first new Peerless whiskey, released in 2017, was this rye, aged two years — made the house way, with a sweet mash (fresh water, grain and yeast every batch, where the industry standard is sour mash), low barrel entry proof, no chill filtration and no water at bottling. Browse the distillery on the Peerless vendor page and more Kentucky rye in our whisky collection.
Tasting Notes
Per the distillery's own description of its Small Batch Rye: well-balanced, with sweet tones of maple, brown sugar and light citrus sweetness, a hint of oak on the finish, and notably no harsh burn for a barrel-proof rye — a rye positioned for sipping. Reviewer Fred Minnick, quoted by the distillery, praised a buttery mouthfeel with toasted rye and baking spice.
How to Enjoy
Neat, then water by the drop — Peerless bottles it uncut precisely so the drinker, not the distillery, decides the proof. It also anchors a full-strength Manhattan. More barrel-proof bottles are in our whisky collection and the full range in our spirits collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What proof is Kentucky Peerless Rye?
Barrel proof — it is bottled with no water added and never chill-filtered, so the proof varies from batch to batch; documented bottlings run roughly 107.6 to 111.6 proof. The exact proof of any bottle is printed on its label.
What is a sweet mash?
Each batch starts with fresh water, grain and yeast, with no recycled stillage (backset) carried over — the opposite of the sour-mash method most Kentucky distilleries use. Peerless is known for doing every batch this way.
Is Peerless rye sourced?
No — the distillery's own tagline is that every drop is honestly crafted and never sourced, made grain-to-bottle at its Louisville distillery, DSP-KY-50.
Sweet-mashed, uncut, and a century in the making — order Kentucky Peerless Barrel Proof Rye Whiskey online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.