James E. Pepper 1776 Straight Rye Whiskey 100 Proof 750ml

James E. Pepper was a Lexington, Kentucky, distiller in the 1800s, and Old 1776 was the brand he introduced in the 1880s. The revived James E. Pepper Distillery is back in Lexington, and this rye is its tribute to that old label.

It's 100% rye from two recipes distilled and aged separately, one of 95% raw rye and 5% malted rye, the other all malted rye. The distillery uses a copper column still and doubler, limestone water from the original well, and barrels from Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville, air-dried and toasted before charring. It's bottled at 100 proof and not chill filtered.

Mint and eucalyptus come first, with clove, chocolate and honey, then rye spice and white pepper.

The distillery pitches it as a Sazerac base, and it suits one. Choose it over Redemption if you want more texture and malt.

Neat, it rewards a few minutes in the glass.

We carry it in the 750ml size. More bottles are under rye whiskey, and the rest of our whiskey is a click away. Pick it up at our Brooklyn store or get same-day delivery in Brooklyn, Manhattan & Queens.