James E. Pepper 1776 Straight Rye Barrel Proof

A 113.6 proof MGP, NAS rye for $40. Can this compete with the acclaimed Rosseville straight out of MGPs rickhouses? What about with new guys like Pinhook’s 4y Tiz Rye or the formidable Smooth Ambler ryes that again, are all MGP! Honestly, how can there be so much competition among bottlers/producers all using 4 to at most 6y MGP rye? Let’s find out... This one. Priced the same as Pinhook’s Tiz Rye. Why I picked this first, who knows. Light in color and relatively light on the nose. Light caramel notes, pepper, hint of dill and lemon peel (not unlike New Riff’s non-MGP high rye bourbon). Mash bill on this one is 90% rye with the possibility of some corn thrown in. Caramel, a bit of leather, dark chocolate and pepper, perhaps a puff of smoke and hint of #4 char barrel in there. Pretty dang good by my standards. Not as earthy or herbal as a 4y Willett and not as sweet or complex as the everlasting finish of Russel’s single barrel rye. I feel like I’ve seen at least one other enthusiast sipper refer to this as Mexican chocolate and in many ways I see the resemblance! Will have to go back for the Tiz Rye, grab a pour of a friends Rossville and possibly crack a recently unearthed Smooth Ambler 4y rye and let the battle rage on. This one certainly threw its punches today. Until next time MGP rye (next time Gadget, next time).

I really dig the 100 proof. This takes it up a notch. Having it on the rocks tonight. My batch is 58.7% (117.4 proof) ABV. Getting an amazing dill on the nose even with the ice. Great taste that holds up well on ice.

The rye spice is very evident on the nose with notes of artificial orange, varnish, and oak. Dill pickles, orange, and spearmint mingle on the tongue in a not entirely unpleasant way. This is an excellent every day drinker.

So you know them, you may love them or not, but it's MGP and we all know exactly what they are capable of.... OR SO I BELIEVED. Just when I thought I had a full grip on the range of what MGP could do in rye distilling, a monkey named James Pepper comes along and starts slinging wrenches in my works. Given the accolades the standard 100proof Pepper rye has received how could this not be better, and once again we find the higher proof magic is still alive. If I had to guess I'd say this might be an 85/15 rye based on the extra richness and thick, malt like tones, below the lemon grass and pepper nose a detectable dark sweetness lurks and something certainly must be astray here. Along with the lemony sau grass (almost dill), ginger tea and hot spices the nose carries a bit of cola nut sugars and something more, some earthy almost coffee grinds bitterness. This is no ordinary rye and brings more to the table than any 95/5 I've experienced to date. What I don't detect is any obtrusive ethanol or acetates, strong and a bit harsh maybe but still not unrefined. A highly intriguing nose to be sure not for the rank amateur. Out front it's peppery spices, very warm and slow to develop, I like the way it builds to the finish rather than hitting hard and fading fast. The choco dark base develops maybe even a black honey arrives seconds after the opening blitz of spice. Did I say dark honey? This rye seems highly viscous for such a high proof. Even with hints of citric sweetness the bitter nut shells and dank earthy leather tones never lose their grip, amazingly heat free given the tongue numbing treatment it dishes out. The entire experience is though it moves through the mouth with a drinkers feel, meant to be sipped slowly. Turns out the Pepper Barrel proof rye is a bomb of rich earthy dank notes and some familiar rye spices, though they are understated in this form, maybe the real secret of 95 rye is in the cutting, as in DON'T DO IT. After sipping only a little over a shot I believe you will find more dark notes and sugars here, lurking. The minimal early sugars and array of earthy dry to bitter notes are a pretty special treat, kudos to the Master Distiller on this one. Have to agree with CTrexman this is going to be a rye for the experienced drinker and should probably be avoided by the noobs. Well done James Pepper and MGP... you really out thought the competition with the same source ingredients. For a serious veteran rye enthusiast this gets a high recommend. Cheers!

Rye spice, honey, mint, baked apples. Dangerously delicious