James E. Pepper Decanter Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey

The nose is a burst of creamy oak and vanilla, sprinkled with florak rye spice. Touches of citrus follow with a bit of brown sugar sweetness. Very classic bourbon nose on this. The palate is rich and coats the the mouth with oak and spice, giving it a nice chew. Mild vanilla and brown sugar follow in just the right amount to compliment the initial sharpness. This is incredibly well balanced and delicious. The finish is long, chewy and spicy. The mouth stays tingling as flavor can still be found throughout the mouth. A simple flavor profile but done exceptionally well.

Nose offers cedar, cotton candy, berry, vanilla, root beer, walnut, and butter. Unique for sure, but also a little wild. Ethanol is on the milder side, especially after five minutes in the glass. Palate is full of black cherry, cola, caramel, stewed pear, fig, tobacco, and a hint of peanut. Flavors are decently robust. Pleasantly long finish brings salted caramel, toasted oak, nutmeg, finely ground pepper, and leather. Cinnamon note lingers after everything else fades. Mouthfeel is full bodied and a little creamy, which elevates the experience. Nicely unique without any major flaws, I found this enjoyable. At $60, it is priced appropriately for the market and a viable rebuy option for the sake of variety when you’re tired of the same old same old.

Batch No. 0008 52.6% abv; 105.2 proof Open 4 months Nose - Raisins, apricot, fruity candy, vanilla bean, caramel, fake Maraschino cherries, white pepper, medium barrel char, and light ethanol. Palate - Creamy cinnamon glaze, lemon custard, essential oils, golden raisins, Honey Nut Cheerios, and spicy oak. Velvety, viscous, and oily. The mouthfeel is fantastic for the proof. Finish is medium-long with slightly dry oak and char, fresh cracked peppercorns, caramel, cinnamon, medicinal cherries, lemon peel, and medium ethanol. I passed by this bottle for a couple of months. It certainly stands out, one of the most beautiful bottles on the shelves. I passed for multiple reasons. I did not know much about it, there were very few reviews online, typically the nicer the bottle the worse the product and haven't been impressed with the 1776 product line. Then I saw this made Fred Minnick's top 100 of 2023. Then it was highly rated by a few YouTube channels I follow. So I'm glad I was passively peer pressured into buying this because it is great. I can't believe James E. Pepper is getting these flavors out their own juice in purportedly 5-6 years. They must be doing a low abv barrel entry around 105-110 proof, which would explain the incredible mouthfeel. Do not sleep on this bottle. I'm almost out of it, and went ahead and picked up Batch 0022 last weekend. These are so much better than most products around $60.