Peerless: Distillery Profile

Kentucky Peerless Distilling Company is a bourbon and rye distillery at 120 North 10th Street in Louisville, Kentucky. It revived a family distilling name that dates back to 1889.

The family and the name

The Whiskey Wash (24 September 2019) reports that Corky Taylor, fourth generation and CEO, set out to bring back his great-grandfather's legacy, which originally started in 1889. Flaviar adds that Henry Kraver bought the Worsham Distilling Company in Henderson, Kentucky, and built Kentucky Peerless into a whiskey making powerhouse in the late 1800s. Corky Taylor and his son Carson later brought the business back to life in Louisville.

The Murray Ledger reports that the revival is based in a building from the 1890s at 10th and Main streets in Louisville.

Production

Barrelling began in March 2015, working on bourbon and rye one barrel at a time. The Whiskey Wash says Peerless uses a sweet mash rather than sour mash, non-chilled filtration, and barrels its spirit at 107 proof. It bottles its whiskey at barrel strength.

In 2019 the distillery released its first bourbon in 102 years. The Whiskey Wash reports it sold out on its first day in Kentucky in June that year and was then moving towards national distribution. Peerless describes itself as American made down to the bottle and says it never sources whiskey from elsewhere.

Visiting

Peerless runs distillery tours in downtown Louisville. Check the distillery for current tour times and range details.

Sources: The Whiskey Wash (24 September 2019), Flaviar (15 January 2020) and the Murray Ledger (11 March 2019).