Peerless Master Distiller - Caleb Kilburn

Caleb sharing his experiences with us on our podcast.

Peerless Distillery is one that takes pridein its unique fusion of heritage andmodern innovation.

The distillery was started in the early 1880s by Henry Kraver, a banker by trade. By 1889, he had increased production from eight to 200 barrels of whiskey per day.

Unfortunately, when prohibition laws were enacted, production at Peerless ceased and the remaining 63,000 bottles were sold off for medicinal purposes.

Years later, Kraver's great-grandson and great-great-grandson, Corky and Carson Taylor, moved to Kentucky and purchased the 120 year-old tobacco warehouse that is home to the distillery today.

On March 4th, 2015, the revived PeerlessDistilling Co. filled it's first new barrel of bourbon.

We were fortunate enough to be invited out and get an interview with Caleb, the master distiller behind the bottles.

The beautiful fusion of modern equipment and the historic architecture is absolutely striking.

Caleb's first real statement during our interview mirrors the history of the distillery itself. That is, pulling yourself up by the bootstraps, and doing something meaningful and impactful.

Caleb was there with the team pulling up boards and actively becoming part of the rebirth of the brand. This gives him a unique pride and purpose in his distilling that you can really sense in the care he takes with his craft.

Caleb isn't afraid to tell it like it is or get things done. He's been hard at work creating the distinct red and green bottles denoting the Peerless Bourbon and Rye expressions that have been coming to the forefront of the whiskey scene as of late.

However, Caleb shares our passion for stories and history. He's translating that love of uniqueness into his single barrel program, available only at the distillery.

The bourbon is sweet and the rye has a bold and earthy flavor. Both qualities you want in your drams. But, the single barrel program at Peerless is something different.

Caleb crafts unique stories within each of these barrels. There are no additives to these single barrel project releases, just a dance between barrels or choose a unique wood or barrel charring.

He hit it on the head when he said that sometimes, when he's tasting and screening the barrels, there's just one that's so unique it deserves its own bottling.

We were able to try the upcoming Smokehouse single barrel, and, let us tell you that it is unbelievable.

It's full of hickory, smoky, thick, and is absolutely beautifully balanced. The crazy part is that the only difference is that 2-3 months into it being filled, there was a leak and they had to change to a new barrel.

If you have the opportunity to visitPeerless, do it, grab a single barrel, and ask for Caleb.

"If you grabbed barrels that all tasted the same, it would be so boring. Imagine you were cooking at home and you only used black pepper.Granted, I like black pepper, but I need some Diversity.

- Caleb Kilburn