This episode starts with a long-awaited moment.

We finally open a Peerless Double Oaked Bourbon, a bottle that’s been sitting on the shelf for a while, signed at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival and calling out to be opened.

We talk through what makes Peerless different as a distillery, including their sweet mash process, barrel-proof approach, and double oaked finishing. The result is a rich, dessert-like bourbon that easily stands alongside some of the best double oaked expressions out there.

From there, the conversation shifts.

We discuss a creator attempting to visit every stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and ask whether it’s actually possible to have a “bad” distillery experience.

It leads to a surprisingly hard question:

And even then, the answer isn’t straightforward.

This episode is about great bourbon, memorable experiences, and why some distilleries, like Peerless, are worth going back to again and again.

00:00 Opening the bottle