James E Pepper Bourbon 6 Years (aka James E Pepper 1776 Bourbon 6 Years) is sourced MGP bourbon made using MGP’s high rye mashbill and delivered non-chill filtered at 46% ABV. Though I wish they had bottled it at 50% like they do all of their NAS products.
Looking through their past releases It seems like anything that carried an age-statement got reduced down to 92/91 proof which is a bit silly in my mind. If you can deliver at least at 50% why not do it and charge a wee bit more? Consumers will always appreciate it, but hey, I don’t own the brand I jut drink the whiskey.
We already hit a brief history in the James E Pepper Rye, so there’s not much else to go over here, so let’s shimmy on down to the James E Pepper Bourbon 6 Years review.
Whiskey Review: James E Pepper Bourbon 6 Years
In James E. Pepper’s Words: James E Pepper Bourbon 6 Years
“Sold Out” <- personal pet peeve; just because you don’t currently carry it anymore doesn’t mean you should remove all the info about it. Keep that info live so people can find out more about it if they find a bottle or bought one and then open it years later.
James E Pepper Bourbon 6 Years price, ABV, age and other details
Region: Indiana, USA
Distiller: MGP
Bottler: James E. Pepper
Mash Bill: 60% Corn, 36% Rye, 4% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 6 Years
ABV: 46%
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Price: $35 (when it was available)
James E Pepper Bourbon 6 Years Tasting Notes
EYE
Amber
NOSE
Heavy dark sweets, oak, dilly herbal character, grain, raspberry heavy dark fruit, chalk and a bit of tropical fruit, vanilla and leather.
PALATE
Oak, toffee, dark sweets, cinnamon, dill, biscuits, vanilla, fruit, citrus, Smarties and light bits of cocoa powder and butter.
FINISH
Long -> Oak, caramel, dilly spice, vanilla and cocoa.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Well balanced, round body and a warm silken feel.
James E Pepper Bourbon 6 Years Review – OVERALL
James E Pepper Bourbon 6 Years is a really nice bourbon. It has a sweet and rustic character that comes across comforting and warm with a soft delivery that’s almost oily. I would be happy to have this whiskey in my glass any day, it’s a solid daily drinker and it’s too bad it’s discontinued.
However, there’s no need to despair, we just need to wait 6 years and we’ll get to try it from the distillery itself and since it’ll be made by one of the distillers who made the stuff in this glass it should end up being at least as good as this. At least that’s the theory, we’ll patiently wait and see how that theory pans out.
SCORE: 87/100 (B+)
