63-year-old bourbon is a “time capsule” in a bottle
Thanks to his friend Bill Ambrose, Barry McNees is now the proud owner of a fifth of 100 proof James E. Pepper Bourbon that came out of the barrel in 1945.
A 63-year-old bourbon calls for a very special occasion and McNees, who is developing the $190 million Distillery District arts and entertainment area in Lexington, is patiently waiting for one.
Please note that this bottle of Pepper’s finest is so old it has a cork, not a screw top.
“I lucked into finding that bottle on eBay.” says Ambrose, who was president of Lexington Brewing Co.
“I only paid like 10 bucks for it, thinking it was an empty bottle,” he said. “When it came, it was full … (and) probably worth $1,000 to $1,500. I’ve seen them auctioned for that.”
He immediately thought of McNees because the Distillery District includes the former Pepper distillery, which produced various brands for about 90 years beginning in 1880.
Ambrose’s gift bottle was distilled in 1939 and aged all through World War II.
Although bourbon’s aging process ends with bottling, McNees expects it “to smell a little bit like kerosene when it’s uncorked. You have to let it ‘breathe’ and it begins to take on the authentic smell and taste from 60 years ago,” he said. “It’s a snapshot, it’s a time capsule, it’s what bourbon tasted like back then.”
