Peg Leg Porker is a bourbon from the Nashville restaurant of the same name. Pitmaster Carey Bringle began the brand in 2015 with the release of Peg Leg Porker 8 year old which was followed by the release of a 12 year version in 2017. Since then, both bottles have been annually released and allocated. I’ll be tackling the 8 year old version here, which I had for the first time in 2018 and have been trying to score a bottle since.
These bottles are sourced from an unconfirmed distillery, but there are rumors that it’s from Dickel. What makes it unique is that it’s filtered through hickory charcoal after aging as opposed to maple charcoal prior. The latter is per the Lincoln County process which is what most Tennessee whiskeys will adhere to.
This pour sat in a glencairn for 10 minutes prior to tasting, while I prepped my cigar setup outside. Scores are between 1 (drain), 2 (finish but wouldn’t order at a bar), 3 (solid pour), 4 (actively seek out) and 5 (whatever it takes).
Peg Leg Porker
Age: 8 years
Proof: 90
Nose:
The color is light but first whiff I get smells dark and smoky sweet like a brown sugar in a BBQ rub. Coming back to it and it opens a bit more with hints of oak and leather. 4
Palate:
Light but oil starts to develop the longer I keep it in the front of my mouth. It’s leathery with cinnamon spice and good, but straightforward and not too complex. The sweetness fades after a bit and turns bitter with hints of licorice. 3
Finish:
Cinnamon and slight heat but after an exhale I start to get burnt sugar. 3.5
Total: 3.5
Man, I really enjoyed this pour. This bottle set me back $45 after tax, and I would pay that again if I ran across it. After I took these notes I sat on my balcony and lit up a cigar; this was a great pairing. If this is Dickel distillate, the hickory charcoal filtering certainly adds a lot to the profile on the nose and finish, and Mr. Bringle along with the folks over at PLP have a great match to their BBQ!
-Tyler