Peerless Rum Barrel Finished Rye from Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. has been aged in new oak and finished in rum barrels. Non-chill filtered, barrel proof, strictly sweet, and bottled at 103.4 proof with no added water. Kentucky Peerless Distilling Company began in Henderson, Kentucky in the early 1880s and has been distilling whiskey ever since. During the Prohibition era, Peerless products were some of the few available by prescription for medicinal use.