Review: WhistlePig Old World Rye Whiskey
Sample bottle provided by WhistlePig
AT A GLANCE
Owned by: WhistlePig and Moët Hennessy
Distilled by: Ross & Squibb (formerly MGP), Lawrenceburg, IN
Blended by: WhistlePig, Shoreham, VT
Spirit Type: Rye Whiskey
Mash Bill: 95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley
Still Type: Column Still
Age: 12 Years
Strength: 43% ABV
Price: $160
Between 2007 and 2008, Raj Peter Bhakta founded WhistlePig and purchased 5,000 gallons of extra-aged Canadian rye whiskey from Alberta Distillers. The barrels were stored on a farm Bhakta purchased in Shoreham, VT and successfully launched their flagship expression, a 10-year-old 100% rye whiskey in 2010. Four years later, WhistlePig faced a class-action law suit claiming that it deceived its customers by not clearly stating on its label or website that the whiskey was distilled in Canada, however this suit was voluntarily dismissed in 2016. It was also around 2014 when Master Distiller Dave Pickerell helped WhistlePig source 12-year-old barrels or MGP's 95% rye whiskey and then finished it several Sauternes, Madeira, and Port casks. The result of which became their Old World Rye. Then in 2015, WhistlePig began the process of converting the 100-year-old barn on its Vermont estate into a distillery and two years later they released their first edition of WhistlePig Farmstock which was a blend of their 1-year-old rye, with 5-year-old Aberta rye, and 12-year-old MGP rye. Until their Vermont distilled rye gets much older it is likely WhistlePig will continue to source and blend from multiple sources including their own. Lastly, in 2019, WhistlePig sold a minority stake to a Chicago based investment firm which allowed Bhakta to fully exit the company. And in 2020, Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy purchased a minority stake in the WhistlePig which gave Moët Hennessy rights to distribute the brand outside the US.
TASTING NOTES
Nose: The nose is super bright and fruity with an underling layer of fennel and warm oak spice. The fruit is an intriguing mix of apple, pear, peach, blackberries, and raspberries.
Palate: On the palate there are notes of honey covered slices of peach, mixed with stronger oak and caramel flavors followed by a light note of fennel as the whiskey moves to the back of the palate.
Finish: The whiskey has a medium long finish with notes of oak and bright ripe plum.
Conclusion: Despite its 12-year age statement WhistlePig's Old World Rye is incredibly youthful and vibrant. And even with the variety of finishing barrels used the whiskey is not overly sweet and does a good job of melding into a single complex flavor rather than several distinct parts. This is definitely a sipping whiskey and as the question of whether it is worth $160 that depends on you, but I would say if you have the chance to try it at a bar, do so.