Penny for Your Thoughts - Whistlepig 10, Whistlepig 12 Old World
To get into the holiday spirit, we tried two well-known American craft ryes from Whistlepig Distillery.
Whistlepig 10 Rye (50% ABV) - Whistlepig is a hugely popular brand that is among the new wave of bottlers that have found fame by sourcing high-quality liquor and then doing a little bit extra to it and slapping a high-quality label on it. In Whistlepig's case, they searched for, and then sourced, a 1o-year old rye from Canada and finished it in ex-bourbon barrels at their Vermont farm distillery. Also, unusually among American ryes, but somewhat more common in Canada, the sourced liquor is 100% rye. The nose immediately screams well-aged: tons of dry wood, almost like wood shavings, vanilla, nutmeg and rye spice. It's a very "dusty" aroma, missing some of the tropical fruit notes that I find in younger and more vibrant ryes. The palate retains hints of that rye character, with a mild fruitiness that's hard to place. It's spicy and balanced, with some unusual floral notes for a rye, and a discernible amount of mellow caramel and vanilla from those bourbon barrels. Whistlepig 10's curtain call is seven-grain bread, spice, and a very dry and oak-heavy final bow. This is a worthwhile rye to try because of its high age. I personally may prefer ryes in the 8-year old range, based on my love of Angel's Envy Rye, or brands that blend older and younger components, like the scrumptious High West Rendezvous Rye. In a lot of places, this sells for $100, which is not quite highway robbery but also is not exactly great value-for-money. B+
Whistlepig 12 Old World (43%) - If Whistlepig 10 straddles the line on being overpriced, Whistlepig 12 seems like the whiskey world's attempt to prove the aphorism that a fool and his money are soon parted. Sad to say, I did not find much to enjoy in this thinner, older version of Whistlepig, which blends together rye aged in Madeira, Sauternes, and Port. The mixture of finishes sounded pretty impressive to me and I was expecting an explosion of complex flavors. Instead, the immediate and dominant aroma was an antiseptic or cleaning alcohol scent, unexpected given the low proof, and then a dilute mixture of brown sugar and wood. There is a rich, underlying roast grain accompanying each sip, along with some mild honeydew, but that was about it. That being said, the finish was better than the 10, with a nice, lingering mixture of sweet and spicy. This costs $130 around here, but I would have thrown up if I'd paid that price for this rye. I'm wondering what's up here. This came to me courtesy of a sample from a friend, so it's possible that this was just an overoxidized, end-of-the-bottle pour or that the sample bottle wasn't adequately cleaned. I just cannot believe this rye is this mediocre. I'm cautiously providing this score for now, but may try to get another sample and try again later. Stay tuned! C+