WhistlePig 10 Year Single Barrel Rye

Bottled exclusively for: Indiana Liquor Group Vol. 1 From barrel #119984, Warehouse 6, Rick G, Level 6 116.7 proof, 58.4% ABV I truly will never understand the impulse to create an entire Distiller entry just for individual single barrels, and then watch as everyone slanders every last detail. Then again, they do just let anybody make new entries. That aside, I honestly don't know what compelled me to buy this. Unfortunately, I needed something to help celebrate a new job, and with pickings everywhere being what they are, I guess I went with this overpriced bottle. I actually like the 6 year Whistlepig quite a lot; it's a great rounded Canadian rye whiskey that's good by itself and mixed. Speaking of, Whistlepig should truly be proud of themselves for achieving the American dream: taking another country's product and putting their own name on it. I'd love to actually hear the defense for sourcing Canadian rye and then truly trying to pass it off as their own, but in reality, if I could trick chumps into paying more for a product than it's worth, I'd certainly do it too. Either way, we've got ourselves a proper rye that's cask strength, but I fear there may actually be too much age in this for me to enjoy it. Step 1 on identifying this as a Canadian rye: the color is super light and extremely translucent, likely from aging in an ex-bourbon barrel or other light, non-charred cask. I don't like the idea of missing these charred oak notes, especially since they aren't present on the nose. In it's place, I get some bright grain (disturbing after 10 years) that almost has corn notes to it (god help me if there's corn in this). The rye is here, but very mellowed from the age, taking away any harsh spice or herbaceous notes typical of the grain. Given that the barrel is also only providing light, somewhat floral flavors, there is a lot of empty space here that's taken up by mostly the ethanol and a little spiced rye. Thankfully, the muted notes from the nose do come alive in the mouth, with initial flavors being a little floral along with some honey. It does not take long for the rye to get into the gums, with a medium amount of overall penetration. A little barrel sweetness does actually sneak in near the finish (tasting like a used bourbon barrel), allowing a small amount of caramel to peak through. The finish, however is where the rye really hits, thanks to the cask strength, giving the full bodied spice notes expected of the grain, combining with a mildly dry finish, and numbing the gums like you're about to get a filling from your dentist. Man, Canadians know how to make some rye whiskey. Having said that, I can tell that I would definitely not enjoy this if it weren't cask strength, since the rye really only comes out in the finish, which would be far more muted at a lower proof. Not to mention that it's a cardinal sin to dilute anything that's been aged for an entire decade (looking at you, Jim Beam, and your 10 year Basil Hayden's rye at 80 proof). It's not quite simple, yet not quite complex, but great for high proof lovers of non-American rye, only because it's missing those heavy char notes from a new barrel. Considering I'm not an advocate for heavily aging rye, this is definitely a great offering for a 10 year, and makes me want to seek more Canadian rye cask strengths to compare it to. That said, the price point of this is abysmal, and should never be supported unless you absolutely cannot find a cask strength Canadian rye within a few hundred miles, because any other Canadian distillery will likely be a much better offer.

Review #087 Type: Canadian rye Proof: 54.6% Comments: aged 10 years, American oak barrel maturation, from barrel 85127 Tasted after: WhistlePig Farmstock Rye Crop No. 003 Appearance (no score): Tawny color. Swirling reveals a thin line sticking to the side of the glass, legs are very slow to form. Nose: 15/20 Rye bread, butterscotch, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon zest. Palate: 32/40 The first sip is rather spicy, but by the second it’s immediately much smoother. Rye spice, brown sugar, cinnamon, honey, a little black tea, and a drop of maple syrup. maple syrup, accompanied by spicy oak tannins, Finish: 29/40 Medium-long finish, it plays itself out slowly and isn’t bold. Burnt caramel and black pepper, then the addition of some spicy oak tannins. There’s a hint of wintergreen in the background throughout as well. Slowly the sweet, spicy, and minty fade into a subtle hint of cough syrup, with the ending taste of biscuits on my tongue. With Water: A few drops of water brings out additional honey and introduces some floral notes are present on the nose. The palate sees an increased rye spice kick which also hits a little differently in the back of the jaw. Total: 76/100 Final thoughts: This is a nice bottle of rye, but it’s a rare instance where I prefer the blended ABV option. It has an odd minty and cough syrupy profile that throws off what is otherwise a great final product. Given the choice between buying another bottle of this and the Farmstock Rye, I’d grab the latter. This is technically the second time I’ve reviewed this expression, though admittedly it has been a couple of years. Also this bottle is from another barrel, and I believe each single barrel deserves its own separate consideration. It was fun to go back and review my notes from review #021 after I’d finished and compare. Price: $80 Would recommend: maybe Would buy: no Scoring Legend: 96-100: The perfect dram, absolutely exceptional, nectar of the gods, I will savor this bottle and make it last, 5 stars. 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky, 4.75 stars. 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product, 4.5 stars. 80-84: Quite good, very enjoyable to drink, but doesn’t wow me, 4.25 stars. 75-79: Good, enjoyable but ultimately flawed, unlikely to purchase again, 4 stars. 70-74: A solid dram, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it, 3.75 stars. 55-69: Drinkable, 3.5-2.75 stars. Below 55: Suitable for cooking or direct contribution to the kitchen sink drain, 2.5 stars or less.

Review #021 Type: rye Proof: 53% Comments: aged 10 years, American oak barrel maturation, from barrel 50112 Tasted after: WhistlePig 6 Year Piggyback Rye Appearance (no score): Auburn color. Swirling reveals a thin line sticking to the side of the glass, legs are slow to form. Nose: 14/20 Rye spice dominates, but there’s also apples, mushy bananas, vanilla, and a little must that reminds me of cardboard boxes. Palate: 33/40 Rye spice, cinnamon, a little cayenne pepper heat, orange zest, and a hint of honey. Finish: 30/40 Medium finish. A medium alcohol burn accompanies molasses, big floral and pollen notes, and black pepper that slowly changes to salt. The ending flavors in my mouth remind me of having just swallowed cough syrup. With Water: A drop of water turns up the cinnamon and spice flavors, and decreases some of the botanical notes in the finish. Total: 77/100 Final thoughts: The best part of this dram is the palate, the finish is complex to be sure but I personally don’t love the way the flavors meld together. Price: taste from a friend’s bottle Would recommend: no Would buy: no Scoring Legend: 96-100: The perfect dram, absolutely exceptional, nectar of the gods, I will savor this bottle and make it last, 5 stars. 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky, 4.75 stars. 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product, 4.5 stars. 80-84: Quite good, very enjoyable to drink, but doesn’t wow me, 4.25 stars. 75-79: Good, enjoyable but ultimately flawed, unlikely to purchase again, 4 stars. 70-74: A solid dram, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it, 3.75 stars. 55-69: Drinkable, 3.5-2.75 stars. Below 55: Suitable for cooking or direct contribution to the kitchen sink drain, 2.5 stars or less.

Total Wine and More store pick in Gilbert AZ, barrel # 50112. 106 proof. Nose doesn’t exactly jump out of the glass, but what is here is niiiice. Butterscotch, honey, light potpourri, cooking herbs (basil, oregano), and cinnamon sugar. The total lack of ethanol makes this fun to get in and huff. Palate hits you with mostly the same notes as the nose which is a good thing. The sweetness is definitely honey forward, paired with a little banana, followed by some mild herbals in the form of coriander and mint. What really stands out is how strongly the flavors are integrated and well balanced, letting the herbal notes shine without going full bore into left field. I believe the age on this has rounded off a lot of rough edges. Pleasingly warm tingle on the tongue. Finishes on the shorter side of medium, with a slow morph from the palate flavors into a peppery kick of rye spice. Mouthfeel is medium bodied but decently oily. This one definitely hit he right notes for me, and I would rank it among one of the better ryes I have tried. That said, the price is a bit high at $92 and my rating reflects that; for that price I don’t just want “nice”, I want “stellar” but I don’t regret the purchase either. Considering what’s out there in the rye universe in $50-$70 range (Bonesnapper, Willet 4 yr) it’s hard to justify a rebuy, but don’t let that make you think for a second that it isn’t pretty damn good.

Stewed apples, vanilla, caramel, light oak, clover, eucalyptus and rye bread with caraway seed Sharp and a tad thin but absolutely exploding with flavor. Vanilla, white pepper, cayenne, apricot and a pleasant buttery, yeasty note with just a touch of oak on the medium finish. This is really good but won’t be for everyone. It is so close to the green label Seagrass - and clearly cut from the same DNA. It lacks the viscosity and the swell of fruit and molasses notes, which is to be expected with this being the unfinished base. It pains me to say that this isn’t all that far off from the 16y Gray Label Seagrass. Sure, the extra $200 gets you more viscosity and a bit more maturity with less bite. Also unclear how much variation there is with these SB picks but would easily reach for one once the Seagrass(es) in my cabinet [are] empty. What a find and a big thanks to @ctbeck for sharing!

Corn and citrus and vanilla First sip: WhistlePig never fails to deliver on the fruit for me- citrus and faint banana, and caramel coming behind that. Slightly tannic. It’s not as sweet as the other WhistlePigs I’ve tried- definitely less sweet than the regular 10year. Some definite heat. After it sits: not much change. Maybe some kettle corn, but it’s still more tannic than sweet. With water: I added a bit and it made the eye even hotter… so I added a bit more and it toned it down. It toned down the flavor, though, so that’s a bummer. I’m not one to add ice to my bourbon, usually, but I might consider it with this one. I *like* it (I always like WhistlePig), but I don’t love it. I definitely don’t like it as much as the regular 10-year (I’m trying them side-by-side, because Saturday and Science,) so I’d probably save my money in the future.