WhistlePig 6 Year PiggyBack Rye

The third and final Rye whiskey I'm mustering up the courage to taste is Whistlepig's 6 year Piggyback Rye. As mentioned in prior reviews of Rye whiskies or Rye forward whiskies, I am 100% not a fan of rye. But as I've been experimenting with Manhattan and Old Fashioned cocktails, they are best had with a robust Rye. And of course, as curious as I'll always be: I have decided to try the 3 I've purchased, neat. The nose on this 6 year Rye is significantly spicier than their 6 year Piggyback bourbon. Duh... I know. This nose is much closer to what I expected out of the Rye heavy bourbon of the same name. Astringent rye floats up with spicy peppercorn, cinnamon and dry leather. There's a little bit of singed grass in there... maybe that's the rye I'm smelling. Surprisingly, the taste does open quite sweet and really the palate isn't nearly as tannic and spicy as the nose suggests. Its definitely there, though. Rye spice and peppercorn set the underlying taste but also bring a little tongue tingle that brown sugar and vanilla ride in on. There might be some vanilla in there and at first you'd be fooled to believe the cinnamon on the nose is absent. But as the taste goes down that familiar sweet spiciness of cinnamon comes in strong, along with some tannic oak and hay. The finish is all spicy. The cinnamon and oak that came on late taste stays, some of that dry leather that was found on the nose makes its appearance during the finish. I don't ... hate it. I do like the bourbon more, from the inherent sweetness but I thought I was going to despise this and I don't. It is spicy enough to stand up to a good Manhattan or Old Fashioned but sweet enough to drink neat. That said, I'm still a bourbon man at heart but I'm giving this a solid 3.25 better than average rating.

Review #020 Type: rye Proof: 48.28% Comments: aged 6 years, American oak barrel maturation Tasted after: first up Appearance (no score): Tawny color. Swirling reveals a thin line sticking to the side of the glass, legs are slow to form. Nose: 15/20 Very sweet on the nose, caramel apples, cinnamon, orange juice, and vanilla. Palate: 26/40 Rye spice, brown sugar, and mild honey. Finish: 28/40 Medium alcohol burn, the spice fades to black pepper, almonds, and okay wood. With Water: Didn’t try with water unfortunately. Total: 69/100 Final thoughts: A nice sipper on a cold day, this would make a great cocktail and I’d drink it if offered, but not something I’ll likely ever seek out. 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.

Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Grassy, with some spearmint & hints of vanilla. Palate: Cinnamon and clove with more spearmint. Finish: Medium length with medium heat. Some oaky notes finally arrive. Splash: Spearmint notes really take over. Overall: 8/10 - This is an enjoyable, affordable rye thst has pleasant spearmint notes throughout, and would probably stand up well to cocktails. I haven't tried any other Whistlepig expressions, but this entry level offering makes me want to sample more.

On the nose …spicy rye notes Ist taste… bold spicy sweetness that rolls into grassy and the verge of Hay. Rye spice notes are hitting hard … kinda wierd 2nd taste…. More of the same, spicy sweet light taste with the rye notes … light in color and smooth going down. This is different than the 10 year… but really not a bad bourbon. I was expecting the taste of the 10… but i guess 4 more years of aging smooths out the 100% rye taste. Id recommend this bourbon.

An intense, American Rye Whiskey from Vermont crafted with 100% Rye aged for 6 years in American white oak & bottled at 96.56 proof. It has an aromatic birth with notes of fresh cinnamon, black peppercorn, tangerine & grapefruit zest; while bold life adds notes of cherry, cocoa, cardamom & cured leather; that led spicy death of medium length with notes of baking spices, vanilla & citrus. December 2022

Smell: Apples, cinnamon, warm leather, and a hint of honey. Distant peppercorn. Taste: Warm leather, wet bark, barrel, into toast. Mouthfeel: medium to light Finish: Quick fall with a long tail. Meaning the main experience fell a bit quickly but the secondary notes lingered.