This rye, finished in virgin Spanish oak and Brazilian teakwood barrels, has a delicious nose, full of vanilla extract, fresh-baked dough, cinnamon, and nougat. It’s consistent on the palate, balancing the sweetness of marshmallow and vanilla frosting with licorice tea, mint, and toasted oak. More toasted oak, cinnamon, and brown sugar on the finish, tinged with bitter black tea. Collectibles

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Winter 2020)

So much wood, so beautifully integrated into dry straw, black fruits, and tart, pink grapefruit juice. Dry, with a farmy earthiness, and like the scotch hogsheads it was finished in, bigger than life. Icing sugar, red wine, and floral perfume. WhistlePig was the original U.S.-bottled Canadian 100% flavoring rye and after 4 years flexing in Vermont its muscles are enormous.

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Spring 2017)

Made using koji during fermentation and finished in barrels seasoned with umeshu, a plum liqueur. Earthy and a bit mysterious, with sandalwood incense, cedar smoke, eucalyptus, barrel char, and sweet aromas of vanilla taffy, key lime pie, and lemon oil. There’s a lot of dry oak on the palate, but it’s balanced with chewy herbs, lapsang souchong tea, pistachio, orange peel, milk chocolate, fennel, and peppery spice. The finish is long, spiced, and herbal, with licorice, mint, eucalyptus, and dry oak. Collectible

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Summer 2020)

Rich and mature with its deep flavors of spiced oak, figgy fruit, and varnish, turning to candy apple, dried flowers, hazelnut, torched sugar, and cracked black pepper. The palate is explosive at full proof, as sweet stone fruit gives way to earthy oak and tobacco. The calvados barrel maturation really sings on the finish, where sweet apple candies and pecan pie meet big cinnamon and ginger spices. Incredibly drinkable at this proof with well-balanced oak.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Spring 2019)

Earthy and pleasantly pungent on the nose, softening in the glass and yielding to aromas of cooked dark fruit, figs, raisins, and nougat. The palate is chewy, rich, and has balanced heat—offering flavors of raspberry preserves and other jammy fruits, along with cinnamon and dark chocolate. Excellent length on a finish of sweet vanilla and more cinnamon, plus subtle red fruit, sweet corn, and an earthy note at the end. Collectibles

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Spring 2022)

Maturity meets verve with aromas of leather, dark berry fruit, and damp earth, lifted by lively spices—clove and cinnamon—along with vivid citrus and licorice nibs. The palate also sits in a sweet spot of maturity, as bright flavors of clove-studded orange and Creamsicle give way to bold peppery spice, before a finish of drying leather with fine oak tannins.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2021)

More Canadian core rye from WhistlePig, this time at full-bore. It’s strong with rye, sweet with melon and dark chocolate notes, but with a wood character like the unfinished inside of an antique oak wardrobe. The antique wood is strong in the mouth, an oddly elegant note, but afterward comes the melon and chocolate, and oily, coiling rye. Interestingly complicated; a bit hard to make friends, but worth the time and effort.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Spring 2015)

Brighter, bigger, and cleaner than its 10 year old stablemate (sty mate?), The Boss Hog squeals delightedly with spring flowers, fall fruit stands, heavy spicy cloves, and delicate esters. The alcohol tickles your nose but is soft on the palate, where fresh-baked rye bread mingles with dusty rye flour and Werther’s caramels. Fruity currents rise over sweet hot chocolate before the sweet spiciness returns for a long, slow fade. Great cask-strength whiskey with no need for water.

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Summer 2014)

Imported from Canada (which suggests that maybe this whiskey was originally intended to be the flavoring component of a Canadian whisky?) and bottled in Vermont. This is a 100% unmalted rye whiskey (much higher than other traditional straight rye whiskeys). Indeed, this whiskey bleeds spices (especially brisk mint, vibrant clove, and teasing nutmeg), but there’s a rich, sweet foundation to balance it all (honeyed vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, and nutty toffee), along with candied citrus and charcoal. Bold, spicy, nutty toffee, butterscotch finish. Very distinctive, and probably a polarizing whiskey.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2010)

WhistlePig does nothing by half measures. They had massive oak trees culled from their Vermont property, coopered into heavily-charred barrels, then used them to finish batches of already mature 100% rye. Layer on layer of soft vanilla, old lumber, cinnamon, fresh orange peels, baking spice, dark fruits, and medicinal hints of resin. Peppery hot and oakily sweet. A slight dustiness and a big juicy butterscotch kiss.

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Summer 2016)

Finished in barrels containing toasted maple-wood baseball bats. The nose is sweet and candied, with bubble gum, Twizzlers, taffy, and cinnamon toast, plus some mint. Earthy, wood-driven spice emerges on the palate, which has more candied flavors and a velvety texture. The finish conveys more spice and has satisfactory length. There is candy store sweetness throughout, underscored by cinnamon and nutmeg, giving it increased dimension.

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Summer 2022)

A lively nose with scents of orange peel, wild strawberries, pepper spice, and herbal tea. The palate presents a balanced offering of cream, orange Creamsicle, and bitter chocolate, all overlaid with a ring of white pepper. The finish is long and silky, with more vanilla, some orange oil, sweet oak, and a hint of jalapeño pepper. Youthful and fresh for its age, with a lively complexity and bold character.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Fall 2019)

A blend of whiskies finished in wine and beer casks that were aged on a rolling rickhouse that drove 6,000 miles. That irregular cask combination is apparent on a jam-packed nose that is super fragrant with grape jelly, lemon Pledge, sunflower seeds, and raw honey. A silky and oily palate has more of that balanced earthy sweetness to it. The finish is a bit bitter with good length though the flavors remain somewhat strange. There’s a lot going on here, but the body and balance are present throughout.

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Winter 2021)

This rye flaunts some obvious age through the wood and varnish notes on its nose; earthy and lean, with ample oak, like opening an old wooden dresser drawer to find a spent sachet hinting of dried flowers and cardamom. The palate offers gentle sweetness, nougat-like, but is driven mostly by toasted pecan and walnuts, with dark chocolate-covered almonds on the finish.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2021)

Regauged into once-used bourbon barrels, this is not the WhistlePig of old. Four years’ finishing in Vermont has toned down the sweetness and high notes, emphasizing a complex, leather/dark chocolate/tobacco spectrum instead. Lavender, violets, and ripe red fruit rise over dusty-dry barn boards, blue clay, and dark rye bread. The spicy rye tones glow with white pepper, while hints of astringent barrel oak keep a slight slipperiness from clinging.

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Summer 2014)

Bright and lively, with violets, plenty of fresh oak, and traces of mint and pine, leading to a palate of butterscotch, bright citrus, warming spice, and sweet vanilla with drying and dusty cocoa. There is a glimmer of youth, expected given that 20% of this blend is their own distillery-made rye, aged less than 2 years. It’s an exciting glimpse of what’s to come, but the younger rye does little to enhance the great stuff they’ve been sourcing.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Summer 2017)

The age is readily apparent on the nose, which offers notes of chamomile tea, spice cabinet, antique store, grape jam, candied orange, and balanced oak. The palate is spicy, with bright citrus flavors, orange peel, pepper, and tingly spice. Water brings out guava, lemon iced tea, and mocha. The finish offers loads of spice, with drying oak tannin and more orange peel, contrasting with a hint of vanilla sweetness. (10,000 bottles)

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Spring 2020)

Whistle Pig raised the share of its own 2 year old rye from 20 percent to 32 percent in this second Farmstock release, balancing it against 6 and 10 year old sourced ryes, like in the 001 release. Fresh oak mixes with vanilla, orange peel, and pepper on the nose, leading to a palate of vanilla and butterscotch. Citrus emerges with water. Pepper notes return on the finish, along with chocolate and caramel. There’s youthfulness here, but also potential.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Fall 2018)