I had to be amused by the journey our 1st sample has taken. Originally from Canada – like me – it then was aged at WhistlePig Farm in Vermont. To then be rebottled by the folks at Drinks by the Dram in the UK and finally shipped off to me in Nurnberg, Germany.
But this was no normal WhistlePg in my wee advent calendar of single casks – nope! This was a single barrel release at cask strength.
WhistlePig 10 Year Old 54.3% – Drinks By The Dram Exclusive
- Nose – It started off with typical rye, some spice, cloves, orange peel, honey and oats, porridge, sweet caramels, hint of mint and a touch of oak
- Palate – Had all the lovely elements of rye, some caramel, spice, more of the honey and oats, more of that butterscotch… it reminded me a bit of stroopwaffles
- Finish – Light liquorice, butterscotch
- Water – Racks up the spice, the rye became even more prominent, more barley and less honey, the light brown black liquorice danced on the palate, lots of spice on the finish in a most delicious way
I have to admit upfront that I’m not normally a rye fan. But this was a darn good dram. Nothing about it was harsh, and whilst there was no major variation and you couldn’t call it complex, it was full flavoured and really quite enjoyable and well balanced.
And my companion? Let’s just say she discovered that she absolutely IS a rye fan! Particularly for this one.
What do the folks over at WhistlePig have to say about the standard expression?
The spirit of entrepreneurship.
Fortune, superb taste, and hustle lead us to the discovery of an aged Rye Whiskey stock in Alberta, Canada. We rescued the stock from misuse as a blending whiskey, aged it in new American Oak, then hand-bottled this rye on its own. We’re honored to present the most awarded Rye Whiskey in the world.
- Nose – Allspice, orange peel, anise, oak, char and caramel
- Palate – Sweet; hints of caramel and vanilla, followed by ryespice and mint
- Finish – Long finish; warm butterscotch and caramel
Here are a few others we tried from my advent calendar minis:
- Dalmore 14 Year Old 2003 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)
- Heaven Hill 8 Year Old 2009 (cask 152736) – Revival (The Higginbottom)
- Caol Ila 8 Year Old – Provenance (Douglas Laing)
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