Rye Whiskey, United States / Vermont

Whistle Pig was founded on the banks of Lake Champlain in Vermont in 2007 by Raj Peter Bakta and David Pickerel, former master distiller at Maker’s Mark. Produced primarily from rye (96%), maize and malted barley, this version is punctuated by fruity, floral and woody sequences whose complexity, depth and noble expression are a stunning ode to rye.

TASTING NOTES

Nose : Refined, distinguished. The milky (coconut, rice), deliciously caramelized and fruity (mango, apricot) first nose is also marked by a cereal dimension (rye). Allowed to breathe, this fruity register is fleshed out with more fruits (pear, black grape, melon) and spices (curry, clove).

Appearance : Copper highlights.

Palate : Rich yet subtle. Powdery (cocoa), vegetal (celery) and spicy (ginger, nutmeg), the attack is slender and refined. Not to be outdone, the mid-palate ventures into delicate floral (wilted rose, hibiscus, lime blossom) and fruity (quince, mango) lands.

Overall : Long, dynamic. Medicinal (tiger balm) and hot flavours take over the palate. Little by little, the after-taste takes us inside a bonded warehouse saturated with the nuanced scents of new oak, spices (cardamom, clove) and tertiary tones (lichen, date, fig).