Whiskey Advent Calendar Tasting: WhistlePig Piggyback Rye
This is part of my series on tasting notes from the 2021 Drinks By The Dram Bourbon Advent Calendar.
Whiskey #3 for December 03, 2021: WhistlePig PiggyBack Rye
The distillery
WhistlePig is a relatively new distillery that started in 2007. I remember them being one of the very few 100% rye whiskeys on the market at the time, and they have always been very tasty. They started with previous distilled and aged canadian rye and have since moved into making their own stock.
Today they make a large variation of rye whiskeys in various ages and finishes. I've been a fan of these guys since the beginning, so I have high hopes for this.
The whiskey
This is a 6 year aged Rye whiskey from WhistlePig. This is a 100% rye mashbill which should make it quite spicy and fruity. WhistlePig has this to say:
Nose: Fresh cinnamon, black peppercorn, a hint of tangerine and grapefruit zest
Palate: Powerfully spicy, with cocoa, cardamom and cured leather flavors
Finish: Wonderfully lengthy, with baking spices, vanilla and hints of citrus
Let's see if it holds!
Look
I could say the whiskey is deep russet but we'll go with "ruddy". It has a lovely reddish hint and wobbles well
in the glass when swirled. Lots of glycerine clings to the sides, but it forms surprisingly thin legs that run quickly.
Nose
I get the tangerine smell and some dark fruit, blackberries and currents. I get a little vanilla and cinnamon hiding in the background.
Taste
It is, in fact, very spicy! With lots of vanilla and chocolate. Quite sweet with considerable caramel flavors. Brown sugar and vanilla lingers for a long time on the finish. There's a tiny bit of licorice hiding out in the spice as well which comes out of subsequent sips.
After water
The dark fruit sits down and lets cinnamon come forward making it smell like a Christmas cookie. The taste become very sweet at the front with lots of spice and black pepper. The chocolate sits down, but the vanilla hangs out with the brown sugar. It's lovely both ways, but I like it better with the chocolate front and center.
Summary
A fantastic rye, especially at only 6 years aged. Lots of complex flavor and character. Stands up to neat and dilution well. Is smooth and spicy and I could see it handling a few shakes of bitters all the way up to a complex cocktail. Priced very reasonably on Caskers right now