Whistlepig 10 Year Small Batch Rye

Excellent rye if a bit pricey

Maple syrup on the nose with hints of vanilla, pleasant burn on the tongue with lingering spice on the finish.

Honey smell, sweet

Sweet start with a spicey kick

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: Bright and shiny. No cereal grain character here - we're dealing with vanilla, red apples, cinnamon... We're way out of Scotch territory. This leans way more into baking spices and anise - is this a rye? The vanilla and oak influence is a little more subdued than your standard rye, though there's no "new make" funk going on either. I'd guess that's hinting at either different barrels or a milder climate with moderate age. There's a particular label with a profile that lines up with this, but I'll wait until the palate and finish for that guess. Ethanol content seems to be maybe around 45%? Apple pie with vanilla whipped cream. Slightly herbal, with touches of dill, thyme, basil. Palate: Vanilla, baking spices, and oak. A touch of brown sugar pops in. Hints of dill and thyme balanced against apples, apricots, under-ripe persimmons. This is a pie with different fruits and a whole bunch of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, anise, etc. Some fennel coming in. Cheap bubblegum. Mint. Calling it now - this is reminding me a whole lot of whistlepig. That heavily spiced fruit pie is what's tipping me off. This becomes more intense as it runs from the front of your palate to the back. While it's overall very "bright", there's nothing jagged or harsh. Medium light mouthfeel. Finish: We start off with a gentle rush of ethanol, thyme, dill, and fruit. Foundational oak flavors are revealed and persist. On top of that, we get a dance of black pepper, cooked red and green apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, vanilla, and cream. As things fade out, the vanilla, oak and cream stay behind, giving us a medium long length to the finish. Other notes: WP 10 is a favorite at bars, though the 12 is a tad more interesting for my tastes. The palate gave it all away - WP's overall profile stands out to me in the best way possible. And while I feel their whiskeys are a tad expensive for what they are, they are admittedly one of those that I come back to from time to time, surprised by how much better they are than I recall. Proud of what I got from this one - the guess on climate and barrels was a good one, since they're using Vermont oak (and are also aging there), which apparently has a tighter grain structure. That, plus the different climate, makes sense here, allowing this to get all the way to 10 years without the oak presenting as strongly as you'd expect. In all my years of drinking this, however, I've never actually looked at the proof, which sits at a comfortable 100. The proof/oak/peat distinction journey continues. Learned some more in the process and feeling good about this so far. Until next time, cheers!

My favorite whiskey to date

The nose is surprising. The first three things that came to mind were not terms I typically use to describe straight, unfinished whiskey: 1) cherry Robitussin cough syrup; 2) red hard candy; and 3) brandy. The longer I smell it, the more brandy I get, but with a distinct sweetness to it, like an orchard fruit brandy rather than cognac or armagnac. I'm really loving how this smells. The taste reminds me almost exclusively of brandy. Pear, apricots, white wine, and peach blossom all come through - and dominate - until the very end when the rye spice just starts to trickle in. The mild Canadian takes over the finish and lasts an exceptionally long time. This is a fantastic everyday drinker although it definitely prices itself out of that class.