WhistlePig 6 Year PiggyBack Bourbon

Annoyingly, I started to type out a very well thought out note on this selection and my computer decided it wanted to restart for no apparent reason. Urgh. Anyway... A distillery I never thought I'd really give a chance to before was Whistlepig. As I've stated in a previous review, I am very much NOT a Rye drinker. But I've recently taken a fascination to mixing Manhattan and Old Fashioned cocktails and nothing but the bold spice of a good Rye will do in those. So here we are. And as always, I simply must taste everything neat at least once.... The nose is a tidal wave of sweet on this bourbon. A surprise ~ I thought I'd be met with tannins and spice as is traditional with anything Rye forward. Not so here ( but then again.. I'm not 100% what the mashbill blend is here ). The nose does have a very faint, underlying hit of ethanol from the proof but it really isn't bad at all. What is the prevailing scent here is a thick, creamy combination of vanilla, maple syrup and brown sugar. As you smell deeper into the glass, some baking spice and faint hint of tannic oak mingle with stewed cherries. But really that mega sweet front on that nose runs the show. The front of taste is sweet, thick and creamy... almost cloying. Vanilla, maple syrup, and brown sugar combine with a surprisingly viscous mouth feel. As that taste goes down, spicy cinnamon and peppercorn makes your tongue tingle and ushers in tannic oak to mop up all that sweetness from the front. The finish is a great balance of sweet, spice and tannins. On top of that, the viscous mouthfeel from the taste remains and leaves a long lasting, oily finish. Peppercorn keeps your tongue tingling as the oak really opens up. A faint, underlying vanilla sweetness underlines the whole finish and beautifully wraps up this taste. I'm.... pleasantly surprised. For such an affordable bottle from a distillery I thought I'd hate... I'm actually very impressed with their 6 year bourbon. Be it in a cocktail or neat, this is a great addition to your home bar, indeed.

Pretty good, but strong burn crowds out some of the taste