Whistlepig 18 Year Double Malt Rye (1st Edition)

Nose: Honey, Carmel Vanilla Candy, Earthy, Baking Spices Taste: Vanilla, Carmel, Bread, Earthy, Pepper Spice

It’s been a while, friends! Tis the season for vacations.... and holiday parties.... and +1’s. I will keep this brief as holiday parties are neither the ideal place for detailed notes nor Glencairns. But I do consider myself lucky for getting to test the limits of just how “open” the open bar was. It was pretty open considering I got my hands on a very generous pour of Whistlepig Double Malt Rye 18 Year Old... Very light and fresh herbal nose. Surprising lack of spice. Soft, creamy, and relatively light bodied on the palate, with predominantly herbal notes. Vanilla, lemongrass, mint, and other garden herbs. The finish was nice and long, with oaky chocolate and a bit more spice coming through. All in all, an inoffensive offering but it didn’t really jump out to me as extraordinary and it definitely didn’t make me want to run out and drop $600+ for a bottle (even if it has a very classy, hand-pressed top). I wouldn’t recommend purchasing a bottle - try to find a pour first if you are deeply curious about it but even then I’d hesitate to pay the asking prices. I’d rank this along with other drams that are fairly well executed but also not all that memorable. Thank goodness I didn’t have to pay the iron price to sample this! 3.5 ~ Above Average

Honey and some well balanced upfront spice slowly lead to a brown sugar and wood charred finish. Finish is smooth. Expensive bottle, but very delicious and complex.

Nose: Classic, classic, classic Whistle Pig - apples, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. Oak, vanilla, tannin. - some barrel bitter. Slightest sharpie quality. Palate: Under-ripe apples, hot cinnamon, oak, tannin and barrel bitter. Vanilla. Honey. Toasted cereal grain. Mint. Earthy, like black olives. Metallic, cardboard. Dry. Beautifully long finish.

Soft on the nose and in the mouth, this leans more to a bourbon palate than the spicy signature I expect of Whistlepig. Where it redeems itself is on the finish, which is long and chocolatey. Worth tasting if you’re offered a pour - I got a couple at a tasting event this evening - but there’s no reason to add to your home bar unless you must have the beautiful bottle it comes in.

So very light. The mouthfeel is bold, but holds little to no flavor. Just soft sweetness, lightly floral, and a small zing of lemon zest. The finish is unexpectedly short and leaves you wondering why on earth someone would pay anywhere close to MSRP for the inoffensive if not bland addition to the Whistlepig line up.