WhistlePig Old World Series Port Finish Rye 12 Year
Rye
WhistlePig // Indiana (bottled in Vermont), USA
RARE
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Cost
The Port barrel-finished whiskey from WhistlePig is the second release in its Old World series, a trio of wine-cask-finished 12-year-old ryes developed by Dave Pickerell, the well-known craft spirits consultant and former Maker’s Mark distiller. Port, a cave-aged fortified wine from Portugal, has an intense sweetness thanks to the use of neutral grape spirit to halt fermentation. That sugariness penetrates the barrel and allows for a powerful jolt of heavy fruit notes to the rye, which is made in Indiana from 95% rye and 5% malted barley.
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age12 Year
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abv45.0
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RyeMash bill at least 51% rye; aged in new, charred oak barrels.
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Cask Typenew, charred American oak; finished in ex-port casks
Tasting Notes
"Jubilant aromas of maple-vanilla cream pie and strawberry shortcake leap to greet you on the nose, then settle down with a few drops of water, which encourages the port barrel wood’s floral sweetness to emerge. But any concern of this being too cloyingly sweet to sip is rendered moot the instant you take a taste and the spicy, peppery rye jumps into the spotlight. It’s that spiciness that takes over, nearly obliterating those playful floral and fruity notes on the long, dry finish. Just a few raisin-y notes linger in the wreckage. "
Reviewed by
Liza Weisstuch