WhistlePig 6 Year PiggyBack Rye

This one has a very pleasant nose to start off. I'm getting honey, green apples, and then a little bit of anise and ethanol. It has a very oily mouthfeel, but almost none of the herbal and spice notes you would expect for a rye. Instead I'm getting vanilla and some more honey. The spice does make an appearance at the end, along with some spearmint. Not blown away by this by any stretch, but it is certainly a pleasing pour nonetheless.

Not bad. Was surprised at the smoothness. Solid daily sip for me. Fits right into that category.

Nose - toffee, anise, black pepper, vanilla, orange zest, mint, clove, toasted oak, earthy vegetal notes, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - butterscotch, orange, marshmallow, vanilla, sour apple, anise, bitter herbal notes, graham cracker, chocolate, nutmeg, sweet oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with rye spice, citrus, and sour apple flavors. This is the youngest WhistlePig product I’ve tried. I understand that it’s targeted for mixing. At $50 a bottle near me, it’s just a hair more expensive than my current New Riff Rye house mixer, which is right at the top end of what I’m comfortable spending in this category. The nose is sweeter than I remember other WhistlePig’s being. The anise and mint are strong, but there’s some nice orange, toffee, and toasted oak in the bouquet as well. The palate brings the youth I was expecting to find. There some sour apple flavors alongside butterscotch, chocolate, and sweet baking spices. I was expecting to like this less than I do. It can’t compete with the sippability of the double digit age stated WhistlePigs, but I think it’s pretty decent. In the end, I prefer New Riff’s spicier profile and the extra ABV to hold its own with dilution, so I’m not making any changes to my existing house rye mixer.

Spicy on the nose, with notes of vanilla and pepper. Sweet then spicy on the palate, with notes of caramel and cinnamon.

Spicy hit of vanilla with a oak smooth finish