WhistlePig 6 Year PiggyBack Rye

Less complex than other rye whiskey I've had, but very smooth and pleasant.

First of all let this one breathe, I was in a rush and took a sip right away and took an ethanol burn on the nose then overly sweet apple on the palate. I walked away shaking my head for 10 minutes. Coming back to it the nose is nice rye spice and oak, it smells great! On the tongue though there is something off about this, it's oily to the point of being unnatural, like maybe too much glycerin was added. I tried to get some legs in my glencairn glass and they run really thick and oily. At this proof I would expect it to be thin and quick to evaporate on my tongue, but it really coats it and just settles till I swallow. And again with something unnatural... spice I get but it's more like candy cinnamon hearts. I don't know what to do with this one... I splashed it on some cola and it still wasn't super enjoyable. I guess maybe I could just smell it all day. At the price point a bit disappointed.

Solid rye

I really wanted to score this higher but I can’t. It’s really well balanced and made. This was my first experience with a rye. I’ve had some bourbons that that was the second part of the mash bill but not the first. This one took lots of exploring. Very vanilla forward on the nose. I got the apple on the taste and the cinnamon peppery feel on the finish. On about the 3rd or 4th taste I got a little black licorice. Overall though very balanced and mild. I read this was designed to be a mixer and I can see that. It’s a good whiskey but doesn’t stand up on its own very well.

The nose is a nice mix of wheat and vanilla with a hint of cinnamon and results in a mildly sweet smell. The palette fairly well matches the nose, but with an added kick of heat from some spicy notes. The finish is smoother than expected from the heat of the palette, with only a lingering heat and some slight caramel.

Vanilla on the nose. Smooth cinnamon taste, with mild kick before a lingering finish that is buttery and reminiscent of the nose

Really can’t go wrong with anything from these guys. 6 Year Piggyback is definitely still bringing the spiciness of the rye that you’d expect, but noticeably not as smooth as the 10 year counterpart. Still phenomenal