WhistlePig The Boss Hog V: The Spirit of Mauve

Read Fetness’ comment below - it’s spot on for my judgement. Pretty complex rye, lots of spice and subtle heat. Worth the pour!

Taste of a $500 bottle for $10? Don't mind if I do!

concentrated goodness. too expensive for me though and not so much better than origional

This was 48 USD for 1.5 oz pour. Sample rating: average +7 = 3.5 / 5 with the price factored in. My new scoring system goes from minus infinite to plus infinite, and 0 is the Glenfiddich 12. There's is thus no pressure in overrating something too close to some maximum possible score. +7, I've decided, is a great score. I may purchase a bottle of this $500 rye. Listen: there is no logic behind paying that price for a bottle of liquor; you buy it for illogical reasons... and the market. The truth is, if Boss Hog was reasonable at $100-200, it would no longer be on the shelves, and the secondary market would price this at closer to $1000. The price tag keeps the flippers out of it, and makes this available to true fans of rye. But I don't even like rye! It's not logical. But the story about a Pig named Mauve and her love of apples adds to the emotional tug. The Boss Hog series has gotten better and better at balancing out special casks with a pretty solid aged rye. The herbaciousness of the rye is a great backbone for all types of fruits, and the highlight here is apple. You can taste the Calvados influence here. There's caramel apple, apple pie, and even tartness of green appleskins. At the same time, the rye is not lost, and this is truly a perfect marriage. This Boss Hog V is much gentler than Boss Hog IV (The Black Prince), which is a maelstrom of dark fruits and spices. I can actually taste this neat, where I had to add water to the previous two Boss Hogs. To compare it to the two previous Boss Hogs: III (The Independent) at ~$350: Pretty average dram, and definitely not worth it. IV (The Black Prince) at ~$450: Mindblowing, and I bought a bottle without hesitation after trying it. V (Spirit of Mauve) at ~$500: Very good, and I am considering buying a bottle.