WhistlePig 15 Year Estate Oak Rye

Qty 1

Whistlepig was founded by Apprentice contestant Raj Bhakta in January of 2010. The company and distillery operation are located on a 500 acre farm he purchased 3 years earlier in Shoreham, VT. Successfully securing the services of master distiller Dave Pickerell (Maker’s Mark), Whistlepig began life as a bespoke whiskey producer and finishing agent specializing in rye whiskies sourced from MGP of Indiana and Alberta Distilleries of Canada. Distilling operations began in 2015 after several successful releases of award winning whiskies. This review covers their 15yo Vermont Estate Oak expression sourced from Alberta and finished for 6 months in charred new oak grown locally on their farm. The attraction of the American white oak grown here relates to the ring density of the trees due to the short growing season. They claim this adds additional flavor and complexity to their whiskey over white oak grown much further south. American white oak is also the wood required to age bourbon. Over the last year, I have become a big fan of good rye and can see why it has been gaining in popularity. Rye contains the least amount of sugar of the 4 primary grains used to make whiskey, so if you like dry, then give it a try. I decided to compete this 46% ABV rye whiskey against 3 others without regard to pricing: Col. EH Taylor Straight Rye, 50% ABV; Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye (Jim Murray’s World Whiskey of the Year in 2016), 45% ABV; and Bulleit Rye, 45% ABV. Whiskies were rated in 4 different categories: Nose, Spicy Palate, Dry Palate, and Finish. 10 points were awarded per category (1st- 4 points, 2nd- 3 points, 3rd- 2 points, 4th- 1 point). Taking 1st place on the nose was Bulleit Rye. It exhibited an unusual and unique nose consisting only of baking spices and oaken tannins, with no hint of vanilla or fruitiness that were readily apparent in the Colonel and Whistlepig. I found this to be different and appealing. The nose on the Crown NHR was pleasant but faint in comparison to the other 3. The Colonel and Whistlepig were tie for 1st place in the Spicy Palate category where the spice was greatly enhanced by vanilla, red fruits, and a touch of caramel. Here, a tad of sweetness complimented well and helped to deliver the victory. Bulleit was next in this category with good spiciness, but a little flat. The Crown, again, pulled up last with faint spices and little help elsewhere. For those who like dry over sweet I decided to make things fair by adding the category of Dry Palate. Here, the Crown NHR took 1st place with Bulleit taking 2nd, followed by Whistlepig and the Colonel. In the final category of Finish, again, the Colonel and Whistlepig were tied for 1st with lengthy and satisfying finishes. Bulleit was next and the Crown was last and lacking in robustness in comparison to the other 3. In tallying the points, there was a 3-way tie for 1st place, with the Colonel, Whistlepig, and Bulleit all receiving 11 points and the Crown NHR taking only 7. As a tiebreaker, I decided to add a 5th category called Balance and Likeability, since 2 whiskies were clearly better than the others. So, at the finish line, Whistlepig takes 1st in this category by a hair over the Colonel to secure the overall victory. Whistlepig - 4.5 stars; the Colonel - 4.4 stars; Bulleit - 4.00 stars; and Crown NHR - 3.75 stars. As an aside, I had already tasted all 4 of theses rye whiskies separately, and on several occasions previously.