PRICE: $400-800. The suggested retail is $500. Some stores do have it on shelf for less, some still try to mark up an already high price. INFO: Indiana rye whiskey distilled at MGP, barrel aged for 14 years, and finished in French casks that once contained Armagnac. This is bottled barrel-strength at 59.6% ABV. This won best whisk(e)y in the world at the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. NOSE: 96/100. Bottomless complexity. Definitely fruit forward, but the rye spices are not quiet either. I’ve tried the 3rd Boss Hog, The Independent, which was aged in ex-Macallan casks, and the rye was really shut out by the scotch. Since then, WhistlePig has changed the source to MGP rye, which is definitely standing up firmer than Alberta rye. There’s plums, toffee, molasses on top; dark, dark, sweet, rich stuff. Underneath, white grapes and Bartlett pears; vibrant and juicy stuff. Deeper still, are the herbs: dill and mint. PALATE: 98/100. Huge breathtaking explosion of fruit on the arrival that on my first try literally made my eyes bulge. I am instantly reminded of one of my white whales I finally got to try this year: Bruichladdich Black Art 4. But this is even better. Full disclosure: I don’t like strong American ryes yet. I’m trying to develop the appreciation, like someone new to peat might take a while to appreciate Laphroaig 10. Rye is a mere passenger in this bottle, which may upset traditionalists, but I am more than fine with that. In fact, somehow by combining aged rye with Armagnac, there are flavors from almost every other spirit here. There’s a fruity Speyside scotch in here, dark sugars and molasses of rum, roasted cactus of mezcal, caramel and cinnamon of bourbon, and the green herbaciousness of rye. There’s a Christmas baking element to it; and there’s a Christmas tree, pinecones and all, element to it. The intensity is turned up to a thousand, but you don’t get any burn, and this does not need any water to enjoy. FINISH: 97/100. Long, satisfying finish, that is wood-dominant, but has great complexity. I am reminded of roasting marshmellows impaled on a Maplewood twig on an open campfire. Crème brulee. Flowery essential oils. Apricots. And the gentlest amount of peppers and pine needles. OVERALL: This is my whisky of the year. Black Prince translated to the fine dining world would be like Eleven Madison Park. If you like something traditional, like grandma’s lasagna, you’re not going to get it there. But you’ll get something new, bold, and yet honest enough to win over a curmudgeon like me. It’s aged 14 years and costs $500. Why? Because Armagnac casks are expensive and hard to find. Plus it tastes great, is an experience you cannot find in any other bottle, and is presented elegantly. Conveniently, it also prices the bourbon flippers out of the picture, and you actually find this on a shelf. MARK: 97/100. VALUE FOR MONEY: I paid $480 for my bottle, and was previously paying $55 per ounce at a bar. Whether or not you think it’s worth it paying that much to have a whiskey better than any other one you’ve had all year is a matter of how much you make, and how much of it you are willing to spend on a dram, isn’t it? MY RUNNERS UP (i.e. what Black Prince beat): to qualify, this had to be a whisk(e)y that I tried for the first time in 2017 (not necessarily released in 2017). 1) Yamazaki 18 year 2) Longrow Red 12 year Pinot Noir finish 3) Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1 4) Octomore 7.3 Islay Barley 5) Cadenhead 1984/2013 Caol Ila 29 year