WhistlePig 10 Year Small Batch Rye
Mike Rosen

Rye

June 19, 2022

WhistlePig was founded in 2007 by Raj Peter Bhakta when he purchased a dilapidated dairy farm in Shoreham Vermont, and made plans to turn it into a farm to bottle distillery to produce rye whiskey. To accomplish this Bhakta convinced longtime Maker’s Mark master distiller Dave Pickerell to play a major part of this endeavor. Until WhistlePig could get their own distilled whiskey on the market (which is now the Farmstock line), they needed to source rye whiskey from another distillery. Luckily, that same year, Pickerell came across more than 5.000 gallons of some great tasting 10 year rye whiskey in Alberta Canada, which was described as being “profoundly misused”. That initial acquired stock ended up launching WhistlePig’s first bottling with the 10 Year Rye released in the summer of 2010. In 2019, WhistlePig’s board of directors forced Bhakta to sell off his share of the company and exit WhistlePig. Tragically Dave Pickerell passed away in 2018 and is considered to be the “Johnny Appleseed” of craft distilling.

WhistlePig bottles this 10 year rye at 100 proof and is said to have gone through “a unique double barrel process”. WhistlePig isn’t very forthcoming on the specifics exactly what that means. From what I’ve gathered, Alberta Limited Rye is distilled using both a column and a pot still. It’s then aged in new American white oak, used bourbon barrels from Jim Beam (who is the parent company of Alberta Premium) and Canadian ex-bourbon multi-use barrels. I don’t know for how long in each of these barrels the whiskey is aged or if there’s additional aging done in Vermont. Let’s get to it!

Distillery: Sourced from Alberta Distillers Limited. Bottled in Shoreham Vermont.

Proof: 100.

Age: 10 years.

Mash bill: 100% Canadian Rye.

Batch: A/354

Price: Around $83 – 750 ml, $43 -375 ml.

Appearance: Golden Amber.

Nose

Werther’s caramel, rye bread, pine, green tea, dill, lemon citrus, pear, apricot, vanilla, cinnamon, and oak. I’ve always liked Canadian whiskey and this reminds me why. This batch is sweet and herbal upfront mixed with bright lemon citrus, delicious smelling stone fruit and a nice bit of cinnamon spice. The oak reminds me of pine that helps round it all out.

Palate

The nose moves on to the palate very well starting with sweet caramel and rye bread, with a healthy amount of green tea, dill, and pear, apricot and some lemon citrus. The mouthfeel is somewhat thin. Cinnamon spice makes an entrance mid sip that stays in the cheeks with oak that’s both tasty and subdued.

Finish

Cinnamon spice lingers for a very long time along with quite a bit of herbal notes with subtle stone fruit and vanilla. Here, the oak comes alive with delicate tannins that make for a gentle but surprisingly long and very pleasant finish.

Conclusion

Dave Pickerall was a lover of rye. He knew that sourcing excellent Canadian rye as WhistlePig’s first flagship product would set it apart from everyone else, and he was right. I’m a big fan of all types of rye whiskey and as I mentioned earlier and Canadian is one of them. WhistlePig 10 (and Canadian rye in general) has its own flavor profile that I happen to love but there are some who don’t share my sentiment, and that’s understandable. Everyone has their own tastes. The most popular criticism I hear about WhistlePig 10 Small Batch is the price. As much as I wish it was cheaper too, I don’t think WhistlePig 10 year small batch is unreasonably priced given its unique flavor profile and age statement. I also like the proof point which at first wished was higher to give it more complexity, but it’s won me over just the way it is. If a higher proofed, more complex version of WhistlePig 10 is something you’re after, you can find some fantastic single barrel picks out in the wild, which I’ve also purchased, and will review soon. I highly recommend WhisltePig 10 Small Batch. Especially if you’re already a lover of other Canadian whiskey or looking for something that’s not typical of an MGP or Kentucky rye profile.

Rating: 6.5/10.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.

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