Review #246 - Whistlepig 10 Year Small Batch Rye
While Whistlepig is based in Vermont, the whisky that they source comes from other locations - Alberta, Canada, specifically, for this 10 year blended small batch rye release. Details are relatively sparse coming from the brand, but they do state that this rye whisky has a high proportion of rye grain in the mashbill.
While details of the distillery and the maturation aren't officially released, we do get this at a nice 50% ABV (100 proof), and the 10 year age statement is a solid starting point.
Whistlepig 10 Year Small Batch Rye
USA/Canada - Rye
Current Locally Available Price: USD 90 (2024)
Age Statement: 10 Years
Strength: 50% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 2 months; bottles at 100%, 50%, and 30% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Sharp, sweet, quite herbal; hints of chemical and spearmint, dill, cinnamon, and fizzy menthol smells add to the rye character, while there's sweetness behind that, with saccharine vanilla, light brown sugar, grapefruit, and peppermint candy.
Palate: A medium thickness mouthfeel at most; very raw rye forward, with menthol and herbal mint and dill, some sharper notes like grapefruit and gasoline, as well as some earthy character. Other than the rye notes, we get baking spices of cinnamon, brown sugar, and cardamom; there's no real oak flavor present.
Finish: Herbal and chemical aftertastes, along with black pepper and saccharine sweetness. Menthol and mint, dry herbs, hay, and vanilla; it's a medium length finish.
Final Note: This has a very classic rye character, with no hints at exotic finishing casks - straightforward herbal and spicy elements from the grain only. In fact, there's hardly any oak character at all... it tastes very young for a 10 year old product. This might be enjoyed more by those who favor raw and youthful rye, but for us, it is a bit unpolished.
Value isn't great, unfortunately - in addition to the single vein of flavors, this also suffers from being quite costly, like many of the Whistlepig products.
Our Average Rating: 5.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 4.97
Check out our other Canada-sourced whisky reviews:
Review #232 - Found North Batch 008
Review #231 - Found North Batch 007
