WhistlePig Double Malt 18 Year Old Rye Whiskey

Founded in 2008, WhistlePig is now the most awarded Rye Whiskey maker in the world. Their remote 500-acre hard-working farm in bucolic Shoreham, Vermont, is the perfect place to perfect their experiments with blending and finishing, ultimately leading to a portfolio of deeply complex Rye Whiskeys. In 2017 WhistlePig was awarded with the coveted ‘Best In Show Whiskey’ title from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Dave Pickerell built WhistlePig in pursuit of crafting the world’s finest and most interesting Rye Whiskeys. After years of devotion to patient aging and innovative blending, WhistlePig has turned their attention experimenting with grain - in particular, the practice of malting rye. Before industrial catalysts were introduced to increase efficiency, farmer distillers would malt a small portion of their rye harvest in order to access the grain's starch content and set off the fermentation process. Floral, earthy flavors imparted by malted rye would add nuance to the bold, peppery spice character of classic rye whiskey.

To harness these flavors for the oldest expression of WhistlePig yet, they selected a whiskey distilled from 79% rye, 15% malted rye, and 6% malted barley. These grains form a harmony that spans the flavor spectrum, at once soft and floral, rich and savory, and full of spice. Its complexity is only heightened after 18 years in the barrel.

Hand bottled on the WhistlePig Farm, in commemoration of the WhistlePig rye harvest and inaugural Vermont floor malting, this 18-year-old WhistlePig is the oldest release of WhistlePig to date. Distinctive from whiskeys of WhistlePig past, focusing on age statements, unique finishes this release focuses on the influences of mash bill on flavor. Bottled by hand with a bespoke Vermont glass stopper, hand-pressed on one of the last remaining 19th-century glass pressing machines, rescued from a historic factory and installed at the WhistlePig Farm.