BOTTLE DETAILS
- DISTILLER: Distilled in Kentucky, finished “snout to tail” at WhistlePig
- MASH BILL: 80% Corn | 20% Blend of Rye and Malted Barley
- AGE: 10 years
- YEAR: 2025
- PROOF: 88 (44% ABV)
- MSRP: $89.99
- BUY ONLINE: WhistlePig Bottle Shop
STEVE’S NOTES
SHARE WITH: All bourbon fans, especially those who lean toward lower proofs.
WORTH THE PRICE: No. I expect more complexity from a 10-year-old bourbon. There are many 4 to 6-year-old bottled-in-bonds with better depth that cost much less.
BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bar.
OVERALL: If you’re curious about the Snout-to-Tail mention, skip to the Brand Notes below, where it’s explained in detail. As you’ll infer from my comments, it doesn’t do much to boost the flavor of the bottled product.
In the news release, WhistlePig announced the creation of The WhistlePig PiggyBank experience that will open in Louisville, Ky., this summer. That’s cool. Doing so will see the transformation of an historic bank building that spent many years operating as Bank Shot Billiards hall. When open, visitors will enjoy “snout-to-tail experiences, exclusive tastings, a big pig bar and other ham hijinks.”
And the pig puns just keep coming!
“The prime cut of the experience is the century-old bank Vault, reinvented to house WhistlePig’s most rare and collectible whiskeys. This fearless foray onto Bourbon’s home turf is a testament to WhistlePig’s whole-hogged commitment to crafting whiskeys that are bigger, bolder and better than generations past.” I do look forward to visiting it, given it’s less than 3 miles from my home.
But, to the bourbon itself. … The nose is laden with honey, caramel, spring flowers and a little ripe banana. Hints of white pepper and cinnamon come next with a whiff of mint thrown in. Those same aromas become flavors that form the backbone of this this middleweight spirit. There’s plenty of tingle from spiced honey and lemon, light caramel and oak accents moving freely within the liquid. It’s pleasant overall, and decidedly sessionable.
As mentioned, it falls short is on depth and complexity. It doesn’t match the promise of a whiskey that’s bigger. Lacking robust notes of oak and or dark fruits or tobacco commonly found in decade-old bourbon, this could easily pass for whiskey half its age. It’s bereft of structure and character typically earned with such age.
Overall, it’s still good whiskey that’s wholly unobjectionable. But for $90, I want much more.
BRAND NOTES
A decade’s worth of complex flavors are doubled down upon and turned up during WhistlePig’s Snout-to-Tail maturation process. Each finishing barrel features two distinctly toasted barrel heads–a Vermont oak medium toast at “the snout” end and a Vermont oak smoked maple wood toast at “the tail.” The only bourbon aged Snout-to-Tail, WhistlePig flips its barrels 180 degrees in the warehouse to capture each barrel head’s unique toasted flavors and bring out the big, bold character in this palate-pleasing Straight Bourbon Whiskey. WhistlePig Snout-to-Tail Bourbon is bottled at 88 Proof, a wink to the 880 miles between the WhistlePig Vermont Farm and its new Kentucky outpost.
NOSE: Honey, brown sugar and toasted cashew on the “snout”
PALATE: Roasted almonds and baked cornbread on the “sip”
FINISH: Fresh crust and cedar “tail”
Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.