The whiskey wash logo
The World's Most-Visited
Whiskey Website
The World's Most-Visited
Whiskey Website

Trending Stories

Search
American

Whiskey Review: WhistlePig Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel Legends Series

We review WhistlePig Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel Legends Series, a WhistlePig rye whiskey done in partnership with the Alfa Romeo F1 Team.

OVERALL RATING

7
$49.99
  • Scott Bernard Nelson is a writer, actor, and whiskey reviewer.
Like Conversation
WhistlePig Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel Legends Series review

Tasting Notes

About:

Mash bill of 100% rye; aged six years; 96.77 proof/48.385% alcohol by volume; $49.99 MSRP for a 750 ml bottle.
Appearance:
Light bronze color, noticeably lighter than the 10-year WhistlePig I normally drink.
Nose:
The lychee and oolong tea finish is something I’ve never tried – or even heard of – before. It is evident in the nose right away. There’s an herbal, slightly citrusy, black tea scent that isn’t typical of other ryes I’ve had in the past. The rye spice, meanwhile, is understated.
Palate:
It also doesn’t taste like most ryes. That’s either really interesting or potentially off-putting, depending upon how much of a purist you are. In this case, WhistlePig has certainly decided to lean into the experiment. It’s lighter and sweeter than the WhistlePig 10 I usually drink, and the fruity, citrusy sensibility I found in the nose is still there. I’m not familiar with lychee, but there’s some fruit in this.
Finish:
Comments:
If you’re going to do special releases, you might as well make them… special. In this case, WhistlePig has embraced the idea of doing something distinctive with its partners in the Legends Series. I applaud that. And at less than $50 per bottle, it’s worth taking a flyer on a new and different release. This one includes whiskey distilled in Vermont by WhistlePig and some sourced from Canada, according to the bottle.rnrnIn any case, it’s a potentially worthwhile addition to your home bar as a conversation starter, if nothing else. I promise that you don’t have anything quite like it already.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Scott Bernard Nelson

Scott Bernard Nelson is a writer, actor, and whiskey reviewer based in Portland, Oregon. While currently working in higher education, he previously dedicated 22 years to journalism, covering impactful events such as 9/11 in Manhattan, crossing into Iraq with U.S. Marines, and contributing to The Boston Globe's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of abuse in the Catholic Church, which inspired the film "Spotlight." Since 2019, Scott has shared his insights as a whiskey reviewer for The Whiskey Wash.  

All Posts

Latest On The Whiskey Wash

The whiskey wash logo