Whiskey Review: WhistlePig The Boss Hog X: The Commandments

Editor’s Note: The party behind this whisky gave us a review sample. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review. It should also be noted that clicking the buy link in this review earns our site a small referral payment, which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.

Vermont-based WhistlePig Whiskey has always been about rye whiskey, whether sourced or distilled in-house. Over the years, this leader in the American rye whiskey movement has done a wide range of releases designed to showcase their vision of rye’s versatility, particularly when aged or finished in various cask types.

Amongst their different product lines, The Boss Hog’s annual releases stand out as the premium of the pack. The latest release in this lineup, which I’m reviewing today, is The Boss Hog X: The Commandments. This whiskey, which debuted in the latter months of last year, is the 10th edition of Boss Hog and certainly aims to be one of the most complex and unusual to date.

For The Boss Hog X: The Commandments, WhistlePig took some of its sourced Canadian straight rye whiskey, aged in new American oak, and put it through a somewhat unorthodox finishing process in two types of experimental casks. The first is seasoned with WhistlePig’s own experimental spirit – distilled from rye and whey, infused with aromatic resins from the genera Boswellia and Commiphora, more commonly known as Frankincense and Myrrh. The second and final finish is aged in craft mead casks.

“The Commandments reinforce our dedication to creating transformative whiskeys and the world’s most daring cask finishes,” said Meghan Ireland, Head Blender at WhistlePig, at the time of this whiskey’s release. “The creation of The Boss Hog X exemplifies just that. After the first several trials with resins, I began to doubt whether it was possible to harness them for maturation. The whey / rye spirit was a breakthrough, and well worth it in the end. This is not only a world first, but a celebration of the abundance to come with the next decade of The Boss Hog.”

The limited edition Boss Hog X: The Commandments was released in a 750ml bottle housed in a gift box and was bottled at proof, between 105.3-107 (52.6-53.5% ABV), with a suggested retail price of $599.99.