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Bourbon Review: WhistlePig Snout-To-Tail 10 Year Bourbon

What does it look like when a brand that has built itself around rye crosses the divide into nourbon? The answer is WhistlePig Snout-To-Tail.

OVERALL RATING

6
$75
  • Tzvi (Todd) Wiesel is the Co-Founder & CEO of BAXUS, a whisky investor and trader, focused on fine and rare bottles and casks.
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Tasting Notes

About:

What does it look like when a brand that has built itself around rye crosses the divide into nourbon? The answer is Snout-To-Tail. Whistlepig has released bourbons before, but a 10-year age statement is nothing to raise your snouts at. This 10-year straight Kentucky bourbon was shipped off to Whistlepig HQ in Vermont where it underwent a unique secondary finishing experience. The name “Snout to Tail” arises from the tongue-in-cheek approach Whistlepig took towards the finishing of this bourbon. While Whistlepig is known for its unique finishes, this one which utilizes two distinct barrel heads— one they refer to as the snout, and the other the tail, hence the release name— are made of Vermont-sourced wood, oak, and maple. One of the sides is toasted and the other is smoked and toasted. At some point during the finishing period, the barrels are rotated to ensure that the whiskey has contact with both ends of the unique barrel. Let’s hope the whiskey is as bold as the bottle’s striking blue cork topper.


Appearance:
Orange Dessert Wine
Nose:
Marzipan, baked apples with cinnamon, traces of vanilla, along with a hint of citrus and a creaminess, that smells like someone is in the midst of making their holiday milk punch (my favorite recipe for which was shared by a friend allegedly originated with Benjamin Franklin). Most of the notes I have typically associated with toasted wood don’t seem to be present, but that very well may be due to the lower proof at which this was bottled. Notably, the oak and maple and really wood notes in general that tend to be found on older bourbons are absent.
Palate:
Flavor-packed from the first sip. That zest citrus flavor hits first, with a trail of cinnamon candies, and a lingering praline quality, that creaminess noticeable on the nose is also present, which provides for an exceptionally enjoyable experience. The midpalate is a menagerie of baking spices along with some spice flavors, that I cannot quite put my finger on, it is vaguely reminiscent of a sticky toffee pudding, but not nearly as overwhelming, almost as if someone had whispered the ingredients into the whiskey.
Finish:
Despite the odd ABV at which this whiskey was bottled, the finish lingers longer than I would have expected, this is doubly in part from that creaminess that was present on the beginning palate but certainly starts to fade before the spiced-mid palate emerges, but also from the juicy citrus flavor that resonates from nose through the end. This was particularly enjoyable for a non-high ABV release that so many brands have become fond of. A great spirit to be able to introduce friends who may not be looking for a cask-strength or even Bottled in Bond explosion of the senses. Surprisingly for me, neither the corn nor the wood is particularly prevalent in any place on this whiskey, making it something worth trying and sharing with both seasoned and novice bourbon drinkers alike.
Comments:

This is certainly a bottle worth pursuing, with a reasonable price tag for the age statement. It is the type of bottle I would use specifically to highlight the transition of flavors and the impact of unique maturation as well as ABV. I wonder if this Snout to Tail process that Whistlepig has employed might be used for additional releases, possibly at different ABVs or age statements over time. If so, it would be a very cool opportunity to compare the impact of those factors on the overall flavor. Even as I write this portion of the review almost 10 minutes after finishing my sample the ever-present orange-peel note lingers, something I find incredibly enjoyable and shocking for a whiskey of this ABV.


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.

Tzvi (Todd) Wiesel

Tzvi (Todd) Wiesel is the Co-Founder and CEO of BAXUS, an on-chain whisky marketplace. With years of experience in the industry, Todd is passionate about whisky investmemt and trading, as well as trying new whiskies wherever possible. Todd is the head of our US reviews team and is based in New York.

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