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WhislePig Small Batch Rye Review

WhistlePig's flagship 10-year rye delivers a delightful nose of almonds, mint, and citrus wrapped in molasses sweetness. This versatile Canadian rye finished in Vermont offers enough complexity to sip neat while remaining approachable for cocktails.

OVERALL RATING

7
$79
  • Charles Steele is an attorney and whiskey enthusiast with a penchant for the peculiar.
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Tasting Notes

About:

The flagship rye whisky of WhistlePig. An iconic 10-year Canadian rye whiskey finished, blended, and bottled at the distillery in Vermont, USA. This is the bottle that launched a 1,000 ships.

WhistlePig originally launched in 2010, with the first 10-year small batch rye gracing the shelves in 2015. The current mash of this whiskey hovers around 97-100% rye with distillate labeled as a “Product of Canada” and “a blend of straight rye whiskeys.”

Ultimately, this is a shelf staple at almost any liquor store, and one almost every whiskey drinker is familiar with if in name only.

This sample batch stated it was Batch A368
Appearance:
Burnt Amber
Nose:
This is a delight and pops from the glass. I found notes of almonds, mint, lemon and lime citrus, all cloaked in molasses dark sugar. It is sweet and soft with just enough depth to keep you coming back.
Palate:
Citrus, with green apples, and soft wild flowers. There are notes of cigar box wood and oak with aged clove. It is a delicate warmth with lemon mint. The rye spices are ever present but rarely take center stage.
Finish:
Pepper, oak barrel, and cigar tobacco. There is a good heat with a medium leaning into a long dry finish. The nose of flowers and citrus make a delightful repeat visit just at the tail end of the taste, to leave you with a nice clean aftertaste.
Comments:
It’s a flagship for a reason. A great glass of rye whiskey really entering it’s prime at 10-years.

I found this to be a really enjoyable dram but something you can easily bring to a party and not feel like you need to steal the bottle back by the end of the night. As I drank this I thought, yea, this would be a real upgrade as a daily sipper.

Do the flavors take it to 11? Not quite. Would you be upset if this ended up in a cocktail? Not really. This is a perfect bottle of drink it how you like it. At least for this reviewer. Enjoy the flavors, play with the profile, it has a high enough ABV you can easily drop it a few points with some water and explore what else is hiding behind the rye.

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.

Charles Steele

Charles Steele, a Portland-based attorney, is a native of the Pacific Northwest. His legal background provides him with an analytical approach to understanding whiskey and other aged spirits. Primarily a legal writer, freelancing for The Whiskey Wash offers Charles a unique opportunity to showcase his versatility as a writer. Although his preference lies with whiskey and whiskey-based cocktails, he has a profound appreciation for all unique and unconventional liquors, from Malört to Ojen - if it's peculiar, he's intrigued.

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