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WhistlePig OId World Rye 12 Year Old Review

We review WhistlePig 12 Year Old Old World Rye, a cask-finished classic that trades proof for complexity. Does the lower ABV pay off?

OVERALL RATING

8
$119
  • Charles Steele is an attorney and whiskey enthusiast with a penchant for the peculiar.
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Tasting Notes

About:

This whiskey is the final result of an experiment beginning in the Spring of 2014, when WhistlePig first finished a 12-year-old-rye whiskey from Indiana into former Sauternes, Madeira, and Port barrels. Original this was a limited edition release it has blossomed into a shelf staple and a benchmark for the little distillery out of Vermont, USA. WhistlePig finishes each component of the Old World in separate cask before blending them together and proofing down to a respectable 86 proof.

This specific bottling has the following percentages of finishing casks: 63% Madeira, 30% Sauternes, and 7% Port.

Something interesting is the proof of Old World Rye is lower than the flagship 10-year rye. Right about 7% ABV lower in fact. Is the extra age worthy of a drop in proof, or do the complex wine notes benefit from a more approachable proof? This whiskey is well known and well loved by casual drinkers and enthusiasts alike.
Appearance:
Straw
Nose:
Ruby red fruit, plums, burnt bananas, and tropical fruit. There is an opening of soft rye grain and granny smith apples.
Palate:
The taste was mature apples, wood spices, and tobacco. Successive tastes reveal light chocolate and vanilla. There is a nice pop of white pepper spice throughout the sips. Certainly a few moments of alcohol but well balanced against the softer grape notes of the wine.
Finish:
The finish is wonderfully soft. Oak upfront with rye grains. There is a drying red wine which comes on at the end of the taste and rests throughout the finish. It is a long hold without an overly watery mouthfeel.
Comments:
This is a really nice example of wine and whiskey working together. The wine casks of Madeira, Sauternes, and Port have strong representation in the dessert wine market. While I don’t know which specific wineries these barrels are from, based on the taste of this whiskey, I am gathering sweet, savory, and velvet smoothness from the wine. When combined with the spice of a 12-year rye, you really get a nice balance of flavors.

I do my best to not factor price into my reviews, but unfortunately price is a factor for the majority of consumers. Very few products on the market are the same price they were ten years ago, and this is no exception. WhistlePig is certainly much larger and considerably more well known than a decade ago, but that has not necessarily translated to cheaper whiskey. For a 12-year rye aged in wine barrels, I think this is a great example of a good bottle. It has complexity, it has depth, and it is approachable all good attributes in a whiskey.

In the end to me, this is a nice bottle to have on the shelf and share with friends. I’d like to share it and once it’s gone, I don’t know if I’d rush to replace it. I would certainly speak fondly of it, and I would recommend it to people who aren’t certain what they want and aren’t overly concerned on price.

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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