WhistlePig is a Vermont distillery that is best known for its rye whiskey; it practically invented the premium rye category, consisting of sourced whiskey from MGP and Canada, here in America after its launch in 2010. The brand has come a long way since then, forcing its founder Raj Bhakta out nearly a decade ago, and releasing new expressions along the way including in-house produced bourbon and rye and a few well-aged single malts. The latter style is back for another round, and this bottle is the oldest and most expensive to date from the distillery—and, like the others, it comes with a name that is meant to be playful but is just kind of silly.
The BigShǝBàng (that is indeed how you spell it) comes on the heels of the 21-year-old Béhôlden (finished in WhistlePig barrels, SRP $900) and the 25-year-old Badönkådonk (finished in Silver Oak Cabernet barrels, SRP $2,000). Like previous releases, this is a “North American single malt” that presumably comes from Glenora in Cape Breton, Canada, although WhistlePig does not reveal the source of the whiskey. What it does say is that it spent three decades aging in American oak barrels, followed by a finish in Vin Santo casks, a type of Italian dessert wine. “We didn’t wait for our single malt’s 30th birthday just to play it safe,” said head blender Meghan Ireland in a statement. “The BigShǝBàng is a flavor supernova—radiant, otherworldly, and unlike anything we’ve ever put in a bottle. We’ve been hunting down Vin Santo barrels for a few years now, and the stars finally aligned with a precious few to finish this inaugural release. As with many of our most elusive casks, they’ve proved to be a catalyst for complexity that’s well worth the quest.”
Just four barrels of the BigShǝBàng were bottled as single barrel expressions, each at 90.4 proof. If you’re a scotch drinker, 30 years is mature, but not “old” old, more along the lines of a premium Macallan or Glen Grant release. The SRP for this whiskey is pretty high at $5,000, and that’s an especially big ask considering its a North American single malt and not a scotch. But fans of WhistlePig and American single malt, as well as those who are curious to try something they’ve likely never tasted before, should find this to be an interesting bottle. The official tasting notes describe aromas and flavors like honeyed bread, wheat crust, clove, and freshly kneaded dough on the nose and palate. Those are present, along with a dollop of oak, some cinnamon spice, a bit of dark and milk chocolate, and a dash of dusty leather undercut by some berry sweetness.
This is a limited release, so the brand says it will not be available to purchase online, but you can find it at specialty retailers around the country and at the new WhistlePig Vault in Louisville. You can currently find the rest of the lineup available to purchase at the WhistlePig website now.
Authors
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Jonah Flicker