17 Year Old Canadian Rye Whiskey
Near the end of 2020, a parcel of these overaged 10-year Whistlepig picks came out. 15, 16, and even 17-year-old whiskies for around $80-90. There were so many picks, that I was even lucky enough to buy some on clearance.
The age statement was the hook. A shiny badge illuminating the killer deal you were getting only paying for a 10-year and receiving something aged nearly double. The catch? These casks were likely meant for further finishing or blending and the stocks just started to pile up.
WhistlePig finishes all of their 10-year whiskies in presumably ex-bourbon casks. They don’t delve into it much and state a “double-barrel process” in their marketing. These stocks of overaged ryes came from casks that were nearly spent. They needed that age to mature as that barrel had been possibly refilled 2 or 3 times. What resulted from this parcel was some of the best WhistlePig picks I’ve ever had.
Distillery: WhistlePig.
Region: Shoreham, Vermont. Product of Canada.
ABV: 64%.
Age: 10 Year Stated Age. 17 Year Calculated Age.
Cask type: Barrel. #102103
Price: $80.
Color: 1.5, Auburn. Natural Color. Minimal filtration.
Tasting Notes
Tasted neat in a Glencairn with 10+ minutes of rest. Dilution was added for the second half of the tasting with an additional rest of upwards of an hour.
Nose: The nose starts herbaceous and green as you’d expect from Canadian rye. Bright aromas of freshly squeezed lemon and new spring grass. It’s an intense lemon oil note with a sweetness that reminds me of old-fashioned lemon drops. A light dill note, more leaning into the floral elements and early morning dew in your back garden. Raisins, stone fruits, and brow sugar. Light corn syrup and butter cookies. Cereal grain notes are hidden behind some more intense aromas of vanilla bean and nutmeg. Adding water brought out more of the oak notes slightly missing from the glass. I’d also say a touch more grassy even, but not overly so for a rye.
Palate: A sweet heat palate with hatch chilis, black peppercorns, and apricot jelly. A vibrant experience from the first sip. An oaky background with burnt sugars keeps everything grounded. Caramelized brown sugar-coated peaches. Sweet summer, black ice tea. The cereals are still prominent and you get more of those grains compared to other new charred oak ryes. Adding water was a bit of an up-and-down experience for me. The sugar and caramel notes became richer but a note I’m not all too fond of popped up. Cinnamon red hots or chewing gum. Harsh cinnamon notes don’t work for me. Lastly, a more grounded earthy note with those grassy, herbal grains.
Finish: Delicate fruits linger with a dry kindling flavor on the finish. Dried plums, a hint of dates. The floral notes from the nose pop back up from time to time with an herbal tea flavor. A lot of tannic oak but also a prominent rye flavor. This isn’t a youthful grain note but a fresh slice of rye toast with warm, whipped butter. Dilution somehow pushed the finish to a bitter, but not astringent, dry woody flavor. I started to pick up some eucalyptus and even a touch of mint hiding in the finish.
Overall
The nose, spring. The palate, summer. And the finish leads us into fall.
I enjoyed this whiskey enough to purchase it 3 times over. I initially split a bottle with a friend and loved it enough to go buy myself a bottle of my own. After finishing that one, I tracked down someone to trade with for another. I got a bit obsessed with this lot and purchased 3 of the MoCo, MD picks when they put them on sale.
I love finding whiskies in 2nd fill or refill casks. They aren’t leagues better than their first-fill counterparts, they are a fun change of pace. These WhistlePigs are no different. A fun and delicious deviation that I highly recommend if your local is still sitting on them.
Final Score: 89
