WhistlePig Double Malt 18 Year Old Rye Whiskey

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

The latest super premium offering from WhistlePig delves into the realm of using malted rye in the mash bill and takes into ultra aged territory. Malted rye whiskey is not new to keen observers of the craft sector, where even some 100% malted ryes exist. However, most of these malted rye whiskeys are youthful, only a few are mature (an example being the Old Maysville Bottled in Bond), and thus far only Old Potrero has produced any middle aged or genuinely old examples in the category.

So here comes WhistlePig with an 18 year old whiskey, made from a mash bill of 79% rye, 15% malted rye, and 6% malted barley (two malted grains, hence “double malt”). Now 18 Year Old rye whiskeys aren’t unusual, although they are hard to get; Sazerac 18 Year Old comes out every year. But Old Potrero put out an 18 year old 100% malted rye whiskey in 2013, and to my knowledge no whiskey this old with any malted rye content has come out since.

As implied above, the age plus the mash bill makes this mysteriously-sourced whiskey noteworthy. That it’s pretty good, of course, matters more.

The Whiskey
A pour of WhistlePig 18 Year Old has the look of polished copper, verging on light amber. The swish and coat leaves a few tears with substantial heads on them.

The scent is gingerbread, drizzled with a rich, dark and fruity syrup. This is accented by hints of oak and pepper, plus a light touch of vanilla. The flavor follows in much the same vein, with a delicate mouthfeel and a finely tuned balance of sweetness and spiciness. The finish opens on vanilla and concludes with fading spicy wood.

Overall, it’s just a marvelous sipper: approachable, superbly balanced and just sophisticated enough to make it interesting.

The Price
Old rye is often more expensive than comparable bourbon, and this one is no exception. What is more, WhistlePig prices their whiskeys more or less at what the market will bear, rather than stating an artificially low official price and letting retailers make a killing by marking it up.

The official retail price is $399.99.