A New K&L Cask of a Limited Edition Rye for the Holidays – Some Kind of Whiskey News
A New Cask of a Limited Edition Rye for the Holidays
($89.99)
With cask number one already done and gone, it’s time to introduce you to our second Whistle Pig cask of the holiday season. This particular cask, our second in the series, yielded less than 140 total bottles and comes in at a whopping 58.1% ABV, accentuating the peppery potency of this whiskey. Whereas the last cask had loads of graham cracker sweetness and oak, this barrel has classic rye whiskey character in spades: hints of dill and herbaceous notes on the nose, more savory spice on the palate, and crushed black pepper on the finish. The oak and vanilla accents are abundent, but they play second fiddle here, allowing the true nature of the grain to shine. The richness from ten years in wood works like a background harmony, coating the palate with ample vanilla, but never moving too far into the spotlight. The finish lights up the palate like a packet of firecrackers, exploding with more savory spice, hints of sweet oak, and a resurgance of dill. Rye fans will rejoice.
We’ve got four new single barrels of Whistle Pig 10 year coming in this winter and each cask is very small, thus very limited. This particular cask, our second in the series, yielded less than 140 total bottles and comes in at a whopping 58.1% ABV, accentuating the peppery potency of this whiskey. Whereas the last cask had loads of graham cracker sweetness and oak, this barrel has classic rye whiskey character in spades: hints of dill and herbaceous notes on the nose, more savory spice on the palate, and crushed black pepper on the finish. The oak and vanilla accents are abundent, but they play second fiddle here, allowing the true nature of the grain to shine. The richness from ten years in wood works like a background harmony, coating the palate with ample vanilla, but never moving too far into the spotlight. The finish lights up the palate like a packet of firecrackers, exploding with more savory spice, hints of sweet oak, and a resurgance of dill. Rye fans will rejoice.
Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: December 21, 2017
The Holiday Hits just keep on coming! New cask of Whistle Pig is big, rich, full of great herbal complexity and sweetness to boot. The finish lasts for days. The complexity of baking spices and pepper notes are remarkable. I thought the first cask we brought in this fall was great. But this one is the perfect winter rye, coming in just in time for the solstice!
David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: December 21, 2017
It’s amazing how many emails I received from customers about our first cask, asking whether there were any dill notes, that classic herbaceous character that exudes from a potent rye whiskey distillation. That initial barrel was a round and oak-driven rye whiskey, lots of sweet grains and vanilla, but this second cask release is loaded with dill, lots of pepper, and all of that lip-smacking herbacousness that makes rye whiskey so distinct in the eyes of whiskey aficionados. That’s not to say it’s lacking in oak, vanilla, or richness. There’s plenty of that, but the rye itself is the star here, not the wood. It’s all dialed up to 11 at 116.2 proof as well, so it practically explodes on your tongue.
