Whistle Pig Boss-Hog

[WhiskyToWhiskey]

It is strange that some companies (many more than just WP) want the origins of the products to be a fairy tale marketing game. Are they afraid consumers wouldn't buy their products if the knew it was purchased? The number one selling whisky in the world, Johnnie Walker, has nothing to hide about purchasing and blending their products. These companies don't understand that people that have a passion for finer sipping whisky, are also people who enjoy educating themselves on the origins.

[squire]

Are they afraid consumers wouldn't buy their products if the knew it was purchased?

They're afraid people wouldn't pay as much. Yeah, they're aware of the John Walker model but they're not interested in doing it right for the long term they're interested in turning a fast buck and cashing out.

[WhiskyRI]

So I met Dave Pickerell and in front of 20-25 people he sort of answered my question re: where the whisky was from - he admitted that it began life north of the border - i.e. It's Canadian whisky. I also had a 15-20 minute conversation with him afterwards and he seemed like a good guy and someone with whom I'd like to share a few drams and listen to some stories.

As to the Boss Hog, it was a tasty rye but I'll defer any serious tasting notes as standing around sipping a 1/4 oz out of a plastic ramekin doesn't lend itself to nuance. I will say that it didn't feel or taste as hot as the ABV of 67.25% would suggest. Surprisingly smooth with a good mouthfeel. Have to say I don't love the price and it didn't wow me enough right away to say it is worth $150. But as readily available aged Rye stocks seem to be disappearing (for now) maybe that's the going price now for premium ryes. All I know is that suddenly absinthe, chartruese and cognacs are starting to look tastier than ever, and a whole lot cheaper.

[squire]

He may well be a nice chap, a boon companion, kind to children and dogs as well, yet I heard him intentionally mislead the audience (lie) by claiming Whistlepig was made from locally grown Vermont rye grain and personally monitored by him for it's ten year duration in the barrel.

Using scarcity to justify high prices is a bugaboo as well because there is enough 10 year old Rye whisky from Canadian sources alone to support at least four other brands I can think of offhand.

In short, Whistlepig is an excessively overpriced marketing concept of the colossally arrogant Mr. Bhakta who dismissively calls lunatic the neighbors who have the temerity to disagree with his grandiose plans.

[portwood]

Here is Dave Pickerell on a radio show talking about the Boss Hog https://soundcloud.com/radiobdc/whistlepig-rye those barrels were found to be extraordinary in their Vermont warehouse...lol

Thank you for the link.

I posted it on twitter last night and it has been picked up by the premier "expert" on Canadian whisky - Davin de Kergommeaux.

[Tucker]

Thank you for the link.

I posted it on twitter last night and it has been picked up by the premier "expert" on Canadian whisky - Davin de Kergommeaux.

http://www.canadianwhisky.org/news-views/whistlepig-farms-is-not-a-distillery.html

[WhiskyRI]

@squire don't hold back, tell us you really feel

[WhiskyToWhiskey]

Thank you for the link.

I posted it on twitter last night and it has been picked up by the premier "expert" on Canadian whisky - Davin de Kergommeaux.

I "liked" WhistlePig on facebook. They post crap like this all the time...keeps me amused. Sometimes I comment on how WhistlePig is one of the greatest ryes to come from Canada...Muhahahaha. They probably don't appreciate it.

[callmeox]

I "liked" WhistlePig on facebook. They post crap like this all the time...keeps me amused. Sometimes I comment on how WhistlePig is one of the greatest ryes to come from Canada...Muhahahaha. They probably don't appreciate it.

Their twitter feed also does nothing to dispel the Vermont myth.

There are a number of folks who point out the issue when necessary.

[sutton]

But they grow rye on a farm ... in Vermont ... that might one day make it into whiskey ... so ... that's pretty close by today's standards.

[squire]

I don't expect my baker to grow his own wheat I expect him to make good bread.

[MacinJosh]

Their twitter feed also does nothing to dispel the Vermont myth.

There are a number of folks who point out the issue when necessary.

[squire]

Not bloody likely, bigger whoppers to come is the safe bet.

[TunnelTiger]

Saw it for the first time on the shelf today @ $169.00 and happily passed it by.

[LostBottle]

And they say you can't get bullshit from a pig...

[MacinJosh]

Saw it for the first time on the shelf today @ $169.00 and happily passed it by.

[wadewood]

Randy & I both tried a pour of the Boss Hog a week ago. We thought it was undrinkable. Randy described it as a petrol taste and I just wanted to spit it out or go back in time to before I took a sip. The sample we tried was from barrel #14. I'm generally enjoy the other products made from this same Canadian Rye, so maybe this was just a stinker of a barrel. But if that was the case, I find it hard to believe that someone as esteemed as Dave Pickerel would let this out the door as such a premium product.

[squire]

There's no shortage of 100% rye whisky, Alberta Distillers (owned by Jim Beam) cranks out a lot of it every day. Wait a minute, isn't the Beam brand Tangle Ridge also 10 years old? Think so.

I'm not surprised that Mr. Pickerel, himself a former Beam employee, would choose Alberta as maker of "The finest Rye in the World", he used to say something similar about Makers Mark when he worked there.

[tanstaafl2]

Randy & I both tried a pour of the Boss Hog a week ago. We thought it was undrinkable. Randy described it as a petrol taste and I just wanted to spit it out or go back in time to before I took a sip. The sample we tried was from barrel #14. I'm generally enjoy the other products made from this same Canadian Rye, so maybe this was just a stinker of a barrel. But if that was the case, I find it hard to believe that someone as esteemed as Dave Pickerel would let this out the door as such a premium product.

Gotta think it was a bad barrel or some other flaw. I have had a taste from two different bottles and thought they were excellent (One was barrel 10. Not sure if the other was a different barrel). Only bad thing was the painfully excessive price. Similar to Mastersons Batch 3 except it was barrel proof and more than twice the price.

[squire]

We expect to pay more for barrel proof, certainly, but when Willet does one for 1/5 the price . . .

[WhiskyRI]

I've said it elsewhere and I'll say it again I think all these ultra-premium prices are part of an experiment by makers to see just how much they can charge before customers balk. I tasted the Boss Hog and liked it (not sure which barrel it was) but not nearly enough to pay $149. I have to think the Canadian makers are finally going wake up and see the $ potential in Rye and start selling it themselves. My other fear is that as these ultra-premium prices become the norm people will be immunized to price creep at the mid-tier level.

[Old Lamplighter]

I've said it elsewhere and I'll say it again I think all these ultra-premium prices are part of an experiment by makers to see just how much they can charge before customers balk. I tasted the Boss Hog and liked it (not sure which barrel it was) but not nearly enough to pay $149. I have to think the Canadian makers are finally going wake up and see the $ potential in Rye and start selling it themselves. My other fear is that as these ultra-premium prices become the norm people will be immunized to price creep at the mid-tier level.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Old Lamplighter

[squire]

They may discover it's hard to get customers to pay $35.00 a second time.

[tanstaafl2]

An interesting comment in Clay's blog, Mash Notes, about WP.

http://clayrisen.com/sampled-whistlepig-boss-hog-rye/

"Whistle Pig was originally sourced exclusively from Canada, but it now comes from a variety of distilleries in both Canada and the United States."

Is this new information? My understanding was that all WP was coming from Canada but perhaps this has changed as sourced whiskey gets tighter.

Doesn't seem likely we can depend on anybody from WP confirming or denying it of course.

[squire]

Hog wash. How many U. S. Distillers were making a 100% rye mash for bulk sale ten years ago? How many are today?

Barton is the only one I know of who did but that was awhile back and any remaining stock belongs to Sazerac.