Whistlepig CEO is whiskey idiot and proves it

[portwood]

It's not a bad idea and makes more sense to me for micros who are building their brands on sourced product to blend in their own rather than bottle it young. I think that's how I would approach it.

[squire]

I don't think long term survival is in the plan for most of them. The goal instead is to get just popular enough to sell out to a major house or distributor. Look at Stranahan, Jefferson, Pogue and Bulleit.

[GaryT]

Well there's 4 minutes I won't get back. I feel stupider for having watched that (and disappointed that Bloomberg would have people who are that clueless about an industry or product interview someone on that industry or product; although reminded why I don't watch Bloomberg for my news )

[cowdery]

He's probably just referring to the fact that Canadian whiskey is generally aged in used bourbon barrels. I doubt they're doing any finishing or anything other than dumping the barrels and bottling it. And I doubt that it ever gets anywhere near Vermont except if it's sold there.

[whiskeyagonzo]

I forget where I saw this but I think they are selling a 10 year Vermont version that is 102 proof

[callmeox]

It's a 102 proof version only sold in Vermont.

[risenc]

Is there some Vermont-specific significance to the number 102? I understand it's a different proof from 100 and 110, but why go through the trouble?

[squire]

No apparent reason I can think of, doesn't seem to make the label stand out.

[MauiSon]

Additional variations nudge a collector into purchasing more bottles to obtain a 'complete set'. That explains it well enough [as just another gimmick].

Edited February 17, 2014 by MauiSon

[GaryT]

Additional variations nudge a collector into purchasing more bottles to obtain a 'complete set'. That explains it well enough [as just another gimmick].

Great point. Other distillers have releases only available in certain states, although I would think that the market in Vermont would be more limited then Kentucky, or California, etc.

[portwood]

He's probably just referring to the fact that Canadian whiskey is generally aged in used bourbon barrels. I doubt they're doing any finishing or anything other than dumping the barrels and bottling it. And I doubt that it ever gets anywhere near Vermont except if it's sold there.

Probably not even dumping the barrels, they are likely receiving the whisky in (stainless steel?) containers. The distiller can make better use of the barrels (to re-fill with new make) than Whistlepig's bottling operation.

[TunnelTiger]

Considering it's WP more than likely plastic totes rather than stainless steel. :skep:

[squire]

State of the Art plastic, the finest in the World.

[Quantum]

There's a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?

[jburlowski]

He's probably just referring to the fact that Canadian whiskey is generally aged in used bourbon barrels. I doubt they're doing any finishing or anything other than dumping the barrels and bottling it. And I doubt that it ever gets anywhere near Vermont except if it's sold there.

If it's aged in used cooperage, how does it become straight rye whiskey?

[squire]

If it's aged in used cooperage, how does it become straight rye whiskey?

[GaryT]

There's a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?

[Gillman]

What has happened here with the last bottling is IMO simple. The whiskey was dumped from new charred barrels and held for a time in used bourbon barrels before bottling. Once it is straight rye, it is straight rye, the subsequent flavouring or wood treatment doesn't change the designation as we've seen for so many other products. It is confirmed here:

http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/97881/plan-for-whiskey-business-in-shoreham-draws-scruti/

Gary

[wadewood]

What has happened here with the last bottling is IMO simple. The whiskey was dumped from new charred barrels and held for a time in used bourbon barrels before bottling. Once it is straight rye, it is straight rye, the subsequent flavouring or wood treatment doesn't change the designation as we've seen for so many other products. It is confirmed here:

http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/97881/plan-for-whiskey-business-in-shoreham-draws-scruti/

Gary

Gary - yes that is the way the TTB interprets the rules (I happen to disagree). However the TTB also makes these Straight Whiskies include statement of 'Straight Bourbon finished in xyz Barrel'. So if Whistlepig Straight Rye is being aged in used bourbon barrels, it should be labeled Straight Rye finished in bourbon barrels.

[squire]

Presumably that's done at the distillery because the farm doesn't have the facilities. Wonder how widespread is this practice.

[Gillman]

Wade, it is labeled that, no? Doesn't the second color image posted early in the thread state that?

Gary

[Gillman]

I mean this image:

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?21811-Whistlepig-CEO-is-whiskey-idiot-and-proves-it/page3

(I am talking about the second image in Bruce's post no. 19 in this thread).

Gary

Edited February 18, 2014 by Gillman

[tanstaafl2]

What has happened here with the last bottling is IMO simple. The whiskey was dumped from new charred barrels and held for a time in used bourbon barrels before bottling. Once it is straight rye, it is straight rye, the subsequent flavouring or wood treatment doesn't change the designation as we've seen for so many other products. It is confirmed here:

http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/97881/plan-for-whiskey-business-in-shoreham-draws-scruti/

Gary

Nice article you linked to Gary! Apparently the whiskey does indeed get to Vermont at some point as it appears to be getting bottled there.

I mean this image:

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?21811-Whistlepig-CEO-is-whiskey-idiot-and-proves-it/page3

(I am talking about the second image in Bruce's post no. 19 in this thread).

Gary

Yes, the label definitely says that but only on some bottles of the original WP 10yo version as you can see from those pictures. I would have presumed it was just earlier bottles and newer ones include the bourbon barrel finish on the label. But I saw bottles that were delivered to a store as recently as October 2013 without it on the label sitting on a local store shelf and another store not far away that had the 10yo with the info on the label. Of course no way to know how long those bottles sat in the distributors warehouse I suppose.

It is a bit of a curiosity.

[Gillman]

Right Bruce but I'd think (vagaries of distribution set aside) that the labels that refer to bourbon barrel finishing contain whiskey that did receive that treatment, whereas bottles that don't say that, did not. Presumably the bourbon barrel finishing thing was adopted later in other words. I only had WhistlePig a couple of times, from the earliest bottles, and it didn't taste bourbon-barrel finished, probably the company felt the whiskey would benefit from some softening so it is doing the treatment now.

Gary

[squire]

Presumably that would be Beam barrels then, unless it was a Bourbon type flavoring whisky made by Beam in Canada.