My introduction to WhistlePig was about a year ago with their 10 year-old whiskey and I searched high and low to get that one bottle. It took me a while to find a bottle because the product was extremely popular, but the search was definitely well worth it. To this day, I have a bottle that stands among my whiskey collection.

WhistlePig rye whiskey is distilled in Canada while the aging process and bottling happens in the WhistlePig Vermont farm. You can read more about their background on the link for the 10 year-old above.

I got a chance to try the 11 year-old TripleOne because my boyfriend and his friend gave it as a gift to another one of their friends. Mike was kind enough to share some of it with me while visiting them at their lake house.

This TripleOne was the first limited edition special release put out since the company was first established. Only 1100 cases were put out for release. It is 100% rye and 111 proof. It will also cost you around $111 for a bottle.

The draw back with this whiskey is that its expensive. Yes I completely understand that rye is generally more expensive to work with but I still think this rye whiskey is a bit overpriced. I’ll be honest though, I prefer the 10 year-old, but the 11 year-old does pack a punch. Be prepared for it and know that you’ll go back for more after the first taste. If you are a rye whiskey fan then you have to try it.

Tasting Notes

Nose: oak, vanilla and spice

Palate: ginger, wood and cloves

Finish: smooth with ending notes of butterscotch. It is also strong and more so than the 10 year-old.

I did find this 11 year-old to be very different than the 10 year-old. The additional year has definitely brought out the different side of this whiskey. What you can’t forget is that it’s 111 proof. For those people who wouldn’t be able to drink this on its own, the upside, their site has a very handy WhistlePig recipe section. I always find these recipes extremely helpful because it does mask the whiskey taste (at times) for those people who don’t think they can drink whiskey.

Bottom line, this rye whiskey is expensive but still very tasty. You should try it if you love rye whiskey and if you are looking for something different. It is certainly worth the try!

Cheers!

Note: The contents on my blog are solely my opinion. To me every palate is different! Although I may or may not like a product, I always recommend for people to try it and make up their own minds.