WhistlePig Distillery’s own distillate has finally hit shelves.  Well, sort of.  The Vermont distillery’s new release, Farmstock, is a blend of rye whiskies from Canada, Indiana, and their own. The breakdown for this release is 49% 5-year-old Canadian rye, 31% 12-year-old Indiana rye, and 20% 1-year-old Vermont rye, which is not a straight rye whiskey because of its age.  Farmstock is bottled at an easily drinkable 86 proof.

Things are looking up For WhistlePig this year.  In addition to finally releasing some of their own whiskey, they were just issued a $25 million line of credit by JPMorgan Chase, providing some much needed monetary assets to help build out and expand their distillery.  

WhistlePig’s 10 year 100 proof rye is fantastic, and my favorite of their lineup.  So, how is this new release?  The nose comes across young-ish with some complexity.  That upfront “green” rye grain is met with hints of candied cherries, caramel, and some vanilla bean.  Taste-wise, sweet and spicy are good general descriptors.  It starts off with sweet caramels and vanilla chews, developing waves of distinctive rye spice alongside a touch of allspice.  There is some red fruit in the background.  The medium finish continues the sweet and spicy vibe while adding a touch of mint.

For my tastes, Farmstock has not quite hit its sweet spot, but the signs are promising.  I didn’t pick up any of the dill note I usually get from Indiana rye whiskies, which is a nice departure for a young, mostly sourced rye.  This is a great preview of what’s to come from WhistlePig, and I can’t wait to taste their first 100% estate distilled rye whiskey.  But for now, WhistlePig Farmstock is just okay.  7/10

Thanks to WhistlePig for the sample.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.