WhistlePig Rye Whiskey Review

whistlepig_white

I’ve seen that bottle of WhistlePig Rye Whiskey on the shelves for a while now.  100% rye. Aged 10 years.  You’ve got my attention.  However for some reason or another, I never seem to walk out of the store with a bottle.  I contacted WhistlePig for a review sample, which they graciously provided.

On the nose, there’s a slight grain quality, salty caramel, oak, sweet grass and even a little citrus (orange).  The entry is slightly hot, with some butterscotch, caramel, nutmeg and spice, and lastly a little vanilla.  I found the finish to be sweet, and moderate in length.  The heat fades quickly and leaves behind a little spice.  Nice.

After tasting WhistlePig, I feel the need to keep a bottle of this on my shelf.  It’s a really a nicely balanced, nicely aged rye whiskey.  The price is just north of $65 for this 100 proof whiskey.  Shame on me for passing on this whiskey in the past.  Pick up a bottle if you’re looking for a tasty, easy-sipping rye whiskey.

8/10  Outstanding!

Bulleit 10 Year Old Bourbon Review

Bulleit 10_Bottle and box

Bulleit bourbon is one versatile whiskey.  It’s great neat, but its high rye content makes it outstanding in cocktails.  Best of all, it’s a solid buy for about $25-$30.  In 2013, Bulleit Distilling Company unleashed a version of Bulleit bourbon aged 10 years, which is about 3-4 years older than their standard Bulleit bourbon, and considerably more expensive ($45).  How does the extra time in the barrel change things?  Is it worth the extra cash?

(Bulleit Distilling Company provided a small sample for this review).  Where Bulleit bourbon is dry and spicy, its 10 year old sibling Bulleit 10 is a bit more balanced.  On the nose there’s some oak along with spice, vanilla, and a little caramel.  It’s nice.  Taste-wise, I don’t get the alcohol kick I expected at 91.2 proof.  Much less of a kick than its younger brother.  There’s a nice balance of oak and spice, with a little vanilla and caramel.  The finish is a little spicy and sweet, but doesn’t stick around too long.

Overall Bulleit 10 is a tasty, balanced bourbon.  It lacks the big spice of its younger sibling, but evens things out with a little oak.  The whiskey in this bottle is highly recommended, even at $45.  My only gripe is the price.  It’s about $15 more than standard Bulleit bourbon… a fantastic bourbon in its own right.  Bulleit is the better value, but Bulleit 10 is the better bourbon.

8.5/10

Barrel Aged Jeans, Pt. 2

Assuming you read my earlier post (and I know you did), you know about the barrel-aged jeans experiment between Noble Denim and Bulleit Bourbon.  For the uninitiated, Ohio-based Noble Denim, known for their hand-crafted raw denim jeans, decided to age 50 pairs of their jeans in barrels that formerly aged Bulleit bourbon.  This week Noble Denim is set to send me a pair.  This is pretty exciting, to say the least.  After I spend some time breaking the jeans in, I’ll post about them.  In the meantime,  take a peek at the entire process of making the jeans and the inspiration behind the experiment with the video and photos below.  I gotta admit, they look pretty damn good.