American Rye with the Old World character

In 2007, a band of dedicated Rye enthusiasts bought a farm — they actually purchased a plot of land in Vermont lovingly named Whistle Pig Farm. They teamed up with master distiller Dave Pickerell — formerly of Maker’s Mark — to bring genuine Rye Whiskey back to the forefront of American Whiskeys. It took a while, but they have now grown to become a true "estate producer," which means that all aspects of their core Whiskey production are on site from growing the grain to bottling the spirit. They produce three award-winning core products and have experimented with a variety of finished wood Rye Whiskeys.

This means quality production by MGP that is aged and finished at WhistlePig Farm in Port, Sauternes, and Madeira wood casks.

The key to the unique flavor character of WhistlePig 12YO is in the combination of the casks. After spending 12 years in new American oak casks, it is then finished in three European wine casks: Madeira, Port and French Sauternes.

Smartass Corner:
What the heck is "whistle pig" anyway? Even though all Whistle Pig Whisky labels are adorned with the sketch of a tuxedo-clad hog, "whistle pig", groundhog and woodchuck all refer to the same animal.