WhistlePig has unveiled a new one off cask finished Rye Whiskey series dubbed Sasquatch Selects. As part of the launch, the Vermont-based brand has revealed the collection’s first two releases, the core 12 year old WhistlePig finished in a Peruvian Rum Cask (Volume 1) and a Chablis Barrel (Volume 2).
Sasquatch Select Sighting #1: Peruvian Rum Finish offers aromas of dark fruits such as figs. The palate features brown sugar, molasses, and apricot. The finish is described simply as “dry.”
“We sent our cask hunters to the heart of the Andes in the hopes they’d encounter something exceptional,” says the distillery. “They did not disappoint, returning to the farm with barrels formerly filled with rare rum from the rural edges of Peru. Using our 12-year-old whiskey, we mined the depths of those saturated staves, retrieving a richness beyond description. No more than two months worth of finishing rendered a rye fraught with molasses, stewed plums and a symphony of stone fruit. Sing it from the rafters!”
Sasquatch Select Sighting #2: Chablis Barrel Finish delivers oak notes on the nose with hints of leather and vanilla. The palate has a nutty taste such as almonds along with baking spices, including cinnamon. The finish is described as clean and light.
“This one-of-a-kind gem sparkles with the supple refinement of Old World grapes,” says the distillery. “To capture that elegance, we ventured to the northern reaches of Burgundy, France, procuring the rarest Chablis barrels that winemakers were willing to part with. After arriving upon American shores, we filled them with our sturdy 12-year rye. It took just six weeks for the casks to impart upon the whiskey compelling notes of tannic dryness along with a tempered minerality. On the palate, marzipan emerges through baking spice, before resolving in a tight and focused finish.”
Both of the new Whiskeys in the WhistlePig Sasquatch Selects are priced at $149.99 and are available from the distillery’s official webstore.