Ah, spring, when the limited release bourbons of fall and winter have petered out, and not much new will be released until the fall. So, when taking a look arond Hokus’ whiskey aisle today, I saw that Whistlepig had released a PiggyBack Bourbon. Whistlepig is famous for their rye whiskies, and I prefer bourbon to rye. But, the Whistlepigs I have tried have been good. Whistlepig initially sourced their ryes from Canada (much like my friends at Found North do) but have been engaged in a farm to glass operation in Vermont; growing their own grains and making their own distillate. Piggyback represnts the initial releases of bottlings of their bourbon mash distillate blended with other bourbons. This bourbon was first released in 2022 and they have worked to enlarge their distribution footprint since then. This bourbon is aged stated at six years old and is reportedly a low rye mashbill, but the bottle states that it contains distillate from Vermont, Kentucky, and Indiana. So I imagine this is Vermont six year old distillate blended with some MGP and possibly Bardstown Bourbon Company or Barton distillates that are at least six years old or possibly older. It is a nice 100 proof. This cost me just over $43, although MSRP’s around the country reflect more of a $50 price point.

The color on this is a lighter amber that could easily be confused with some darker scotches. On the swirl are oily droplets and a thin film. This is about right for 100 proof whiskey. Pretty traditional bourbon nose however, with lots of caramel, the scent of yeasty cinnamon rolls, and white grapes. On the palate, there is a big shot of cinnamon right up front, followed by green apples, maple, and burnt orange, and a slight vanilla note and notes of mint herbal tea. On the finish, the apples become candied and the baking spices linger on this long finish. This is quite the flavor bomb at 100 proof, but it has some youthful bitterness that is off-putting that I can only presume comes from the Vermont distilled whiskey that hasn’t been exposed to the hotter summers in Kentucky and Tennessee. In a first, I would say this whiskey drinks actually younger that it really is and I attribute that to the Vermont climate and the fact that they used number three char barrels as opposed to number four. More barrel influence would have helped this whiskey have more depth. Also I would say that the Indiana and Kentucky distillates blended into this bourbon are also no more than six years old. I note that when I tried this a second time after the bottle had been opened for 24 hours the youthful bitterness had lessened.

This would go nicely in a Manhattan or a Sazerac (which normally calls for rye). The fruity and sweet notes would blend nicely with bitters. But, given that you can purchase a bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel at 100 proof at this price point, I would put PiggyBack bourbon in the try before you buy category as far as a neat sipper. The rest of this bottle will be going into cocktails and I won’t be buying another.