‘Whiskey, Perfected’: WhistlePig Founder Raj Bhakta’s Latest Expression Blends Rye With Ancient Armagnac
On Monday, BHAKTA Spirits announced the release of its newest flagship expression, BHAKTA 1928. The expression is a blend of straight rye whiskey, XO Calvados and Armagnac. The name, 1928, refers to the oldest vintage of Armagnac used in the blend.
The new release hosts a suggested retail price of $69.
“Have you ever tasted a nearly 100-year-old spirit? The ultimate distillation of the Roaring Twenties, BHAKTA 1928 channels the unbridled optimism, unstoppable boom, and ‘extraordinary gift of hope’ — as F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote of fictional tycoon Jay Gatsby — that defined America’s most iconic era yet,” Leo Gibson, BHAKTA Spirits cofounder, said in a news release, “BHAKTA 1928 offers consumers the chance to enjoy a spirit of astounding age for a genuinely jaw-dropping price, directly from the visionary creator of the modern rye category himself.”
The BHAKTA 1928 blend is 60% American rye whiskey, 30% Calvados and 10% vintage Armagnac. The Armagnacs used in the blend are vintages from 1928, 1941, 1962, 1973 and 1996.
Crafted under the stewardship of French Master Blender Bernard Domecq, BHAKTA 1928 is double cask finished in virgin French oak. The spirit’s age is 15 years old on average, with 30% of the blend clocking in at over 30 years old, 5% clocking in at over 50 years old and a small percentage at nearly a century old.
The brand considers BHAKTA 1928 “whiskey, perfected,” due to the addition of the ancient Armagnac. The ages of the Armagnacs coincide with major American milestones, such as America’s entrance into World War II in 1941, the beginning of the Space Race in 1962 and America’s “Golden Anniversary” in 1973.
The BHAKTA Spirits brand comes from Raj Peter Bhakta, the founder of popular Vermont whiskey brand WhistlePig.
After leaving WhistlePig, Bhakta went in search of some of the oldest spirits in the world. In the French countryside, he purchased Armagnacs dating back to 1868.
“Since long before I founded WhistlePig, my quest to perfect whiskey has been the absolute focus of my career,” Bhakta said in a news release. “Beginning with a base superior to almost any I’ve created before, BHAKTA 1928 finally achieves the dream of whiskey, perfected — through the transubstantiation granted by a magic touch of 1928 Armagnac. Isn’t it time we brought back the spirit of the Roaring Twenties? Let the new boom times begin.”
BHAKTA 1928 Tasting Notes, Via the brand
Nose: Custard, caramel, vanilla.
Taste: Spiced oak, with vanilla.
Finish: Lengthy, with plenty of oak.
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