‘Breaking and Rewriting the Laws of Whiskey’: WhistlePig’s 10th ‘Boss Hog’ Rye Whiskey Features 2 Inventive, Unorthodox Barrel Finishes
WhistlePig Whiskey has released its 10th Boss Hog whiskey: WhistlePig The Boss Hog X: The Commandments. (Photo: WhistlePig Whiskey)
On Tuesday, Vermont distillery WhistlePig Whiskey announced the 10th release in its priciest and most experimental series: The Boss Hog.
WhistlePig The Boss Hog X: The Commandments is rye whiskey aged in new oak barrels and sourced from Canada. WhistlePig finished this limited-edition whiskey in two unusual types of barrels. The first finishing barrel contained an unorthodox spirit that WhistlePig distilled from rye and whey and infused with aromatic resins from Boswellia and Commiphora trees.
According to WhistlePig, these resins are commonly known as Frankincense and Myrrh and imbue the whiskey with notes of crème brûlée, lemongrass and rosemary.
After being finished in the resin barrels, The Boss Hog X underwent a second finishing period in craft mead casks.
Each bottle of The Boss Hog X is topped with a pewter pig-headed figure that WhistlePig describes as “the lawmaker and rulebreaker of Rye Whiskey.” The bottles are presented in gift boxes emblazoned with WhistlePig’s 10 commandments, which WhistlePig says apply to this and all future Boss Hog releases:
I. Single Barrel
II. Bottled at Proof
III. Powerfully Complex
IV. Distinctly Unique From Anything We’ve Done Before
V. Stupendous
VI. Fearlessly First Amongst All Whiskeys
VII. Inspired by the Unfamiliar
VIII. Irreverently Inventive
IX. Made for Drinking
X. Knows No Bounds
Commandments I through V were the original “five promises” WhistlePig gives for each Boss Hog release, and the distillery has expanded the list to 10: the commandments. WhistlePig described its commandments as “a testament to WhistlePig’s devotion to creating, breaking and rewriting the laws of whiskey” in a news release.
“The Commandments reinforce our dedication to creating transformative whiskeys and the world’s most daring cask finishes,” WhistlePig Head Blender Meghan Ireland said in the news release. “The creation of The Boss Hog X exemplifies just that. After the first several trials with resins, I began to doubt whether it was possible to harness them for maturation. The whey / rye spirit was a breakthrough, and well worth it in the end. This is not only a world first, but a celebration of the abundance to come with the next decade of The Boss Hog.”
Bottled between 105.3 and 107 proof, WhistlePig The Boss Hog X: The Commandments has a suggested retail price of $599.99 per 750-milliliter bottle. It is available starting Tuesday from bars, restaurants and liquor stores across the U.S. and online at whistlepigwhiskey.com.
Initial Impressions: WhistlePig The Boss Hog X Tasting Notes
Whiskey Raiders Chief Spirits Critic Jay West will have a full review of this whiskey up on the site shortly, but in the meantime, here are this writer’s initial impressions:
Nose: Subtle, layered and complex, the nose is quite fruity, with notes of blackberry tart, cherry pie and honeycrisp apples. The fruitiness is joined by buttered popcorn, pepper and crème brûlée. There’s not much of the traditional WhistlePig rye spice on the nose (last year’s Boss Hog was wildly spice-forward, so this is a change of pace) — instead, it’s more of that sweet, fruit-forward mead profile.
Taste: Lovely, oily viscosity with some tannin adding a dryness to the mouthfeel. Mead leads the way again here, which is great, because this is very sweet, and very delicious — if a touch cloying. there’s plenty of honeycrisp apple, honey, cocoa and butterscotch here. Unlike the nose, the palate does give some of that more typical WhistlePig rye spice, with notes of nutmeg, clove, anise, gingerbread, pine and spearmint.
Finish: Perhaps the best part of this pour, the finish is incredibly rich and just keeps on going, with waves of honey, apples, cherries and custard crashing down. There are some subtle pine and cinnamon undertones on this sweet, delectable finish.
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