WhistlePig’s LapuLapu’s Pacific Takes A Voyage Across The Sea With UK Launch

WhistlePig is launching Boss Hog VII: LapuLapu’s Pacific on Independence Day. (Photo: WhistlePig)

LapuLapu’s Pacific, the eighth rye expression in the Boss Hog series by WhistlePig, is set to launch in the UK. This expression will debut on July 4 in honor of the U.S.’s Independence Day and will sell for a suggested retail price of nearly $900, according to an article released on Monday in The Spirits Business.

The experimental, Vermont-based whiskey brand is no stranger to pushing the limits in terms of whiskey. In October, WhistlePig launched Boss Hog IX: Siren’s Song, a rye that was aged in fig and Tentura Casks. Tentura is a Greek liqueur; interested parties can read our review here.

Boss Hog IX: Siren’s Song’s inception occurred after WhistlePig’s all-female-led distilling team took a trip to Greece. The spirit was inspired by the nine muses in Ancient Greek Mythology, and it was rated one of the best ryes ever tasted at Whiskey Raiders.

Boss Hog VII: LapuLapu’s Pacific was aged in new American oak for almost 18 years, before being double-finished in highly charred barrels that once contained small-batch single-island-aged Philippine rum. The rye whisky was named “LapuLapu’s Pacific” after the Filipino hero who opposed colonization and defeated Spanish forces led by Ferdinand Magellan.

The expression is meant to continue the legacy left behind by the brand’s The Boss Hog VII: Magellan’s Atlantic, which was finished in a combination of South American teak and Spanish oak casks.

“We were already tracing Magellan in-depth, and when we discovered LapuLapu’s story we knew we had to track down the best Philippines rum barrels we could for the sequel,” Meghan Ireland, WhistlePig blender stated according to The Spirits Business.

The American oak barrels originally held bourbon, according to the brand. After the liquid was aged in those barrels for nearly 10 years, it spent the remainder of its days in rum casks.

“The whiskey rests first in seven-year-old batch Philippine rum casks, followed by a shorter finish in 10-year-old small batch Philippine rum casks. The older rum is darker and bolder, requiring less time for its barrels to impart notes in the whiskey. The end result is an amazingly unique and delicious whiskey,” Ireland concluded.

A series of events are slated to commemorate the brand’s launch in the United Kingdom, including tastings and a release of signature cocktails at selected venues in London.

WhistlePig Boss Hog VII: LapuLapu’s Pacific Tasting Notes, via WhistlePig

Aroma: Lush vanilla, underripe banannas.

Palate: Ground cinnamon, citrus zest.

Finish: Light brown sugar, nutmeg, leather, black pepper.

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