Review: WhistlePig PiggyBank Rye 10 Years Old 2023
Review: WhistlePig PiggyBank Rye 10 Years Old 2023
Remember WhistlePig’s PiggyBank Rye, which comes in a glass, pig-shaped decanter that is poured from its rear end? Well now it’s an annual thing. You can tell the difference between the 2022 vintage and the 2023 one by the color of the wax on the stopper. 2022’s is red. 2023 is gold. The label and paint are slightly more yellow, also. As with 2022’s release, it’s a 10 year old product, “product of U.S.,” bottled at 55% abv.
I still have the 2022 PiggyBank on hand and compared them side by side. This is a bit of a different animal, no pun intended.
Like the 2022 expression, this 2023 version is a bold and grassy rye, biting on the nose with green grass and pepper, but it lacks the fruit on the nose that the 2022 holds in abundance. Some time in glass helps open things up a bit, but notes of black cherry and a clove quality do come forward eventually. The palate is both immersive and bold — aggressive with heavily herbal notes of tobacco, green grass, and some leather. Notes of orange peel, cranberry, and winter spices soon perk up, adding some more interesting secondary character while giving the finish an aggressive, rye-forward punch that is punctuated with spearmint and eucalyptus notes.
It’s a more aggressive whiskey than the 2022 version that lacks some of the former bottling’s balance and nuance, though it’s still a delight to sip on. While the 2022 didn’t need it, a touch of water is probably in order this time around. That’ll do, pig.
110 proof.
A- / $250 (1 liter) / whistlepigwhiskey.com [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
WhistlePig PiggyBank Rye 10 Years Old 2023
$250
