Dave Pickerell built WhistlePig with one mission in mind: to craft the world’s finest and most fascinating Rye whiskeys. A devotion to patient aging and innovative blending is the primary focus of that pursuit. But we mustn’t overlook the glory of the grain. With our oldest expression to date, we’re tapping into the time-honored techniques of the farmer distillers who in-vented the category. To kickstart fermentation they malted a small portion of their yearly har-vest. This delicate heating process opens up the grain, allowing yeasts easier access to the sugars they’ll soon convert to alcohol. It also imbues the resulting spirit with floral and earthy tonalities. These notes are then harnessed by our master blender to color a complex canvas. Against 79% rye, he paints with 15% malted rye and 6% malted barley—a stroke of genius. Taken together, the sipping experience evolves on the palate from soft and supple to rich and savory. A thrilling encounter accentuated by 18 years of maturation in virgin oak.