WhistlePig 12 Year Old World Marriage

A product of distillery’s experimentation process that began in 2012. Part of a wider mission to perfect highly matured rye whiskeys, distillery deliberately selected a 12-year-old rye and began aging it for an additional 2-6 weeks in rare European wine casks. These experimental finishes included PX and Oloroso Sherry, Port, Sauternes, Madeira, and a special collaboration with Pierre Ferrand Cognac. 

After reviewing all single the finishes, they selected the most dynamic of the bunch and released them successively in select markets with incredibly limited quantities. Those finishes were the Sauternes, Madeira and Port. As the first of the launch the Sauternes 12 Year old World Rye proudly took the 2015 Double Gold at the San Francisco Wine and Spirits Competition, and set the tone for what has been a highly successful new product launch.

With Dave Pickerell as a guiding light and innovator, and after a concentrated three months conferring with top whiskey industry professionals across the country, distillery landed on what is the magnum opus of the series: The 12 Year Old World. A perfect marriage of all three single finishes in exacting proportions (63% Madeira, 30% Sauternes and 7% Port), the 12 Year highlights the bold and spicy attributes of a highly matured rye with the elegant flavors derived from each wine cask. The result is a smoothness and complexity never before seen in a whiskey. 

This unprecedented series of whiskeys included three major landmarks:

• The first American Whiskey ever finished in Sauternes
• The second American Whiskey finished in Madeira
• The first American Married Whiskey

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, and winter fruit
Palette: Rye Spice, apricots, plums, raisins, dates, and honey
Finish: Dark chocolate, winter fruit, caramel , and vanilla