Different grains express different flavors. Most bourbon is made from corn. Our whiskey involves a pure expression of rye. To illustrate the difference in food terms, think of the sweet flavor of a fluorescent yellow cornbread that you nosh with BBQ. Now imagine the earthy, spicy, powerfully brooding flavor of rye bread or pumpernickel used at a gourmet sandwich shop. These differences that express themselves in bread also come across through the distillation process.
Rye is a northern grain. It grows best half way between the equator and the North Pole. The rye belt stretches from the northern steppes of Russia and the Ukraine, across Poland’s broad expanses, over the loamy soil of the North German Plain, and beyond the Baltic through the Nordic countries. For years, an appreciation for good rye largely rested with people from these places. But the secret is out, and those with discerning tastes are discovering what was once known here in North America only among scattered enclaves: there is no comparison to, or substitute for, a good rye.
Other Rye
There are many other fine ryes on the market, some of which are made by our good friends. But three things set WhistlePig apart.
Distillation
For all of its beauty, and despite the wonderful character of its people, Vermont is not always the easiest place to do business.
