Review: WhistlePig “The Boss Hog XI: The Juggernaut” Rye Whiskey 2024
We’re now into double digits when it comes to WhistlePig‘s Boss Hog releases, each of which is more abjectly insane than the last. (The last was inspired by the Bible and the Ten Commandments, featuring milk and honey, frankincense and myrrh.) How much further can the mad geniuses of Vermont take this concept of finishing rye in weird-ass barrels? Well, at least one more year. For The Boss Hog XI, here’s what’s in store.
Today, WhistlePig Whiskey’s karmic quest for whiskey wonder culminates with the debut of The Boss Hog XI. This year, WhistlePig’s whiskey makers searched over 7,000 miles from the WhistlePig Farm to find enlightenment in Rajasthan, India. The Land of Kings revealed the perfect blend of spices to crown the latest rare edition in the storied The Boss Hog collection. A mastery of whiskey creation embodying majestic complexity and elephantine might, WhistlePig presents The Boss Hog XI: The Juggernaut.
The Juggernaut unites WhistlePig’s oldest and boldest Straight Rye Whiskey with the alluring and celebratory spices of Thandai, an aromatic Indian drink born of nuts and spices. After encountering Thandai during the Holi festival in Jaipur, WhistlePig’s experimental team combed Delhi’s Khari Baoli spice market for ingredients to create the world’s first Thandai whiskey barrels. These unique finishing barrels are seasoned with a marriage of aged Rye with saffron, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, fennel, poppy and black peppercorn.
“Every year we challenge ourselves to craft a Rye that is more stupendous, inspired, and intricate than each edition of The Boss Hog before it,” said Meghan Ireland, Head Blender at WhistlePig. “After expanding our original five promises for The Boss Hog to ten tenants last year, we set out on our biggest challenge yet. When we discovered Thandai in India, we knew we had to find a way to translate its spice profile to a showstopping whiskey barrel for this precious Rye.”
Following extended aging in new American Oak barrels, each Single Barrel of The Boss Hog XI finishes its saga in the experimental Thandai barrels before bottling at proof to preserve its power. A medley of traditional Indian spices greets the nose, with cardamom joining the Rye’s natural allspice, clove and black pepper aromatics. The structured spice profile is balanced by playful over-ripe orchard fruit before cardamom, saffron and fennel take center stage. The Juggernaut finishes in waves of baking spice notes giving way to the soft sweetness of tropical fruit.
To crown the Rajah of Rye, The Boss Hog XI’s handmade, Vermont pewter pig topper is adorned in the style of the majestic Indian elephant.
Leave it to WhistlePig to finish their whiskey in something I’ve never heard of. Thandai! Who knew? All that’s left for us to do is give this thing a try.
Boss Hog expressions are never shy on flavor, and this whiskey, a deep shade of amber that’s almost red, is no exception. The nose is complex and rich: Pungent, smoldering incense is the most immediate aroma, though the heady spirit evokes all kinds of elements — cloves, nutmeg, spicy chai, lemon and orange peel, and finally saffron. I’ve never had a whiskey that evoked Asia so clearly — including every whiskey I’ve had that was made in Asia. There’s obviously a reason for that given the way this was finished, but still.
On the palate, Boss Hog XI is a sweet operator, which is well in line with prior expressions. It certainly needs the sweetness to counter all the spices, which come across like you’re crashing through a Delhi bazaar on a motorcycle. Baking spices are up front. From there the experience becomes much more exotic. That incense is liquified at this point, extremely floral and evocative of India in myriad ways — heavy-spice tea leaf, star anise, saffron buns, lots of cardamom. Roses, jasmine, and lilac all burst on the finish, lingering just about forever. I had to go hunting for a palate cleanser for this one just to keep from going insane.
You’re probably getting the picture here, and while extremely bold flavors are no stranger to The Boss Hog, this year things go just a little too far, and the finished product is wildly unctuous and just too bizarre. It no longer resembles whiskey, and I can understand if some drinkers feel it comes across a bit too much like some kind of holistic medicine. With that in mind, I offer no comment on whether this spirit will heal what ails you.
103.8 proof as reviewed (bottles vary from 103.8 to 105.2 proof). Reviewed: Barrel #1.
B+ / $600 / whistlepigwhiskey.com
The post Review: WhistlePig “The Boss Hog XI: The Juggernaut” Rye Whiskey 2024 appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.