WhistlePig reveals the latest ‘piglet’ in its Rye Whiskey family:
PiggyBack 100% Rye
Award-winning rye whiskey distillery from Vermont – WhistlePig – is unveiling its latest spirit to the UK this 4th July: PiggyBack 100% Rye – its youngest and most playful whiskey in its rye family.
Aged for 6 years and bottled at 48.28% with an RRP of £45, PiggyBack 100% Rye offers the perfect flavour profile for cocktail curation and mixology.
The whiskey is several years in the making and a culmination of the distillery’s late Master Distiller, Dave Pickerell’s passion for Rye, showcasing its youthful, vibrant mixability and playful profile.
PiggyBack 100% Rye was created by Pickerell to ensure that the very best aged rye whiskey could be used in both classic cocktails and contemporary serves. He chose the name PiggyBack to express the love and respect he had for the bartending community. The Pig on the bottle is not wearing a traditional Top hat, but a Stetson. The hat was Dave’s trademark, and he rarely was seen without it. The bottle has been adapted from the distinctive WhistlePig shape to give a more tactile and pour-friendly design, for ease of handling by bartenders and whiskey-lovers who want to try their hand at cocktail curation at home.
Jeff Kozak, CEO of WhistlePig said: “On behalf of Dave Pickerell, and all of us here at WhistlePig, we are proud to share the latest expression in our unparalleled offering of aged rye whiskies to the UK, one of Dave’s final creations. PiggyBack 100% Rye is a gift from our late legendary distiller to his friends across the country and around the world, and of course, the bartenders who helped forge the WhistlePig brand from the very beginning.”
The UK launch takes place on American Independence Day, Monday 4th July – a key date in the WhistlePig calendar for the brand to celebrate its heritage – and off the back of WhistlePig’s inaugural national cocktail competition that has been staged across the UK over the past three months, with the final taking place in London on the same day as the launch.
PiggyBack 100% Rye is being driven into the on trade as a priority, with the main aim to win over the hearts and bars of some of the UKs leading mixologists in year one, followed by specialist retailers and independents within year two of launch.
Dan Priseman, UK & European Steward of the Brand said: “We are excited to reveal PiggyBack 100% Rye to the UK, particularly across the on trade where we’re building advocacy and support for the brand across some of the UK’s most influential and exciting bars. Our first ever cocktail competition culminates at the launch event allowing us to put the liquid in front of 12 of the most creative bartenders in the UK, whilst immersing them in the world of WhistlePig and our approach to mixology.”
PiggyBack 100% Rye will be available from mid-July via selected specialist retailers (RRP: £45) and in leading on trade accounts across the UK. For trade enquiries, please contact Moët Hennessy UK on tel: 020 7808 4400.
WhistlePig PiggyBack 100% Rye Tasting Notes:
On the nose: fresh cinnamon and black peppercorn mingle, with a hint of tangerine and grapefruit zest.
On the palate: powerfully spicy, with cocoa, cardamom and cured leather flavours enhancing the grain forward character of this classic rye.
The finish: wonderfully lengthy, with baking spices, oak, and vanilla lingering, and hints of citrus throughout.
About WhistlePig:
Founded in 2008, WhistlePig is the premier aged rye whiskey, featuring the bold and often untapped flavour of rye. WhistlePig is leading a surge of innovation in the emerging field of North American whiskey. As the most decorated rye whiskey – having received the coveted ‘Best in Show Whiskey’ title from the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, WhistlePig is widely viewed as the world’s finest Rye. With the opening of its distillery on its 500-acre Vermont farm in the fall of 2015, WhistlePig has also become one of the leading farm-to-bottle rye whiskeys in the world.