Breaking Bourbon Award Winning Single Barrel Club picks are selected by Breaking Bourbon, and whenever possible with the help of Patreon supporters. The bottles are made available to Patreon supporters first by pledge tier. If any bottles remain after all supporters have had an opportunity to purchase, they are made available to the public on a first come, first served basis. Each barrel is sponsored by a retailer partner, who sells the bottles directly to end purchasers.

SBC #29 “The Rye Who Shagged Me”

Retailer Partner: Keg N Bottle

Name: WhistlePig 10 Year Barrel Proof Rye

Classification: Straight Rye

Company: WhistlePig

Distillery: Alberta Distillers

Age: 10 Year (Bottled in the 10 year single barrel bottle, however actual age is over 17 years old - barreled on 2/28/2003 and bottled on 8/19/2020)

Proof: 108.9

Mashbill: 94% Rye, 6% Malted Barley

Yield: 132 Bottles

Release Date: November 2020

SBC #30 “I Drink for Evil”

Retailer Partner: Keg N Bottle

Name: WhistlePig 12 Year Finished Rye (Custom blend - 20% Sauternes, 65% Madeira, 15% Port)

Classification: Blend of Straight Ryes Finished in Sauternes, Madeira, and Port Barrels

Company: WhistlePig

Distillery: Undisclosed

Age: 12 Years

Proof: 86

Mashbill: 94% Rye, 6% Malted Barley

Yield: 132 Bottles

Release Date: November 2020

Single Barrel Club Rollout Schedule

$25 - Monday 11/23/2020 @ 2PM ET

$14 - Wednesday 11/25/2020 @ 2PM ET

$7 - Friday 11/27/2020 @ 2PM ET

$3, $2, $1 - Monday 11/30/2020 @ 2PM ET

For this double-header pick we partnered with Keg N Bottle out of California. A California retailer, Keg N Bottle was established in 1981 and has been in business for over 30 years. Keg N Bottle is known for strategically engineered “Liquor Walls” and “Beer Caves.” They carry every different type of liquor imaginable, a wine for every occasion, 1,500 different beers to make you “hoppy,” and over 1,250 different kegs to choose from. Additionally, Keg N Bottle offers national delivery of every single item from their massive selection.

In addition to the age difference, these two picks were very different from one another.

The Barrel Proof selection was very traditional in the sense of barrel selection. We were presented with three barrel proof rye samples ranging in proof from 108.9 - 109.1 proof, but were given very little information besides that. Whichever barrel we chose would be bottled at barrel proof, and we would learn the barrel’s actual age - something 10 years or possibly older - after the pick. The barrels presented contrasted one another - one was almost bourbon-like, another was quite sweet but also very unique-tasting, and the last provided a punchy rye spice but maintained a good balance between the spice and sweet notes. And it was the more balanced punchy-rye barrel that we chose. It was a fairly easy selection, as it was the blind favorite among the three of us and the best demonstration of WhistlePig’s high rye flavor profile we were looking for. It wasn’t until afterwards we learned it came in at a whopping 17 years old!

The 12 year old was very different. Referred to as their “Bespoke” blend, a reference to each blend being made specifically for a given consumer, this is a custom blend of three 12 year old ryes. One finished in Sauternes casks, one finished in Madeira casks, and one finished in Port barrels. Each finish presented a very different flavor profile, and the task at hand would be finding our favorite blend within the required parameters: Sauternes 20-70%, Madeira 30-80%, and Port 0-20%.

After first trying some blends that completely eliminated the Port finish, we quickly realized that was not the way to oak. The Port finished rye provided a rich quality that significantly complemented the test blends, so that was off the table. Next we tried pushing the Port finish to the max 20%, with Sauternes and Madeira in equal balance. Strangely, this was a bit too much Port finish! This meant pulling it back some, and left us with the final decision - do we go heavy on the Sauternes finish, Madeira finish, or keep them in equal balance? We put together a handful of blends testing different configurations and ultimately discovered a heavier Madeira finished component yielded a better overall result. Finally, we adjusted the Port finished component ever-so-slightly to get the right mix. We landed on a custom blend of 65% Madeira finish, 20% Sauternes finish, and 15% Port finish. The most complex blend of all we had tested, and one that featured dark fruit highlighted by subtle complementary spice and oak notes with a delicious earthy undertone.

Because of the inherent contrast between these two WhistlePig picks, we wanted to come up with a sticker concept where the two would contrast one another, basically a yin-yang feel but not as simple. We’re often fans of nostalgic references from our younger years, and The “Rye” Who Shagged Me concept was born! Playing off the 1999 film, “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” sequel to the original 1997 film, “Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery,” we landed on one of our most fun concepts yet. Just like Mike Myers plays both Austin Powers and his arch nemesis, the supervillain Dr. Evil, we tied them together in much the same way with the same cartoon pig as Dr. Evil in sticker number two. And oh yeah...we didn’t forget about Mini-Me either! Enjoy!

Tasting Notes:
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SBC #29 WhistlePig 10 Year (17 Year) Barrel Proof Rye “The Rye Who Shagged Me”

Nose: Big rye spice | Anise/Licorice | Menthol | Nose-filling

Palate: Big pop of rye spice upfront | Anise/Licorice | Caramel | Classic rye undertone

Finish: Mild cinnamon | Sweet | Less bold than Nose and Palate

“Drinks like a rye, but for a bourbon drinker.”
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SBC #30 - WhistlePig 12 Year Bespoke Blend “I Drink for Evil”

Nose: Dark fruit | Bubblegum | Earthy undertone | Rich & complex

Palate: Dark fruit | Plums | Baking spices | Introduction of rye spice

Finish: Dark fruit | Plums | Aged oak on the backend | Subtle rye spice | Complex

“This final blend is more rich and deeper in complexity as compared to the other blends.”

Distillers, Producers, and Retailers: If you would like to be a part of this program and get your name in front of millions of bourbon enthusiasts, contact us.

‍Please note these bottles will not be sold by Breaking Bourbon, but will be sold by retailers we partner with in order to fulfill the orders and ship the bottles directly to Patreon supporters. Breaking Bourbon will receive no compensation from our partner retailers under these agreements (with the exception of a bottle from each barrel for editorial purposes). If you represent a retailer and ship to consumers and you’re interested in partnering just let us know!