WhistlePig<\/a>, and it\u2019s \u201caged longer than any other N. American single malt,\u201d according to the brand.<\/p>\nIt was aged for 30 years and finished in Vin Santo barrels, a rare Italian dessert wine that\u2019s crafted via the low-yield, labor-intensive appassimento method, in which dried grapes are fermented.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t wait for our single malt\u2019s 30th birthday just to play it safe. The BigSh\u01ddB\u00e0ng is a flavor supernova \u2014 radiant, otherworldly, and unlike anything we\u2019ve ever put in a bottle,\u201d said Meghan Ireland, WhistlePig\u2019s head blender. \u201cWe\u2019ve been hunting down Vin Santo barrels for a few years now, and the stars finally aligned with a precious few to finish this inaugural release. As with many of our most elusive casks, they\u2019ve proved to be a catalyst for complexity that\u2019s well worth the quest.\u201d<\/p>\n
The BigSh\u01ddB\u00e0ng is full-flavored, with notes of honeyed bread, wheat crust, and florals on the nose. The palate brings subtle clove, freshly kneaded dough, and honeysuckle on the palate, with a finish of toasted cedar and lingering sweetness. <\/p>\n
The BigSh\u01ddB\u00e0ng is 90.4 proof and completes a trinity of single malts, following predecessors The B\u00e9h\u00f4lden (aged 21 years, finished in WhistlePig rye barrels) and The Bad\u00f6nk\u00e5donk (aged 25 years, finished in Silver Oak cabernet barrels).<\/p>\n
It\u2019s extremely rare, with just four barrels in existence, and is priced accordingly at $4,999. It\u2019ll be available to taste at The WhistlePig Vault in Louisville, Kentucky, later this fall, and bottles will make their way to select establishments nationwide.<\/p>\n