WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey — WhistlePig launched its first rye whiskey in 2010 to a 96 out of 100 rating from Wine Enthusiast and other accolades. It even had a cameo on “Breaking Bad.” Expectations are high for the Shoreham distillery, and for master distiller Dave Pickerell. We’ll drink to that.
Other Finalists
- Caledonia Spirits
- Green Mountain Distillers
- Smugglers’ Notch Distillery
- Vermont Spirits Distilling Company
This article appears in Seven Daysies 2014.
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Whistle Pig is not a distillery, it should not be in this catagory. It buys in bulk Rye Whiskey from an Alberta distillery., in Canada and bottles it in Vermont. What a shame as there are several good Vermont distilleries.
In some respects, Phil raises a legitimate point: This issue has been a topic of significant debate within the craft spirits movement, not just in Vermont but nationwide. Some argue that one is not a craft spirits “distiller” if one does not actually distill. Others contend that the “craft” in craft spirits manufacturing isn’t limited to the distilling process alone, but also includes the blending, rectifying and aging processes. In Vermont, the Dept of Liquor Control refers to all spirits makers as”distillers” on its website, even those that don’t distill. (Their license with the state makes no distinction, either.) The Vermont Legislature will likely wade into this question sometime soon, as it’s done with other “Vermont-made” brands.
Anyone interested in reading more on this topic can check out my July 23, 2014 cover story, “Spirits Rising: Vermont’s ‘grain-to-glass’ craft-distilling movement comes of age,” here:
http://sevendaysvt-test.newspackstaging.com/vermont/vermont…
Additionally, check out the website of the newly formed American Craft Distillers Association, which features a spirited debate on what is, and is not, “craft.” FYI, its board of directors includes Steve Johnson of Vermont Spirits:
http://www.americancraftspirits.org
Finally, as I note in my cover story, WhistlePig is not currently distilling the rye it sells, but will soon. The company received its Act 250 permit last spring and, according to a company spokesperson, expects to be distilling its own grain mash by the summer of 2015.
-Ken
I agree that WP should not get this award since they don’t produce the product themselves, just buy it in and bottle it. They are intentionally fooling consumers with all the hype about their VT farm. They do a great job marketing but that is very different from the art of distilling.