Whistlepig Straight Bourbon Snout To Tail Toasted Barrel Aged 10 Year Whiskey

This is a ten-year-old straight bourbon from WhistlePig with an unusual twist in the wood: it rests in Vermont oak barrels that are toasted two different ways, a "snout toast" with VT Oak #1 and a "tail toast" with VT Oak #2. The result, per the producer, is a balance of sweet and savory, and the nose bears that out with honey, caramel and brown sugar layered over toasted cashew and vanilla. At 88 proof it stays approachable, so it works as well for someone stepping up from younger everyday bourbons as it does for the collector curious about how barrel toasting shapes flavor. The corn-dominant mash bill keeps sweetness at the core, while the toasted oak adds a nutty, warming depth. We carry it because it is a genuinely different take on aged bourbon, one that rewards slow sipping neat or over a single large cube, and it makes a fine conversation bottle to pour for friends who think they have tried every style of bourbon.