WhistlePig The Boss Hog

WhistlePig The Boss Hog series has emerged as one of the market’s most collectible annual rye whiskey releases. Fans eagerly await each year’s edition, along with the latest pewter pig that adorns the stopper—a collectible that has become the porcine equivalent of Blanton’s racehorse stoppers.

When The Boss Hog was first released in 2013, the goal was to deliver a yearly treat to collectors and connoisseurs that represented the finest rye in WhistlePig’s stock. WhistlePig commits to five promises for each release: It will be a single barrel, bottled at proof, powerfully complex, distinctly unique from anything they’ve done before, and it will be stupendous. The liquid is sourced from Canada and shipped to Vermont for further maturation, finishing, and bottling. The Boss Hog releases are single barrel bottlings, but there are multiple barrels chosen for each edition so availability runs into thousands of bottles. Amassing all eight editions is a coveted achievement among fans. As the series has progressed, the age of the whiskeys has increased, the finishing processes have become more experimental, and the packaging has become more premium. While these extraordinary rye whiskeys cost $500 a bottle, the retail price has stayed the same since 2017 despite its growing international audience.

For the forthcoming edition, The Boss Hog IX, WhistlePig has reserved barrels for what it calls a unique finishing experiment. We will know more about it later this year.