Is This the Wildest Whiskey Release of 2024?

This year’s rendition of a majorly hyped annual release breaks new ground.

closeup of a whistlepig whiskey bottle in front of a house plant

Published October 15, 2024

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Rye whiskey is known for its spice notes, but the latest bottle from WhistlePig takes things to an insane degree.

Most American whiskey enthusiasts are likely familiar with the Vermont distillery’s annual Boss Hog release, especially considering the exorbitant prices the limited-edition bottles often command on the secondary market.

In case you aren’t familiar, each year, WhistlePig sets out to create a one-of-a-kind rye as a sort of halo product known as the Boss Hog. The bottle is wildly different every time, with each release sharing only a few common traits: It must be a single-barrel release, bottled at cask strength, complex, different than anything the brand has done before, and “stupendous.”

This year’s Boss Hog release is the eleventh to date, and the WhistlePig team traveled to Rajasthan, India for inspiration, eventually finding it in the state’s nut-and-spice-based beverage thandai. Naturally, this led head blender Meghan Ireland and her team to create the world’s first thandai-finished rye whiskey.

WhistlePig The Boss Hog XI: The Juggernaut

$600 at WhistlePig

The Juggernaut

WhistlePig Boss Hog XI is known as “The Juggernaut,” which, as far as I can tell, is not named after the X-Men villain (unfortunately).

As one would expect from a Boss Hog release, it’s a single-barrel rye whiskey bottled at cask strength — between 103.8 – 105.2 proof.

Also, as with most recent Boss Hog releases, there’s no age statement, though Juggernaut’s dark reddish-amber appearance and its refinement on the palate both suggest it’s a whiskey with a fair amount of age on it. The bottle also labels the whiskey as a “Product of Canada,” and WhistlePig historically has sourced most of its highly aged stuff from our northern neighbor.

a bottle of whistlepig whiskey next to a house plant — WhistlePig didn’t put an age statement on this year’s Boss Hog, but one look at the dark Canadian rye within suggests this isn’t a young whiskey.

What’s more, as is the norm with Boss Hog releases, the packaging is an experience unto itself and feels adequately premium for a $600 bottle of whiskey. The bottle comes topped with a solid pewter topper from Vermont’s Danforth Pewter depicting WhistlePig’s pig mascot dressed as a ceremonial Indian elephant. The bottle sits inside a beautifully patterned box (shoutout to my talented wife, Mary Garcia-Brayson, who coincidentally worked on this year’s design) and is accessed by a rotating door.

To create the spice bomb, WhistlePig took rye whiskey that had already fully matured in new American oak casks and finished the liquid in a barrel it had generously seasoned with spices sourced from Delhi’s Khari Baoli spice market, namely saffron, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, fennel, poppy and black peppercorn.

So, is this going to be too much spice in a whiskey? Let’s taste it and find out.

whistlepig whiskey box — The Juggernaut has a fancy box, but is the whiskey inside any good?

WhistlePig Boss Hog XI Tasting Notes

Nose: Umm, spice? There is a full cornucopia of spices on the nose here, but it’s a lot more complex than your typical rye spice. Cinnamon and cardamom stand out the most here, with a hint of saffron, and the general effect leans more toward men’s cologne than baked goods.

Palate: On the palate, it’s more rye-like than I would’ve guessed from the nose alone. Despite the complex finishing process the whiskey underwent, there’s no mistaking this for anything but a rye — and a high-end rye at that.

There’s a touch of floral sweetness at the very top before you get smacked with a big wallop of intense rye spice. On the backend, those other spices make their presence known in short order, with cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg especially having a lot of influence over the flavor, which thankfully does not taste like cologne. It’s quite delicious.

three boxes of whistlepig whiskey — This is the third Boss Hog release I’ve tried in a row. None have disappointed yet.

Finish: The finish has a bit of heat, amplified somewhat by the large amount of spice involved, though it’s not as hot as you’d think for a 105-proof whiskey. The spice notes linger for a long time, too, as even 45 seconds or so after swallowing my mouth felt like I’d just finished eating some exotic spiced candy.

Pricing and Availability

Per usual, this year’s Boss Hog is an excellent whiskey. Also, as is always the case with these releases, it’s rare and expensive. WhistlePig hasn’t said how many bottles are being produced, but it won’t be a lot.

SRP is $600, and while that’s definitely high, several previous Boss Hog bottles have fetched far more on the secondary market, so if people are willing to pay it, then I’d argue it’s not overpriced. You can pick up a bottle directly from WhistlePig at the link below while supplies last.