A Case of You – WhistlePig PiggyBack Rye

It took quite a while, but here is my cocktail creation using my souvenir from our Canada / USA trip. For the WhistlePig Piggy Back Rye, I chose an Old-Fashioned variation with Canadian ingredients.

While being marketed in the US, the WhistlePig Piggy Back Rye actually comes from the Alberta Distillery. The rye uses a mash of 100 % rye which is quite special since most distilleries use some kind of mixed mash-bill. After the ageing for six years in American oak barrels, the whiskey is bottled at 48,28 % ABV.

Mellow rye notes

Compared to other rye whiskies, the WhistlePig PiggyBack Rye tastes quite mellow. Yet after a while, the whiskey develops more complex notes. You get some typical rye flavours, but also a hint of white wine and quite a bunch of fruity notes. All in all, it is a great rye for introducing people to the category without overwhelming them.

Basically, just an Old-Fashioned

For the drink using the WhistlePig Rye, I decided to go full Canadian. So, I used whiskey aged Canadian Maple Syrup as a sweetener for the Old-Fashioned. On top of that, I used the Amer Kebek Walnut Bitters instead of Angostura Bitters. Additionally, I added a few sprays of the Seventh Sense Old Fashioned bitters.

The “A Case of You” starts with classic Old-Fashioned notes. However, the maple syrup and the walnut bitters add different touches. The Sventh Sense bitters also bring beautiful wood notes to the mix. In the end, the PiggyBack Rye resulted in a great Old-Fashioned variation which really reminded me of our holidays!