Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

WhistlePig Teams Up With Four Chefs on a New Whiskey

By
Whistlepig x Flaviar Chef’s Blend 2019
Jamie Malone, David Posey, Pete Lynch, Justin Woodward, and Michael Gulotta (left to right) WhistlePig

Chefs collaborating with whiskey brands isn’t exactly a new phenomenon. In 2013, Chef Edward Lee worked with Jefferson’s Bourbon on a bourbon and rye blend called Jefferson’s Chef Collaboration. Last year, Maker’s Mark released its Top Chef Private Select Bourbon to coincide with the popular reality cooking show’s run in Kentucky. And a contestant from that season, Chef Justin Sutherland, worked with Tatersall Distilling on an American straight single malt, available at his Minneapolis restaurants and select stores around the country. The latest chef-whiskey collaboration comes from Vermont’s WhistlePig distillery and includes the input of four James Beard-nominated chefs.

Whistlepig x Flaviar Chef’s Blend 2019
Whistlepig x Flaviar Chef’s Blend 2019 WhistlePig

WhistlePig x Flaviar Chef’s Blend 2019 will be released in a run of 1,000 bottles that will be sold exclusively via online spirits club Flaviar for $125 each. This past June, four chefs descended upon the WhistlePig farm in Shoreham, Vermont to sample and blend the liquid. They were Michael Gulotta of MOPHO/Maypop (New Orleans), Jamie Malone from Grand Café (Minneapolis), David Posey from Elske (Chicago), and Justin Woodward of Castagna (Portland, Oregon).

Recommended Videos

The rye in this release consists of WhistlePig’s usual cask-finished 12-year-old MGP-sourced whiskey but includes the addition of sherry cask-finished whiskey which separates it from WhistlePig Old World. The final makeup of the blend is as follows: 40% Madeira-finished rye, 30% sherry-finished rye, 20% port-finished rye, and 10% Sauternes-finished rye. Master blender Pete Lynch believes that the addition of the sherry cask-finished rye to the core trio really separates this whiskey from anything WhistlePig has released before. “[It] showcases a rich complexity with subtle nuances,” he said in a statement, “adding a great sherry derived spice and nuttiness, and tremendously deepening the flavor profile.”

Whistlepig x Flaviar Chef’s Blend 2019
Justin Woodward, Jamie Malone, Pete Lynch, Michael Gulotta, and David Posey (left to right) WhistlePig

The point of having these chefs collaborate on creating a whiskey was to highlight the similarities between what goes into coming up with a blend and creating a menu at a restaurant. “We thought it would be an interesting experiment to take four incredible chefs, who are real bastions of flavor and have them play around with the blend of a new whiskey expression,” said Flaviar cofounder Grisa Soba. To showcase the new whiskey, as well as the chefs’ culinary talents, each will host a special dinner for Flaviar members at his or her restaurant this month, pairing the whiskey with a specially designed menu ahead of the Flaviar Chef’s Blend October release.

The dates are as follows:

  • Friday, September 6: David Posey, Elske Restaurant, Chicago
  • Monday, September 9: Michael Gulotta, Maypop, New Orleans
  • Tuesday, September 17: Jamie Malone, Grand Café, Minneapolis
  • Thursday, September 19: Justin Woodward, Castagna, Portland

Editors’ Recommendations

Jonah Flicker
Jonah Flicker
Jonah Flicker is a freelance writer who covers booze, travel, food, and lifestyle. His work has appeared in a variety of…
Hudson Whiskey Relaunches with New Look, New Whiskey
hudson whiskey relaunch 1

Hudson Whiskey was one of the brands at the forefront of the American craft whiskey movement. The distillery behind it, Tuthilltown Spirits, was the first distillery in New York State to operate since Prohibition when it launched back in 2003. The distillery has gone through some changes since those early days, the biggest being the 2010 acquisition  of the Hudson Whiskey brand by beverage conglomerate William Grant & Sons (owner of well known brands like Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, and Sailor Jerry), followed by the overall acquisition of the distillery in 2017. Things have been relatively quiet from Tuthilltown since then, but the distillery revealed some big news in recent days. The label design and the liquid found within the bottle has undergone a significant relaunch, focusing on its role as a true representative of the New York craft whiskey scene, along with a price shift that should please consumers.

The new names of the whiskeys are all nods to iconic New York  cultural institutions including films and food. Baby Bourbon is now called Bright Lights, Big Bourbon. The mash bill is 95% corn and 5% malted barley, unique for bourbon in that no flavoring grain like rye or wheat is used. The whiskey is aged for longer than it used to be, or a minimum of three years according to the brand. Manhattan Rye is now called Do The Rye Thing, which should please Spike Lee fans. As a complement to the bourbon, the mash bill is 95% rye and 5% malted barley, similar to the ubiquitous MGP formula. This whiskey is also now aged for a minimum of three years and is certified as an Empire Rye, meaning it meets certain requirements like 75% of the mash must be New York-state grown rye. Also, Maple Cask Rye is now called Short Stack, and the distillery has unveiled a brand-new whiskey called Back Room Deal. This rye is finished in barrels that originated at Tuthilltown, were then sent to Scotland to age peated scotch, and then returned to the distillery to infuse the whiskey with a bit of smoke.

Read more
Angel’s Envy Releases Special New Mizunara Cask Whiskey
Mizunara Cask Whiskey

In celebration of the tenth anniversary of Angel's Envy's Founder's Day on August 19, the distillery released a new bourbon finished in Japanese Mizunara oak casks. This blend of four-year-old and nine-year-old whiskey spent an additional two years in these new charred oak casks, made from 200-year-old trees, during which it picked up a bouquet of floral notes including sandalwood, coffee, and a bit of smoke. "We chose this release for the tenth anniversary because my dad, having taken on several consulting roles in Japan during his career, always had a deep appreciation for the country and its distilling community," said cofounder and chief innovation officer Wes Henderson in a prepared statement. "This release, finished in Mizunara casks made from this rare, 200-year-old wood, felt fitting for such a special milestone for Angel’s Envy.”

This is a first for the distillery, and it really stands out in terms of flavor from its core range that is finished in port and rum barrels. "When we set out on this project, we knew where we wanted to end up, but we also knew we might not wind up there," said Henderson in a recent Zoom meeting. His son and production manager Kyle detailed the difficult and lengthy process of getting ahold of these barrels, which he said are extremely limited and tightly controlled by the Japanese government. It took about five years in total to procure them, and 18 months of that time was spent on a waiting list.

Read more
Wild Turkey Releases Two New Limited Edition Whiskeys

Wild Turkey is one of those Kentucky whiskey brands that doesn't really need to expand its core lineup. After all, what it's known for is quality and affordability, two things that sometimes can be hard to find together. In other words, master distillers Eddie and Jimmy Russell can confidently rest on their laurels. But over the past few years expansion is exactly what the distillery has been doing, with the ultra premium Master's Keep series and additions to the Russell's Reserve brand. Now you can look for two more whiskeys with flags flying under the Wild Turkey banner, one from the aforementioned Master's Keep series, the other a new barrel-proof rye whiskey that is part of the Rare Breed lineup.

Master’s Keep Bottled in Bond is the fifth release under this banner of pricey, limited-release whiskeys. It's a 17-year-old bourbon, and the second Wild Turkey release to carry the BIB designation (the first was the 15-year-old American Spirit released over a decade ago, according to the brand). “With our own Master’s Keep Bottled In Bond, we took the historic process and protocol of aging for four years to the next level and allowed the liquid to rest for 17 years,” said Eddie Russell in a prepared statement. “We aged and perfected this rare, 17-year-old bourbon in Wild Turkey’s Camp Nelson rickhouses. This expression is a nod to the past, both our own heritage and the heritage of American whiskey-making as a craft.” Per the BIB rules, the whiskey is bottled at 100 proof, at least four years old, and is the product of one distilling season from one distillery. It's rich and delicious, with a creamy mouthfeel and strong notes of tannin, cherry, chocolate, and prune on the palate. This bourbon was bottled just in time -- it might have gone south after another year or two in the barrel. But as it is, it's a winner. It's not cheap at $175 for a bottle, but for those willing to spend some cash on a high-quality, older-than-usual bourbon, it's certainly worth it.

Read more