Founded in 2008, WhistlePig is now the most awarded rye whiskey maker in the world. Their remote 500-acre hard-working farm in bucolic Shoreham, Vermont, is the perfect place to perfect their experiments with blending and finishing, ultimately leading to a portfolio of deeply complex rye whiskeys.

Nose: Sweet and aromatic, with toasted oak, berries, and nutmeg

Palate: Elegant and spicy, mildly fruity, and pleasantly floral. Vanilla and oak notes appear with time

Finish: Wonderfully long, clean, and spicy finish

Distiller’s notes: “A long and patiently aged whiskey is only as good as the grain it’s born from. With our oldest expression to date, we’re tapping into the time-honored techniques of the farmer distillers who invented the category in America’s early days. To kick start fermentation they malted a small portion of their yearly harvest. This delicate heating process opens up the grain, allowing yeasts easier access to the sugars they’ll soon convert to alcohol. It also imbues the resulting spirit with floral and earthy tonalities. Our mash bill 79% rye, 15% malted rye and 6% malted barley creates a sipping experience that evolves on the palate from soft and supple to rich and savory. A thrilling encounter accentuated by 18 years of maturation in virgin oak.

“Each annual edition of our Double Malt Rye is crowned with a bespoke glass topper, handmade in Vermont. Certified Kosher.”

(Scientific American: Groundhogs are also variously referred to as woodchucks, whistle-pigs, or land-beavers. The name whistle-pig comes from the fact that, when alarmed, a groundhog will emit a high-pitched whistle as a warning to the rest of his or her colony. The name woodchuck has nothing to do with wood.)