WhistlePig just announced its second annual collaboration with Formula 1 Racing, a new rye whiskey that was given a highly unusual finish in gin barrels. The reason for that unlikely combination? Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber driver and delightful renaissance man Valtteri Bottas has his own gin brand.
The first WhistlePig-F1 collaboration dropped just about a year ago, a rye whiskey flavored with lychee and oolong tea. Some of those barrels were subjected to G forces at the Alfa Romeo team’s wind tunnel in Switzerland, as well as at the distillery in Vermont (no wind tunnels there, to be clear), in an attempt to increase the interaction between whiskey and wood. The new Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber Single Barrel was not given that extreme treatment, but it sounds interesting nonetheless. The base whiskey is WhistlePig PiggyBack Rye, which was aged for six years in new American oak. It was then finished (or “finnished,” as WhistlePig puts it) in Bottas’ Oath Gin barrels for two weeks, a gin that is vacuum distilled from oats and apple peels in Finland. The barrel finish is said to add “softness, crisp apple, and gentle pine notes” to the vanilla, caramel, and spice character of the rye. The whiskey is bottled as a single barrel expression at 100.77 proof, a nod to Bottas’ racing number (77).
According to a press release, this new rye was selected by the Stake F1 Team as its official whiskey. In an overly pun-filled statement, Bottas had the following to say: “I’m excited to once again join G-forces with WhistlePig as our team’s official whiskey partner. While an unusual blend, the PiggyBack Rye and OΛTH Gin make a strong team–a thrilling ‘Ryed’ from lights out to the checkered flag. Drink it slow while I drive fast, and enjoy the ‘ryed’.”
If you’re interested in trying this new whiskey for yourself, there are three successively more expensive options. You can purchase a bottle directly from the WhistlePig website for $60. You can also get a bottled signed by Valtteri Bottas along with a regular bottle of WhistlePig PiggyBack Rye for $170. Or you can spring for the $285 package: the signed bottle, regular PiggyBack Rye, last year’s Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel Rye, a hat, and a pour spot. You can also find the rest of the WhistlePig lineup available at ReserveBar now.
