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| Author | Mitch Mahar, Liz Rhoades |
|---|---|
| Format | Video |
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Filmed on WhistlePig’s farm—where the distillery operates its R&D distillery, grows its own rye and other grains, makes maple syrup, and more—distillers Liz Rhoades and Mitch Mahar guide us through their process of growing, testing, distilling, aging, finishing, and blending.
R&D distiller Mitch Mahar describes WhistlePig’s distillation process using their combination pot-column still, with which they take a "slow-and-low" approach or conduct a double- or triple-distillation—ultimately, they have a lot of versatility. They aim to choose casks and their toast/char profiles carefully to match their various distillates. He also describes how the local climate affects their barrel aging—the cold winters mean that the aging process can go quite long to get the complexity they want. The team will also adjust the cuts based on how long they expect to age the whiskey and its underlying profile. Mitch also describes how the harvest on their farm can vary, and that can affect the barrels they'll choose. As a small distillery, they’re also limited in cask placement and the variability within the rackhouse—but they’re learning all the time... and there are spots that tend to produce great rye whiskey.
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