Review: WhistlePig 30 Single Malt – The BigShǝBàng

Editor’s Note: This review of WhistlePig 30 Single Malt – The BigShǝBàng reflects the personal opinions of Editor Kyle Swartz. This bottle was sent to him as a media sample.

The BigShǝBàng spent 30 years in American Oak followed by secondary aging in Vin Santo barrels, an Italian dessert wine. 90.4 proof. The suggested retail price is $4,999 per 750-ml. bottle. This was sent to me as a media sample.

Nose

Honey, malt, gingerbread, florals, touch of clove. Very sweet and inviting. Almost smells like a luxurious liqueur with all that honey.

Palate

Loads more honey and malt, with a surprising amount of white spice in the mid-palate for a 90-proof whiskey. The sweet bready notes are not as pronounced as on the nose, but remain as lovely tertiary tones. There’s some old oak in there too, a fine backbone for this balanced palate. Drinks very easily.

Finish

On the shorter side, where the whiskey shows its lower proof. More sweet bready honey. A noticeable dark char lingers, likely from all that older oak. A touch dry, which adds to the easy drinkability.

Upshot

WhistlePig is known for its older age statement ryes, which went a long way towards changing public opinion about top-shelf rye. Here’s another novel release: a 30-year-old American single malt. (WhistlePig has previously bottled 21- and 25-year American single malts.) The pronounced honey flavors come from the Vin Santo dessert wine finish. This is certainly unlike any whiskey I have previously tasted, a truly unique pour. It’s rich with honeyed malt and white spice, and drinks smooth and balanced.

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