Decanter reported that WhistlePig launched the most expensive whiskey it has ever released, an American Single Malt called The BigShǝbàng. With a suggested price of $4,999, The BigShǝbàng takes the crown for America’s oldest American Single Malt. It features a 30-year age statement.
“This is unlike anything we’ve ever put in a bottle,” WhistlePig Chief Blender Meghan Ireland expressed according to Decanter.
Another key component to this release involves the maturation process. The whiskey spent three decades in American oak and a month-long secondary maturation process in Vin Santo barrels. As far as finishing casks are concerned, Vin Santo is particularly tricky to find, and the folks at WhistlePig shared the distillery searched far and wide for the casks.
“We’ve been hunting down Vin Santo barrels for a few years now, and the stars finally aligned with a precious few to finish this inaugural release,” said Ireland according to Decanter. “As with many of our most elusive casks, they’ve proved to be a catalyst for complexity.”
The whiskey clocks in at 90.4 proof and features a mashbill exclusively of malted barley. The whiskey is available exclusively at WhistlePig’s Vault in Louisville Kentucky, and will be placed at some high-end whiskey bars in the United States.
As a category, the American Single Malt is extremely popular. So much so that established brands like Woodford Reserve and Bulleit have released their own versions. Yet, the category is still relatively young and just received an official set of guidelines in December 2024, according to Whisky Magazine.
According to the regulations, in order for a whiskey to be classified as an American Single Malt, it must feature a mashbill of 100 percent malted barley grown in the United States.
The whiskey must be distilled at a proof of 160 or lower, stored in used, charred new or uncharred oak barrels with a maximum capacity of 700 liters. No flavors or additives are allowed, unless a brand chooses to add caramel coloring and discloses it on the label.
The President of the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission Steve Hawley referred to the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau’s legislation as a “landmark ruling from the TTB” that solidified the category’s legitimacy from a global perspective.
“We applaud TTB for hearing the call from distillers, purveyors and fans of American single malt, and formalizing a definition that supports and protects our producers both here and abroad. It’s a momentous day for American single malt whiskey, and this is just the beginning of a bright future for the category.”
No responses yet