Whistlepig 12 Year Old Straight Rye Old World Cask Finish / Total Wine & More - Signed by Dave Pickerell

The Whistlepig distillery was established in Vermont in 2007 by Raj Peter Bhakta, who enlisted the late Dave Pickerell as Master Distiller, having previously worked at Maker's Mark for 14 years. Initially, the distillery sourced casks of rye whisky while they were setting up their distilling operation. The majority of these barrels were sourced from MGP in Indiana, and from Alberta Distillers in Canada. Their high-quality blends, single barrels, and unusual cask finishes have seen the brand become and overwhelming success. They began distilling at Whistlepig Farm in 2015, bottling the first of their own distillate as part of their "triple terroir" Farmstock blends in 2017. In the same year, Bhakta retired from the company, selling his stake in it to BDT Partners two years later.

This is an Old World Cask Finish release, bottled using casks sourced from MGP and finished in a combination of 44% ex-Sauternes, 42% ex-Madeira and 14% Port wood.

The history of MGP distillery has its roots in the emid-19th century, however it is best known for its association to Seagram, who purchased it at the close of Prohibition in 1933. Located in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, the distillery provided whiskey and grain neutral spirits for many of the Canadian distilling giants products for the rest of the 20th century. When an ill-advised move into the entertainment industry saw Seagram collapse in the early 2000s, much of their assets, including the Lawrenceburg distillery were bought up by Pernod-Ricard. They announced in 2006 that they intended to close it, however ended up selling it instead to a holding company in Trinidad called CL Financial. They renamed it LDI (Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana). It was not long however before the new owners would go bust as well, and the distillery was again sold, this time to MGP Ingredients, who renamed it in the process. The company produced and markets some of its own brands, but its main line of business is a huge contract-distilling operation. Among these are a number of well-regarded grain recipes, and several bourbons. Among its biggest customers are Diageo, and former owners, Pernod-Ricard, alongside an extensive list of independent boutique brands. In 2021 it was announced that MGP had acquired Luxco, which would provide it with a new national distribution for its Indiana-produced brands, but also facilitated it with the Lux Row distillery, which opened in 2018.

This bottle has been signed by the late Dave Pickerell, who was their Master Distiller and widely known as the founding father of American craft distilling. Sadly, Dave passed away on 1st November 2018, at age 62.