Note: this review was originally posted on r/bourbon in August 2022

Background

We are in the era of American Whiskey Premiumization, Barrell’s Gold and Gray label offerings have now proliferated on store shelves. Wolves Whiskey’s Rye Project MSRPs for around $300, and it’s not just NDP releases driving this market. Heaven Hill’s Heritage Collection (starting with 17 this year) was launched as an “ultra premium” line at an MSRP of $279. Breaking Bourbon wrote an interesting piece on The Birth of $500 Bourbon and what stuck out to me is that these ultra premium offerings are of course incredibly common in Scotch, Japanese Whiskey, Tequila, Cognac, etc. American whiskey has likely avoided this fate for too long, and the market is adjusting accordingly.

Which brings us to a flagship example of premiumization: Whistlepig’s Boss Hog series. Retailing at $500 since 2017, WhistlePig makes five promises (well three-ish are promises, two are marketing) for this series:

• Single barrel

• Bottled at proof

• Distinctly unique from anything they’ve done before

• “Powerfully complex”

• “It will be stupendous”

How about we vet those last two? Today we’re looking at Boss Hog VII (Magellan’s Atlantic) and VIII (Lapulapu’s Pacific). The former is finished in Spanish Oak and South American Teakwood, the latter in Philippine Rum casks.

Boss Hog VII Magellan’s Atlantic (17 Years, 107.8 Proof)

Nose: Cinnamon buns/cinnamon toast crunch BIG time on the nose. The taste you can see! smell!

Palate: Palate is rich brown sugar, warm fresh apple pie with cinnamon crumble, and coffee cake. It’s also hard to put my finger on a more exact note than “wood”, but you can tell it was double barrelled. It’s subtle and pleasant, though, not overcooked.

Finish: Long, honey and apple forward with a gentle cinnamon.

Perfect (10/10)

Overall: This is like drinking your favorite cinnamon sugar based desserts. Apple pie, coffee cake, etc. It definitely succeeds at being stupendous and wholly unique. I have not had anything like this before in the best possible way, and have no notes for it. This bottle is on its way out and I will be sad when it is finished.

Boss Hog VIII Lapulapu’s Pacific (17 Years, 104.8 Proof)

Nose: Maple syrup, nutmeg, occasional hints of overripe banana.

Palate: Initially sweet, citrus and tropical fruit- then a wave of typical rye notes kick in. Mint, and nutmeg intermingle with the citrus notes and there’s a bit of herbal/leafy influence at times.

Finish: Orange peels, nicely tannic in a way that pulls your mouth in slightly. A lingering baking spice hug.

Excellent (8/10)

Overall: This is very drinkable, which I am finding to be a consistent theme in rum finished offerings. That said, the rye anchors the sip from being too cloyingly sweet or one note. It is for sure a winning combination and an excellent pour.

I don’t ever like to answer the question “is this whiskey worth X?” because worth is relative. Smarter people than me have written about whether the market can support these premium product lines (yes, it’s definitely yes) but of course that doesn’t mean you can't obtain excellent pours at a sub-$100 price point either. Given the goal set out here was to take measure of Whistlepig’s claim that these releases be “stupendous” and “powerfully complex” I think it's clear both of these bottles hit that mark. Past results don’t guarantee future performance, but I’m certainly going to make every effort to try- at least a bar pour- of future Boss Hogs after tasting these two.