WhistlePig's Pork-Shaped Bottle Release Celebrates A Decade Of Experimentation

If you thought that nothing good could come from a pig's rear end, you'd be dead wrong. In honor of 10 years of innovation and its very first "Best Rye" award, WhistlePig Distillery is releasing a limited-edition straight rye whiskey — and it's been given unique packaging.

In a press release sent to Tasting Table, Whistlepig says its limited edition PiggyBank Rye will come in a replica Berkshire Bitter Pig decanter that serves its whiskey up from the pig's backside. Peachridge Glass reports that the Berkshire Bitter Pig was a marketing tool used in the late 1800s. The bottles were often made by Amann & Co. of Cincinnati, which at the time was referred to as "Porkopolis" due to its abundance of pork-producing slaughterhouses. With business booming in the region, pigs became a sign of prosperity for the region. And, they also happened to be fed a primary diet of corn, which is one of the key ingredients in whiskey.

WhistlePig might be based in Vermont instead of Cincinnati, but that didn't stop the company from taking some porcine inspiration to mark its milestones.

WhistlePig was founded in 2007 and since that time has become known for its unique and spirited takes on rye whiskeys. High quality, limited edition runs like it's Siren's Song series have set this distillery apart as a brand that is willing to experiment and innovate as it delivers new flavors to fans.

"With zero generations of tradition behind us, we're only looking forward. This is the story of the next decade of WhistlePig — one that will bring new frontiers beyond Rye, even bigger age statements, stupendous complexity and undoubtedly more pig hijinks," says WhistlePig Whiskey Scientist Liz Rhoades.

The PiggyBank Rye is a celebration of this legacy of innovation: It's a 10-year-old straight rye whiskey that is bottled at 110 proof and available at premium liquor stores throughout the U.S. for $199.99.

WhistlePig says they also bottled a very special 20-year-old whiskey in an original 19th century Berkshire Pig decanter and auctioned it off to benefit charity. Its auction lot closed at a winning bid of $125,000 from Rally 2 Give and included the opportunity to custom finish a barrel of 20-year whiskey at WhistlePig's experimental aging warehouse. All proceeds from the auction went to benefit the Gumball 3000 Foundation.