WhistlePig 12 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Rye Review [In Depth]
WhistlePig 12 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Rye
by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer
Founder, writer
WhistlePig 12 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Rye Details
Distillery: WhistlePig
Type & Region: Rye Whiskey
Alcohol: 43%
Composition: 100% rye
Aged: 12 years
Color: 1.1/2.0 on the color scale (burnished)
Price: $160
From the media release:
WhistlePig Whiskey and Shafer Vineyards are uniting flavors from the Green Mountain State and Napa Valley to create a rare whiskey vintage: WhistlePig 12 Single Barrel Rye Whiskey Aged in Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Barrels. One of Napa Valley’s most celebrated wineries, Shafer Vineyards brings its signature elegance, richness, and balance to the whiskey revolution. The WhistlePig 12 Rye Whiskey – Shafer Edition continues WhistlePig’s commitment to bold barrel aging experiments and to WhistlePig 12’s standing as the most recommended whiskey by sommeliers.
WhistlePig 12 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Rye overview
I always enjoy trying new whiskey and this time I get to try WhistlePig 12 Year Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Finish Rye, which is also the first WhistlePig 12 Year rye that I’ve ever tried. WhistlePig has released versions with various finishes over the years, but the “normal” release is composed of 12 year ryes finished in one of three old world wine casks (old world meaning Europe) – Madeira, Port, or Sauternes. All three are sweet fortified wines that are meant to infuse dense sweetness and character.
Instead of Old World wine, this release goes New World (meaning not Europe) by finishing the 12 year rye in Shafer vineyard cabernet sauvignon casks that previously held wine for 32 months. That sounds cool.
Here’s some background for you and I about Shafer Vineyards – it’s a well-known brand and vineyard (to wine people I guess) in Napa valley. That’s uh…all I know. I like wine, especially California cabernet sauvignons, but I don’t think that I’ve ever noticed a bottle on the shelf. That’s definitely my ignorance more than anything else.
Let’s find out if this melding of red wine and rye whiskey are magical in this WhistlePig 12 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Rye review.
This bottle was provided at no cost to me. All opinions are still my own.
As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything (they’re the best): Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass Set of 6, Set of 4, Set of 2, or just one. Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
WhistlePig 12 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Rye smell
I smell honey, licorice, maybe a little bit of red fruit and oak, then some starfruit and vanilla. Oh boy, the scents are really closed off, it’s really weird. I’ve never had a whiskey this closed-off before.
The cabernet sauvignon cask finish feels barely there. I expect more present dark berries, but it’s barely there. Honestly, the scents in general are barely there. It’s not even hot or harsh, it just borderline smells like nothing is there.
After swirling and rest, I smell a little more creamy honey, vanilla, preserved lemon, pancake syrup, and a little bit of oak and cinnamon. WhistlePig 12 Year Shafer has a little more fragrance going on, but it’s still so oddly not fragrant and nearly completely shut off.
I honestly would have no idea that this was finished in cabernet sauvignon casks. Any of that dark fruit sweetness is barely there. It’s entirely possible that my nose is off, but I’m not getting any of the telltale signs that I am. If I was off, this would smell really dry, woody, hot, and off…but it’s not like that at all. There’s light sweetness, fruitiness, and dryness…and did I mention that it’s really light.
This is potentially one of the least fragrant whiskeys that I’ve ever had. It’s not even unpleasant…it’s just not there.
WhistlePig 12 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Rye taste and aftertaste
I taste light honey, dried cherry, creamy vanilla, roasted oak, cinnamon, dry oak, and some maple syrup. The flavors have a little more life to them compared to the scents, but it’s still so light and gentle that it’s hard to pull out any notes. This is best described as light and creamy sweetness, fruitiness, and oak.
I mean…this is lighter than something like Benchmark Bonded, which is 4 years old and 100 proof. It’s especially strange because this is a 12 year old rye AND has a cabernet sauvignon finish. The cabernet finish alone ideally would provide some more noticeable dark fruit flavors.
This drinks like light whiskey, not a rye finished cabernet sauvignon casks
light honey, creamy vanilla, cherry, preserved lemons, toasted oak, clove, and some dryness in the back. “Chewing” finally brings out some flavors. They’re still on the shy side, but this finally tastes like something, but it isn’t good 12 year old rye whiskey finished in cabernet sauvignon casks.
The finish leaves lightly sweet honey, maple syrup, vanilla, and roasted oak. “Chewing” leaves more of the same.
The flavors are so odd – cabernet Sauvignon is a dense and rich red wine that’s full of red fruits, oak, and cinnamon. WhistlePig 12 Year Shafer Bespoke Barrel has virtually none of that richness, sweetness, or general red wine character.
It makes me feel crazy that the flavors are so light, as if my tastebuds are broken.
I’ve unfortunately lost some Glencairn’s while in transit, and that made me very sad. So, I wised up and bought this Glencairn Travel Case that comes also comes with 2 glasses so I don’t need to worry so much about them breaking. I think it’s great, and I think you’ll love it too.
Seriously, if you already have glasses, protect them.
WhistlePig 12 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Rye Rating
Drinking WhistlePig 12 Year Shafer Bespoke Barrel has to be one of the weirdest experiences I’ve ever had drinking whiskey…it makes me feel like I’m losing my mind. This particular bottle either went bad…or this is just painfully mediocre whiskey.
It feels like my nose and mouth are broken, because I can barely smell or taste anything. The whiskey itself isn’t even unpleasant or harsh. It is the craziest and most uncomfortable feeling. My responsibility is to pick out scents and flavors, but when there’s not much to get out…my mind goes haywire because there should be more there…right?
I’ve had many unaged spirits (e.g., various tequilas, new make that eventually becomes bourbon) that are already far more fragrant and flavorful than this 12 year old whiskey. Twelve years in oak plus the finish did very little to create an interesting and worthwhile experience. The base whiskey is ultimately the main problem because finishing can’t fix a bad base whiskey.
As a sensory sanity check, I drank something else that’s even more expensive – Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend. And it’s a completely night and day difference – WhistlePig has very little to offer while Cigar Blend has tons of dark, rich, and mature character. My senses aren’t off….Shafer Bespoke Barrel is just empty.
I could keep going on and on about how this whisky seems to amount to nearly nothing and how it’s an utter waste of money…but I’ll stop at that. It’s even more weird because I’ve had multiple very good / great / excellent WhistlePig whiskeys. The 6 year Piggback Rye finished in gin casks was actually very good, so much so that I gave it a “Top Shelf” rating mostly on flavor alone.
I don’t know what happened, but this is a really bad release.
No…NO!!! Don’t waste your money on this whiskey…it’s a trap.
Meet the Author: Alex
I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. I’m proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.
There are no sponsors, no media companies, and no nonsense. Support The Whiskey Shelf by Buying Me A Shot.
Shattered glass really sucks, so if you’re on the move, this Glencairn-like stainless steel snifter glass should survive your travels. Full transparency, this is an Amazon affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
BrüMate NOS’R, Double-Wall Stainless Steel Whiskey Nosing Glass – 7oz (Matte Black)
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