WhistlePig Piggyback Kick Sauber Single Barrel Rye Review [In Depth]
WhistlePig Piggyback Kick Sauber Single Barrel Rye
by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer
Founder, writer
WhistlePig Piggyback Kick Sauber Single Barrel Rye Details
Distillery: WhistlePig
Type & Region: Rye whiskey, Vermont, USA
Alcohol: 50.385%
Composition: 100% rye
Aged: 6 years
Color: 1.3/2.0 on the color scale (russet, muscat)
Price: $60
From the company website:
Rev up your palate with our Limited Edition PiggyBack Rye: 2024 Stake F1® Team Barrel. We’re waving the checkered flag on another legendary whiskey, taking PiggyBack Rye to race-worthy g-force levels once again. The Limited Edition PiggyBack Rye is back with a bold new twist. Selected by the Stake F1® Team Kick Sauber, this high Rye Whiskey is aged in New American Oak and expertly finished in OΛTH Gin barrels. Crafted by F1® legend #77 Valtteri Bottas, OΛTH Gin is a unique craft sipping gin vacuum distilled with oats and apple peels, sourced from Bottas’ homeland of Finland.Bottled at a race-ready 100.77 proof—a tribute to Bottas’ iconic racing number 77—this whiskey delivers a perfectly balanced blend of speed and flavor. With each sip, you’ll experience the crisp, fresh apple flavors and delicate pine undertones, transporting you to the high-octane world of Formula 1. Much like the precision and passion of Stake F1® Team Kick Sauber, this whiskey is a testament to the pursuit of excellence. Whether you’re a die-hard F1® fan or a whiskey aficionado, the PiggyBack Rye: 2024 Stake F1® Team Barrel is your ticket to savoring the thrill of the race, one glass at a time.
WhistlePig Piggyback Kick Sauber Single Barrel Rye overview
WhistlePig is back at it again with another single barrel F1 collaboration, this time with Kick Sauber. If you want to look up the F1 team, that’s up to you…I’m here for the whiskey.
WhistlePig has been experimenting with some pretty unique and out there finishes. The entire Boss Hog line is a mad scientist experiment in finishes. For example, Boss Hog X was a rye whiskey finished in mead casks (not that crazy) and casks that previously held an experimental whey-based spirit with frankincense and myrrh (that’s ridiculous). It ended up being amazing, but oh man it sounds utterly insane on paper.
That experimentation has carried over to their WhistlePig PiggyBack F1 collaborations. The collaboration with Alfa Romeo used casks that held lychee (I didn’t know that was possible). And this collaboration with Kick Sauber and Valterri Bottas goes down another non-traditional path – with gin casks from the Oath distillery in Finland.
I think the description from the website (above earlier in the page) gives you most of the details you need to know. It’s WhistlePig 6 year old rye (distilled by WhistlePig in Vermont) that’s finished in Finnish gin casks.
The timing of my review isn’t so great because news recently broke (as of when I wrote this review) that he was not coming back to the team in 2025. So…this review is a little late, because he’s not leading that team anymore…whoops. Even though his name is associated with this release, he is no longer associated with the team…awkward.
I don’t think WhistlePig is the first, second, or even third to use gin casks, but it’s definitely uncommon. In my not knowledgeable brain, gin finished whiskey seems really odd. I’m so used to wine, rum, or virgin oak finishes that gin feels totally out of left field. But you know what, I’m down to try something new and weird.
Let’s find out if this odd marriage of gin and rye works out in this WhistlePig Piggyback Kick Sauber Single Barrel whiskey 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 Piggyback Kick Sauber Single Barrel Rye smell
I smell denser honey, licorice, botanicals such as juniper + pine, white peach, roasted oak, clove, dried orange peel, candied pineapple, white chocolate, and some earthiness in the back. The heat is controlled too.
No kidding, the gin barrel influence really comes through with juniper and other botanicals. I rarely drink gin so I can’t eloquently write the individual notes, but it definitely smells like gin. That said, it’s not overdone.
WhistlePig Piggyback Kick Sauber Rye (this name is really unwieldy isn’t it) has good, but not great, richness or pop, but there’s enough to convey the range that is contained in the liquid. I actually really enjoy how this smells. The rye whiskey itself isn’t so intensely herbal or earthy, and the gin adds an interesting twist. The gin botanicals have some overlap with rye whiskey, so the marriage makes sense in my brain.
After swirling and rest, I smell dark honey, licorice, clove, vanilla, roasted oak, white chocolate, candied pineapple, dried orange peel, and some earthy pumpernickel
I think my nose has adjusted to the botanicals, because the influence isn’t as obvious.
That’s also a good thing because it still feels well integrated with the rye whiskey.
After swirling, I get dark sweetness and herbalness mixed with some brighter fruit and botanicals. This continues to smell really nice. It doesn’t blow me away with great richness or pop, but there’s still enough interesting range and that curious essence of gin to keep me coming back.
I just wish that it could be a bit more expressive and full, but it’s really good already.
WhistlePig Piggyback Kick Sauber Single Barrel Rye taste and aftertaste
I taste dark honey, licorice, gin botanicals like pine, dried orange peel, roasted oak, clove, earthy caraway seed and pumpernickel, vanilla, and darker candied pineapple. The flavors lean towards darker sweetness, darker herbalness, and refreshing and earthy botanicals.
WhistlePig Piggyback Kick Sauber tastes really good. The gin botanicals feel well integrated with the rye and have just enough influence to add a twist, but aren’t overdone to overpower the rye. To be fair, gin and rye have some similar herbal / earthy flavors to begin with, so they don’t clash.
If you enjoy rye, then this will continue to be for you. If you don’t, this isn’t going to change your mind…and it is what it is.
With hard “chewing” I taste honey, licorice, gin botanicals (pine + juniper + other floral stuff), clove, roasted oak, vanilla, candied pineapple, and some that feels like rose water. It’s surprisingly creamy too.
“Chewing” opens up flavors across the sweet, fruity, botanical, oaky, and spicy spectrum, and I appreciate the extra character and fullness that comes with agitation. The gin also adds a nice zip, zing, and pop that sticks out in a good way.
The finish leaves honey, pine, gin botanicals, oak, clove, and pumpernickel with lingering pine, dried citrus peel, and other stuff that feels like gin. “Chewing” definitely leaves a certain sweet and slightly bitter botanical quality that I don’t get in unfinished rye.
It’s funny, the more I sip it the more I enjoy it. The range of sweet, herbal, fruity, and botanical richness and expressiveness builds with each sip, and I’m honestly ready to declare this a “Top Shelf” whiskey.
WhistlePig Piggyback Kick Sauber Rye is a delicious whiskey that snuck up on me over time.
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 Piggyback Kick Sauber Single Barrel Rye Rating
I’ve never had a gin cask finished whiskey before and I am impressed at the results. The blend of dark and herbal rye with a botanical and herbal (in a different way) gin feels like an appropriate combo that’s familiar yet unique.
I thought this combination would be really weird, in part because I don’t really drink gin, but it turns out that I enjoy it a whole lot. It accents the rye in the right way by emphasizing the sweet herbalness and general “greenness” in ways I’ve never experienced before. I suspect that it’s a better finish for rye and not bourbon. I didn’t expect it but I’m down for it.
The scents could be more rich, but the flavors save the day. The lychee cask finish in the Alfa Romeo collab felt a bit out there, but the marriage of rye and gin feels so appropriate. The more I drink it the more I enjoy it, and that’s a sign of an excellent whiskey.
On another note, the potential use in cocktails is intriguing too. The gin scents and flavors stand out in an old fashioned (I know because I tried it) and add an interesting and tasty twist to cocktails. I suspect that it would be amazing in a negroni, which for reference is a cocktail traditionally made with gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. Just replace the gin with a rye whiskey finished in gin casks, and you’re still going to get the gin botanical vibe plus the rye as a bonus.
If you’re a rye whiskey lover, you owe it to yourself to buy this…or at least try it. And for $60, it’s not so expensive either.
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)
Leave a Reply