WhistlePig opens ‘grain to glass’ farm distillery

Rye whiskey brand WhistlePig has converted a 100-year-old barn in Vermont into a new single estate distillery – marking the first time the company has distilled its own product.

WhistlePig will now conduct all stages of its whiskey-making on the premises of its farm distillery, including growing and harvesting its own rye, distilling, ageing and bottling. Oak used to create the barrels will also be sourced from trees grown on the site.

Previously, the company sourced its liquid from a Canadian distillery, which it then matured and bottled at its premises in Shoreham, Vermont.

WhistlePig has spent the past five years transforming the site into a grain-to-glass distillery.

“WhistlePig is committed to bringing the world unparalleled rye whiskeys, and with our distillery up and running, we’ll be a truly rare grain-to-glass operation,” said WhistlePig founder and CEO Raj Peter Bhakta.

“We’re restoring rye, America’s original spirit, as our country’s signature drink, and we’re doing it in Vermont, a home to rye production since colonial days.”

WhistlePig said the distillery places it at the “forefront of sustainable agriculture” since rye needs “very little fertilisation” and rye crops are recycled as pig feed.

“The grain-to-glass whiskey production process requires closer attention to both the cultivation of the crop and the distillation of the spirit than is common in whiskey companies, and enables maximum quality control,” the firm said.

Its master distiller, Dave Pickerell, added: “The on-site distillery opens doors to new opportunities for WhistlePig. The new distillery will enable us to continue perfecting our world-class rye whiskey.”

Earlier this year, WhistlePig released three wine barrel-finished rye whiskeys as part of its Old World series.