There’s a fine line between pushing the limits of aging, innovation, and finishing in the world of whiskey, and WhistlePig doesn’t shy away from walking that line. In fact, they dance on it.
Across well over a decade, the Vermont producer has shaken up the American whiskey landscape with its focus on boundary-pushing rye, best exemplified by its ultra-premium Boss Hog lineup. Initially spearheaded by whiskey legend Dave Pickerell, 11 previous editions of WhistlePig Boss Hog have proven covetable, curious, and often delicious.
WhistlePig bills Boss Hog as “America’s most collectible whiskey,” and in turn, whiskey collectors have been snapping up each volume (even when the price can be rather steep).
During an exclusive tasting on a brisk fall night at NYC’s Freemans (think: supper club meets hunting lodge tucked down a graffiti-covered alleyway), I found out that with 2025’s WhistlePig Boss Hog XII: Feather & Flame, the ante has been upped once more. In the most memorable way possible.
Photos via WhistlePig
Billed as a “huge team effort” by WhistlePig’s Chief Blender and Quality Assurance Manager Meghan Ireland, WhistlePig Boss Hog XII: Feather & Flame goes where few, if any, whiskies have gone before, relying on secondary maturation in barrels seasoned with pulque curado, an agave-based fermented beverage. This process, of course, follows the typical aging in new American oak barrels, something WhistlePig has also grown adept at monitoring over the years.
“Each year, the Boss Hog is about fresh and new experimentation,” Ireland told me.
It was a trip to Mexico that inspired the team to merge these curious, bold, often spicy and slightly sweet flavors, as Mexico’s xocoatl cocoa bean beverage also proved a vivid source of inspiration.
“We embraced the strength and power of the flavors and created the world’s first whiskey finished in pulque curado de cacao barrels, storing a rich, savory, aromatic and earthy elevation to the complex character of rye whiskey,” Ireland said.
The result is a rich, sumptuous and delectable whiskey that’s neither overly tannic nor overly spiced. A careful balance of cocoa, light hints of dark chocolate, and characteristic rye spice work in perfect harmony.
Enthusiasts might debate the price of such a release (it retails at the time of writing for nearly $680 at Total Wine), but there’s nothing quite like the latest Boss Hog on the American whiskey market, suffice to say.
And for your trouble, each covetable bottle and case comes with its own collectible feathered pig deity, wielding an Aztec chocolate whiskey. Another fun touch from a company known for serving up whiskey in piggy bank decanters from time to time.
With its deep color, its complex and layered aroma, and a sipping experience that becomes evermore delicate when opened up with a drop or two of water, look for your own bottle of Boss Hog to clock in at between 104.8 and 108.4 proof. And rest assured that as collectible as it might be, WhistlePig wants you to drink and savor this whiskey. Act accordingly.
