The word WhistlePig means “innovation” in certain languages and while this is obviously a lie, it’s an absolute truth the Vermont-based distillery loves shaking things up. Their story started in 2007 when the founding crew bought a farm in The Green Mountain State and discovered a stock of a decade-old Canadian Whisky. WhistlePig’s M.O. is taking old school approaches, adapting them to new ways and looking for the best methods to create Spirits. This time, they kicked the status quo in the ‘nads by creating something completely different: WhistlePig The Boss Hog Edition 六: The Samurai Scientist. That cool lookin’ symbol there is Kanji for number 6 and yes, this is the sixth chapter in the Boss Hog saga. It’s there because WhistlePig unlocked the potential of Rye Whiskey once again with a Japanese twist. The Boss Hog Edition 六 is the first American Whiskey finished with Japanese Umeshu from Kitaya brewery in Kyushu. Umeshu is a traditional liqueur made by soaking Japanese apricots in Shochu. Plus, the Whiskey itself was made using koji fermentation (special Japanese fungus), while each bottle carries an image of Jōkichi Takamine, the Japanese scientist that worked in the US a century ago. WhistlePig Boss Hog Edition 六 is a bold experiment and a sumptuous way of saying “Hold my Whiskey, I’m doing this.” Bottled between 120 and 122 proof, ABV may vary.