ABOUT PIGGYBACK CRAFT COCKTAILS

After a soft product lunch in a few select test markets, the Vermont distillery has officially unveiled their latest product: the Piggyback Barrel Aged Rye Smash.  These RTD’s come in three flavors, are available online, and are crafted with 100% grown on the Whistlepig farm as well as barrel-aged fruit.

“Refreshingly bold and balanced for a crisp taste, the small-batch canned cocktails are made with 100% Estate Rye grown on the WhistlePig Farm and Barrel-Aged Fruit.”

Whistlepig Distillery

Available in three flavors, each 12-ounce can contains 8 percent ABV. Flavors include:

• Blackberry Lemon Fizz: Inspired by the Blackberry Smash, it is lightly sweet and naturally carbonated. This flavor is the perfect balance between fruit and freshness infused with blackberry and barrel-aged lemons.
• Session Citrus Mint: Inspired by a Mint Julep, it features the sweetness and tartness of a farm fresh lemonade and balanced with notes of WhistlePig PiggyBack 100% Rye and a hint of mint.
• Fresh Ginger Lime: Inspired by the Moscow Mule, this flavor strikes a unique balance between the spicy warmth of ginger, a juicy citrus hit and a hint of 100% Rye.

Piggyback Craft Cocktail is currently available for retail purchase in Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Vermont, with nationwide expansion coming later this year. Product locator can be found here.

You may recall the episode of Weekly Whiskey where Jay and I taste tested a number of RTD offerings and while some stood a bit above the others, none were really quite my jam.  That changed when I tore into the Ginger Lime Piggyback RTD.  The fresh fruit and good dash of ginger really work well with the Piggyback Rye, and at 8% ABV these sip far more like a cocktail than, say, a hard seltzer kind of product (which I enjoy).

The other flavors are rock solid as well–the Session Citrus Mint has a great pop of fresh mint, and the Berry Lemon Fizz has a quintessential summertime vibe as well.  I doubt anyone would know I didn’t actually make the cocktail if I served this on the rocks with a garnish.  All in all I’m pretty impressed, and I think these will do quite well for the person who wants a convenient way to enjoy cocktails as part of their adventures.

TheBourbonFinder thanks Whistlepig for graciously providing us a sample of their product. Being able to try new things in the whiskey space, without strings attached, is an opportunity we greatly appreciate. Per our review ethos, we provide objective reviews and commentary on media samples of spirits and products; remember, friends, these are the good old days of whiskey!