The whiskey market is flooded with bottles. As hit shelves each year, a whiskey enthusiast has an interminable to-do list. But each fall, one brand rises to the top.

WhistlePig The Boss Hog debuted in 2013, and ever since, the Vermont distiller has put out a limited-edition, cask-strength release that pushes the boundaries of rye whiskey. The 2025 edition is The Boss Hog XII: Feather & Flame, which undergoes a unique finishing process in pulque curado de cacao barrels.

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It was inspired by an exploratory trip to Central Mexico and two ancient Aztec drinks: pulque, an earthy, fermented beverage made from the agave plant, and xocolatl, a bitter, spicy drink made from cocoa beans.

Feather & Flame follows similarly creative releases. Last year’s release, The Boss Hog XI: The Juggernaut, enlisted barrels seasoned with a traditional Indian drink called Thandai. In 2023, The Boss Hog X: The Commandments was finished in frankincense, myrrh, and mead barrels.

The research and development process is intense and ongoing. WhistlePig experiments with different whiskey stocks and finishing techniques to ensure the components create a whiskey greater than the sum of its parts.

“As The Boss Hog has grown into our biggest innovation project each year, the ideation behind it has expanded just as much,” says Mitch Mahar, R&D Distiller at WhistlePig. “The most important part of planning the next Boss Hog is staying open to anything and everything.”

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Earlier editions focused mostly on unique wine or spirits casks. Now, the team takes a broader view. It considers cuisine, culture, and specific senses of place. “Viewing The Boss Hog as an extension of cuisine, instead of simply a whiskey, opens up a lot of creative doors.”

The whiskey industry, especially with scotch, has long used finishing barrels like sherry and port. However, there’s no template to combine rye whiskey with pulque de curado barrels, seasoned with the flavors of agave, cacao, and Mexican chile peppers.

“Early on, there’s always some trial and error, but we’ve learned a lot from previous Boss Hog releases that helps guide us,” says Mahar. Every barrel selected for The Boss Hog is chosen because it can stand up to and complement the central flavors of that year’s expression. “That selection process ensures the flavors we want to highlight are supported by both the finishing barrel and the whiskey itself,” he says.

Twelve releases in, The Boss Hog is one of the year’s most coveted whiskey drops. Consumers and bartenders anxiously await it each fall.

“The brand has done an amazing job at making itself a cult favorite,” says Brian McCullough, on-premise director of mixology and development for Spec’sa national retailer. The Boss Hog is a very popular release, he says, especially among collectors who appreciate the bottles and their ornate pewter tops. It sells out quickly.

But it’s not only the Boss Hog expressions that make waves, says McCullough. He says that WhistlePig has released a handful of audacious bottles, including its recent age-statement whiskeys.

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Last year’s 25-year-old Badönkådonk was finished in Silver Oak cabernet barrel. This year’s limited release, The BigShǝBàng, is a 30-year-old American single malt finished in vin santo (Italian dessert wine) barrels and priced at $4,999.

Such releases create buzz, but they also build trust with a consumer base that expects wacky and wonderful things from the brand.

“It’s getting harder and harder to hold people’s attention,” says Patrick Marran, head bartender atOn The Rocksa whiskey bar in New York City. “But every year, we get one or two bottles of Boss Hog, and we get to see what’s on their minds and talk about these whiskeys with our customers. It’s a chance for people to try something really special.”

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Marran credits WhistlePig for thinking outside the box while still featuring finishes and flavors that make sense with rye.

“Feather & Flame is a great example of the team having the knowledge, methodology, and energy to crack this formula and find something that really works,” he says. “It makes me go back for another sip. There’s an interesting, side-of-the-mouth fruity note that goes along with all the spice and oak you expect.”

Marran says that WhistlePig’s mainstream expressions, like its flagship 10-year-old rye, are still how most people know the brand. But The Boss Hog is an opportunity for WhistlePig to try something different. “The passion the blenders and distillers have pushes the boundaries of the category. Not every brand wants to take those chances.”

Not every experiment works, but Mahar says that the team always pushes to see what flavor heights they can reach. The influences they sought in Feather & Flame were incredibly complex and, at times, difficult to wrangle. It took than a year to land on the final formula. It’s a lot of work, but it’s ultimately rewarding when fans wait for their chance to snatch up one of the few thousand Boss Hog bottles released each year.

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“The grassroots energy around each release is incredibly powerful,” says Mahar, “and it really can’t be overstated.”