Our friends at WhistlePig only release a new version of The Boss Hog every so often. A world-class distiller testing the limits of technique and style with a limited release over a decade in the making? Here, take all our money. When the opportunity presented itself to age a beer in barrels that held their latest release of The Boss Hog, you could say we were a little excited. We’ve always admired WhistlePig’s whiskey and our shared commitments to pushing the boundaries of our respective crafts, and it felt right to combine forces for a truly special barrel-aged release.

Tasting Notes

This Barleywine aged in the same Japanese Umeshu barrels that aged The Samurai Scientist, the sixth release in WhistlePig’s Boss Hog series. With the strong umeshu and rye whiskey notes imparted to these barrels after aging each for over fifteen years combined, head brewer Dan Lipke crafted Josh the Boss Hog specifically with these barrels in mind. Full-bodied malt sweetness and the addition of plum puree in the brewing process made this rich base beer an ideal candidate for added layers of complex flavors from its time in these barrels. Cheers to WhistlePig, and to all the Boss Hogs out there.