WhistlePig 25 Year Single Malt ‘The Badönkådonk’ Review

WhistlePig 25 Year Single Malt ‘The Badönkådonk’ Review

Let’s list some facts. WhistlePig’s newest product is a pot still, 25-year-old “North American” single malt. It’s finished in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. Its suggested retail price is $2,000. The brand hired John Cleese to market it.

And, yes, the whiskey is actually called "The Badönkådonk."

In 2023, WhistlePig launched “The Béhôlden,” a 21 year “North American” single malt the brand claimed was among the oldest-ever releases from this continent. Just one year later, WhistlePig has pushed age statements forward to a quarter century, this time releasing a 25-year-old, Canada-sourced single malt, bottled at 91 proof.

While The Béhôlden got a secondary finish in WhistlePig rye barrels, The Badönkådonk was finished in wine barrels that once held California Cabernet Sauvignon. Those barrels come from Silver Oak, which in 2015 became the first winery to own and operate its own American oak cooperage.

The Badönkådonk is arguably the oldest-ever release for a North American single malt. Instead of a batch, WhistlePig is releasing these as individually numbered bottles from a collection of single barrels. For reference, we sampled Bottle 091 from Barrel 002.

Never a company to back down from wordplay, WhistlePig is pulling out all the stops with a marketing campaign to match the product’s callipygian name. That includes a video with comedy legend John Cleese and a press release that toes the line between cheeky and outlandish.

A favorite quote:

“The Badönkådonk is sure to convert even the most loyal of Scotch sippers, and likely to make the forebears of the Keepers of the Quaich (which let’s admit is really just a cup) roll over in their graves.”

Can The Badönkådonk’s flavor match WhistlePig’s bravado? Let’s find out!

WhistlePig The Badönkådonk: Stats and Availability

The Badönkådonk and The Béhôlden will be released annually in limited quantities, according to WhistlePig. The packaging matches the ultra-premium price tag, each bottle coming with an engraved wood box and one of the heaviest metal corks I’ve ever handled.

The Badönkådonk’s suggested retail price is $2,000, and it’s available on WhistlePig’s website and at select retailers nationwide. For a few reasons, this 25 year single malt is in a category of its own. So it’s anyone’s guess whether or not secondary pricing climbs higher. Since it’s an annual release, I personally don’t expect folks to hoard this one quite yet.

WhistlePig The Badönkådonk Review

As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.

Nose

Cabernet Sauvignon influence bursts forth early on the nose, with oaky, grape-forward aromas that quickly fill the nostrils. It takes a few moments for those to clear, and I immediately wonder if the finishing barrels have too tight a grip on the whiskey itself. Deep oak remains throughout the nosing experience.

That worry is short lived, and the initial burst of wine elements backs away quickly. A second sniff finds more varied fruit elements carried by the malt: fig, apricot jam, grapefruit rind, and persimmon. At this age statement, I was half expecting more tropical fruit influence, but what we get instead is complex enough to keep me locked in. The scents right thereafter waffle back and forth between fruit and grain, with sweetness coming in the form of cinnamon-spiced hot cereal.

More time in the glass — and this is certainly one to let rest! — brings forth light floral and herbal elements the initial wine scents covered up. There’s lavender, rosemary, thyme, and just a touch of rosewater. Herbs gradually turn more vegetal, and the nose eventually winds up in an intriguing interplay between dark fruit and damp moss.

Taste

Wine led on the nose, but at first sip, malt is squarely in the driver’s seat. (In fact, it’s basically taking up the whole car.)

At first, it’s equal parts honey-drizzled porridge and sourdough bread. It’s an early tug-of-war between grain-forward flavors — sweet and acidic — that dances around the front of the tongue without ever quite settling. It’s more captivating than offputting, the dram quickly establishing this is going to be anything but a paint-by-numbers flavor experience.

A few more sips bring the same honey-forward sweetness, while the grain flavors evolve into fruit and oak; grape and poached pear lead the pack. The midpalate gets progressively more tannic, and at this point, the graininess is almost gone. Oak and varnish-laden vanilla extract sit squarely on the middle and upper palates, guiding a lengthy transition from tongue to finish.

The mouth feel isn’t thin in a vacuum, It is, however, light for a 25-year-old single malt, contributing to an overall sipping experience that’s much lighter than the whiskey’s age and secondary finish might imply.

Finish

Sweet plum and almond extract — a note I often taste on Canadian distillate — lead once we finally get to the finish. The plum especially provides a welcome burst of sweetness coming off a relatively light palate. Barrel influence takes over from there, drying with a touch of wood-forward spice. It’s not the most complex finish one will find on this continent’s single malts, but I give credit for its complexity without teetering over into the syrupy sweetness some other finished products are prone to.

WhistlePig The Badönkådonk Rating

93/100

Recap

WhistlePig made sure its oldest-ever release launched with a roar. The packaging is as intricate as almost anything I’ve seen from an American spirit. And the liquid inside is quite tasty; I’m especially happy the secondary finish shows enough restraint to accent but not overpower the base spirit.

Whether it’s worth the four-figure price tag is going to be up to individual consumers. From my perspective, it’s a pour I’d love to spend even more time with. Hopefully I can find enough generous friends to make that a possibility.