The trendy premium rye brand WhistlePig has announced the launch of PiggyBack Rye Whiskey in the U.S. market.

Several years in the making by WhistlePig’s Master Distiller Dave Pickerell (who sadly passed in November) alongside Master Blender Pete Lynch, PiggyBack is made with 100% rye, aged six years and bottled at 96.56 proof.

The suggested retail price is $49.99 per 750-ml. bottle.


Initial launch markets for WhistlePig PiggyBack in 2019 include Illinois, Tennessee, Florida, Washington DC and Missouri. WhistlePig PiggyBack is also available for online purchase, shipping to most U.S. states, via Caskers.

WhistlePig PiggyBack is the realization of Pickerell’s dream to create the ideal aged rye for cocktails, the company says. “He chose the name PiggyBack to express the love and respect he had for the bartending community. The Pig on the bottle is not wearing a traditional Top hat but a Stetson hat. The hat was Dave’s trademark, and he rarely was seen without it. The bottle design is adapted from the distinctive WhistlePig shape, for ease of handling by bartenders.”

With the introduction of WhistlePig PiggyBack, at a more-accessible price-point that their other products, WhistlePig will expand and bolster its involvement in events, sponsorships and activations on both a regional and national level. PiggyBack will be supported in the market via an all-encompassing marketing campaign, under the tagline “Together We Ryed,” across several platforms: sports, entertainment, food and travel.