Cass Anderson / BroBible
If you saw me smiling extra wide today that is because my favorite annual ultra-premium whiskey was just released, the WhistlePig Boss Hog. Every year WhistlePig pushes the envelope with the Boss Hog and produces a rye whiskey unlike anything that has ever been seen or drank before and this year’s Boss Hog XII: Feather & Flame has already exceeded my lofty expectations.
For the twelfth edition of the WhistlePig Boss Hog, they turned to Meso-American flavors, two ancient drinks of the gods, to season the barrels.
The first is the ancient Aztec drink pulque which is a fermented drink from the agave plant. These flavors come through in the first wave when sipping the Boss Hog XII: Feather & Flame. The second barrels for the twelfth Boss Hog were seasoned with xocolatl, an ancient (and spicy) drink made from cocoa beans that is related to chocolate in the sense that they both from cocoa beans but has a truly distinct flavor.
Boss Hog XII: Feather & Flame – Where The Flavor Comes From
Cass Anderson / BroBible
For the Boss Hog XII: Feather & Flame, the WhistlePig team turned to central Mexico to track down these distinct flavors. Every Boss Hog has a unique flavor but this one reminds me more of the ‘Boss Hog X Commandments’ than last year as the Commandments had spice notes similar to this release, albeit different ones, while last year was on the sweeter side for me.
WhistlePig Head Blender Meghan Ireland, who I interviewed here when ‘Commandments’ was released, says they “embraced the strength and power of the flavors and created the world’s first whiskey finished in pulque curado de cacao barrels to bring a rich, savory, aromatic, and earthy elevation to the complex character of Rye Whiskey.”
To get to the finished product, the WhistlePig Rye Whiskey was first aged in American White Oak barrels, the Rye Whiskey was then moved to barrels seasoned with “pulque curado crafted from agave, cacao, and Mexican chiltepín, guajillo, and pasilla peppers.”
WhistlePig’s Head Blender said this seasoning process has led to “aromas of caramel cream and fresh-cracked caraway seed meet the nose. Bright citrus leads the way at first sip, balanced by soft oak and cocoa with the subtle earthy spice of rain-soaked slate in the background. Finally, savory cacao gives way to a herbaceous chili pepper finish.”
What’s In The Bottle
Each bottle comes with the distinct pewter topper. This year’s features traditional Aztec warrior garb. Here’s a close up look at that new bottle topper:
Cass Anderson / BroBible
The 750ml bottles will range from 104.8 – 108.4 Proof (52.4-54.2% ABV) and they go on sale today. A limited release will be available at The Vault in Kentucky as well as on Whistle Pig’s website. As in years past, this ultra-premium Rye Whiskey carries an ultra-premium price tag of $599.99 for the 750ml bottle.
The Bottom Line
Cass Anderson / BroBible
As you might’ve deduced from the images, I did a side-by-side tasting of the Boss Hogg XII with the XI and IX. Unfortunately, I drank through the Commandments ‘X’ pretty quickly and didn’t have that left for this tasting.
Between the cacao/chocolate flavors and chili pepper finish, the rich aroma up front, this year’s Boss Hog XII: Feather & Flame was hands down my favorite of the three. But was I biased? Was I being influenced because it was something new and shiny?
I then surprised my neighbor who is a whiskey connoisseur with the chance to pop by last night for a blind taste taste and he overwhelmingly rated this year’s Boss Hog XII: Feather & Flame as the best. On a scale of 1-to-10 he rated the Feather & Flame at 9 while I had it at a 10. The sample size is small here but the results are legit.
And for those who like to display, this year’s box and bottle are incredible and will look amazing on the shelf between pours:
— Cass Anderson (@casspa) October 23, 2025
I’ve always tended to gravitate toward Rye over Bourbon because I prefer my whiskey to have a little spice in it. This year’s Boss Hog delivers on that an then some.
My mouth is already watering thinking about finishing the holiday meals this year with a heavy dram of the Feather & Flame and how the Rye Whiskey spice and cacao is going to pair perfectly with pumpkin pie and candied yams… It’s going to be a great year!
For more on the WhistlePig Boss Hog XII: Feather & Flame release, you can visit the WhistlePig website where they have a rundown of the spirit + bottle, the history, and more.