Like many great American ventures, WhistlePig began with a bold vision. In 2007, co-founder Wilco Faessen and a small group of partners purchased a run-down dairy farm in Vermont with the dream of creating something truly exceptional. To bring this vision to life, Wilco partnered with legendary Master Distiller David Pickerell. Together, they made a daring bet—investing in 10-year-aged rye whiskey at a time when the spirit was still flying under the radar in the U.S. market. David meticulously sourced premium aged Canadian rye, which was then proofed and bottled on the Vermont WhistlePig Farm. That gamble paid off. The result was the launch of WhistlePig’s flagship 10-Year Rye Whiskey, marking the beginning of a new chapter in American whiskey.

WhistlePig is founded, headquartered, and its distilling operation is on a farm in Shoreham, Vermont. Like any great venture, they strive to be the best and source the best ingredients from around the world. They took distilled rye grown in Canada and finished, blended, and bottled it right on the farm in Vermont. 

In the fall of 2015, WhistlePig officially opened its distillery on a 500-acre, renovated dairy farm in Shoreham, Vermont. The construction involved raising the original 150 year old, run down cow barn, making room for stills, fermenters, mash cookers, and more. Come October, their first 750 gallon hybrid still, The Mortimer, was installed. In doing so, they became one of the few whiskey companies to house every aspect of the whiskey making process in one place, from harvesting rye fields, mashing, fermenting, distilling, barreling, aging, and bottling.