POULTNEY, VT — American whiskey needs a shakeup. Bourbon drinkers are bent over the barrel by boring brands and overpriced “me-too” bottles. But an antidote to bourbon boredom has arrived at last, promising all the honest fun and whole-hog value this great nation so richly deserves.
Spirits maverick Raj Peter Bhakta announced today the launch of Hogsworth Batch 1 Blend #9 (SRP $50), the first release of an entirely new brand portfolio. The revolutionary drinks entrepreneur who founded BHAKTA Spirits and WhistlePig Whiskey—the latter of which he built into the most successful American whiskey brand since Prohibition—still has that magic pig in him.
But while the swine may be similar, the country has changed. Few say for the better. Whether at the grocery store, gas pump, tax bill, or ballot box, Americans simply aren’t “getting their Hogsworth.” An entire nation cries out for fairness—and a noble hog has emerged to heed the call. He carries a scale of justice. He has taken measure of the swine in our midst. He has found them to be lacking in heft. And this honorable hog has promised to do what he can to battle the big heist and balance the scales, starting in his own little corner of the world. Even if only the liquor aisle. Because at least there, he vows, all Americans ought to start getting their Hogsworth again.
An uncommonly hefty addition to the whiskey shelf, Hogsworth blends the brawn of American bourbon with the elegance of ancient French Armagnac—delivering deep age, outrageous value, and a damn good time. Weighing in at an average age of 9.4 years, Hogsworth is a blend of 52% Bourbon Whiskey from the 2019 vintage and 48% Armagnac from the 1982, 2010, and 2012 vintages. This is no typical straight bourbon or rye. But American drinkers, tired of being hogtied by high prices and swarmed by the same boring Big Alcohol brands, are in no mood for the “typical.”
Nor is “typical” what they’ve come to expect from a brand-builder like Bhakta, who—whether riding an elephant across the Rio Grande to publicize his Congressional bid, or parading leashed pigs down 5th Avenue to promote his prior whiskey—has never been called quite “typical” himself. Shaking up the pigpen may just be his specialty.
Hogsworth Batch 1 Blend #9’s initial release will be offered online-only as a limited edition, with 3-bottle collections priced at $150. Consumers will have the chance to select their collection from three distinct label sets—Modern Farm, Vintage Women, and Historical Pigures—including a series featuring the work of fashion photographer Carter Berg, the product of a weeks-long hunt-and-wrangle which saw Bhakta and his team trek through dense Vermont woodlands in pursuit of a hog iconic enough to grace Batch 1’s labels. Berg also led a parallel casting call for human models.
Only 1,700 limited edition sets of Hogsworth Batch 1 Blend #9 will be released online.
“I created WhistlePig Whiskey, sold it, and severed all ties. But I remained fond of pigs. My work felt incomplete—and American whiskey needs a shakeup,” says Bhakta. “So I present Hogsworth. It is the finest bottle you’ll find, at even ten times the price. Taste and see. Hogsworth marries America’s best bourbons with exquisite Armagnacs from France—some over forty years old. Older, richer, more complex. This is what it means to get your Hogsworth.”
After recently returning to rye with BHAKTA 2013 Straight Rye Whiskey (SRP $149) and BHAKTA 1928 (SRP $69), it was only a matter of time before Bhakta resumed his unfinished business with pigs. The initial scarce, limited edition release of Hogsworth Batch 1 Blend #9 parallels that of his early WhistlePig Boss Hog bottlings. First offered at $130, Boss Hog has since attained unimaginable cult status among collectors. Early bottles now regularly sell for up to $20,000.
Beyond age, complexity, and collectability, Hogsworth’s $50 value proposition is all the more astounding for the DNA it shares with its aristocratic cousins from BHAKTA’s House of Vintages. Each bottle of Hogsworth contains BHAKTA 1982 Armagnac (SRP $309). Bred from the same ancient gene pool of the world’s oldest spirits, Hogsworth spreads the wealth of its brood in the name of a fair shake for all—and Raj Peter Bhakta appears as determined as ever to redistribute the riches at Robin Hood prices.
Consider Hogsworth the great equalizer. It tips the scales back to fairness, daring all competitors to measure up. It opposes boredom at every turn. It defies inflation with an exuberant oink. Americans shall be squeezed no more—at least not in the spirits aisle. Because in these unbalanced times, everyone deserves to get their Hogsworth.
About Hogsworth Batch 1 Blend #9 (SRP $50)
- 52% Bourbon, 48% Armagnac
- Average Age of 9.4 Years
- Blend Specifics:
- 42%: 2019 Tennessee Bourbon (4 years, five months old)
- 10%: 2019 Minnesota Bourbon (4 years old)
- 22%: 2012 French Armagnac (11 years old)
- 21%: 2010 French Armagnac (13 years old)
- 5%: 1982 French Armagnac (42 years old)
Tasting Notes
- Nose: Honey, crème brûlée, baking spices, ginger snap
- Palate: Chai, green apple, black pepper, orange zest
- Finish: A firm business handshake with oak spice, marmalade, and vanilla bean
About Hogsworth
The antidote to bourbon boredom. Maverick whiskey brand-builder Raj Peter Bhakta, founder of BHAKTA Spirits and WhistlePig Whiskey, still has that magic pig in him—and Hogsworth is his gift to the American drinker. A rule-bending blend of America’s best Bourbons and France’s finest ancient Armagnac, Hogsworth delivers deep age and richness at an outrageous value. This pig of the litter is a shot across the bow at Big Alcohol’s failure to deliver the fun. Isn’t it time you got your Hogsworth? Oink Oink.
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