WhistlePig speeds into a flavorful Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake collaboration

The newest WhistlePig Limited Edition PiggyBack Legends Series has people feeling the rush with the first pour. In collaboration with Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake, the Rye Whiskey has drinkers excited to taste the boundary pushing experience. Similar to the speed at which those race cars drive, these specialty bottles, Piggyback Legend Series Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel, will be gone in a blink of an eye.

WhistlePig has never been afraid to experiment with its liquor craftsmanship. From harnessing the power of the sun to varying the aging process, the willingness to step beyond the traditional methods puts the distiller in a different class.

Specifically, with the WhistlePig PiggyBack Legends Series, the overarching theme is a celebration of greatness. From sport to culture, each offering balanced the distiller’s vision while embracing a unique quality from one of the collaborators.

With the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake collaboration, WhistlePig taps into the racing community. While NASCAR has always had its loyal fan base, the F1 sport has taken over the conversation. From the Netflix shows to the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix, people are seeing the racing community in a new light. Whether it is the excitement from the high speeds or the personalities of the race car drivers, people are drawn to the sport.

Speaking to this particular partnership, Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake’s driver said, “Formula 1 brings together fearless, thrill-seeking motorsports professionals, and WhistlePig has a shared passion for boundary-pushing innovation. Together, we’ve selected something alarmingly good for fans to enjoy this season when the cars are not on track.”

As part of the uniqueness to this special WhistlePig Limited Edition PiggyBack Legends Series, the barrels were placed in the Alfra Romeo F1 Team wind tunnel in Switzerland and later exposed to “varying levels G-Forces” back at the farm and distillery. The concept was to expose the liquor and the wood to the extreme force that F1 drivers experience behind the wheel.

Influencing the aging will impact the final result. While distillers can be creative with locales, temperatures, and in this case wind, the reality is that the liquor is influenced by its surroundings. Pushing the throttle on air exposure is a gamble that has paid off for WhistlePig.

With the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake, the nod to the racing community is apparent even before the bottle is opened. The lush red on the label brings that classic elegance without hiding what whiskey drinkers want to see, the stunning color of the liquor, itself.

While F1 fans might buy a bottle just because of the connection, WhistlePig drinkers will want to race to open that bottle. Although the traditional WhistlePig whiskey never hides its rye spice, the other taste elements can vary depending on the release. With this limited-edition series, the spice is not forgotten, but other flavors offer slightly exotic slant to the American whiskey.

Representing Zhou Guanyu’s Chinese heritage, the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel was finished with lychee and oolong tea. These two ingredients may not be as common in the American whiskey conversation, but this offering could change that sentiment. The tropical notes with the underlying rye spice offer a lovely contrast. In a way, that nod to the tropics feels like that rush of wind that offers coolness on a warm day. It is never as forceful as feeling of speeding across a track, but it is a burst of enjoyment that people will want to seek again and again.

Also, the use of the oolong tea balances that tropical fruit yet adds a lovely floral aroma. It feels inviting, welcoming, yet builds excitement for what is to come. Even with a touch of nuttiness to round out the other flavors, the experimentation in this special release could have whiskey drinkers thinking of new tea cocktails.

Given the popularity of F1 and in particular, the Piggyback Legend Series Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Barrel will sell out quickly. Priced at $49.99 a bottle, it is definitely worth adding to the collection.