WhistlePig Rye recently opened its new Louisville, Ky., tasting room and bar – the WhistlePig Vault – and it’s truly a hospitality-based experience.

First of all, the setting is a blend of upscale and steampunk, with the focal point being the vault in what originally was a bank opened in 1911. WhistlePig has always leaned into its pig theme — even the chandeliers here are comprised of flying pigs — but this new space takes branding a step farther. 

As in: The newly restored vault, which once presumably contained cash and gold, now is inhabited by the brand’s rarest bottles, including a full collection of the coveted Boss Hog line. Where else would you store your most valuable goods but in a vault, right?

The high ceilings make way for the Bank Lobby Bar, complete with a two-stories-high bar back designed to play off the vault, with safety deposit box doors, faux vault locks and more. It’s quite an impressive sight. A series of tubes that wind up and down the bar back is related to one of the signature cocktails, the Flying Pig, which gets shaken via a pneumatic ATM tube. (When WhistlePig goes for a theme, it goes all in.)

In the gift shop, which is separated from the main bar by tasting booths, visitors can get branded gear, glassware, bottles of whiskey and can even personally dip, seal and stamp PiggyBank Rye bottles and blend their own Old World Rye (Aged 12 Years) in the Mezzanine Blending Room. Heck, you can even buy a branded wallet made of pig hide.

But it’s the whiskey tasting that stands apart from many experiences. Anyone who has been on a distillery tour knows the drill: a tour of the facility, a lesson in how whiskey is distilled and aged, sometimes a taste of new make, and then a group tasting at the end of the tour. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, to be sure.

But at the WhistlePig Vault, if you opt for a tasting (you can also just sit at the bar and enjoy a cocktail or a whiskey pour), you and your companion or small group will be seated at one of the tasting booths, which are suited for one to four guests, with snacks for pairing. On the day I stopped in, I was greeted at my booth with kettle chips, locally-made bacon jam and cashews.

A member of the hospitality staff then brings a sample of WhistlePig whiskey, along with the bottle, which is left on the table, and offers a brief back story of the expression. And then, guests are left to enjoy their experience with their companions.

“You should enjoy who you’re with,” WhistlePig Vault General Manager Kevin Didio told me in explaining the hospitality-based approach.

As an example, when it came time to taste the Snout to Tail bourbon expression, my host explained that the casks are palletized rather than ricked, and are flipped periodically – thus the pig-oriented name. (There’s that theme thing again.)

I was also presented with samples of the signature WhistlePig 10 Year, a 12 Year Old World Rye, finished in wine casks, and a 15 Year Estate Oaked Rye. At the end, I was gifted one sample of a proprietary expression only available at the WhistlePig Vault.

Tastings are $50 per person, which includes pairing snacks and at least four samples. Not to mention time to enjoy your visit with a measure of privacy. And with a pretty cool view to go with it. 

-Kevin Gibson

Read more: WhistlePig Offers Sneak Peek Inside Forthcoming Louisville Outpost