What happens when whiskey meets Formula 1 racing? If you’re Rob and Mark from the Whiskey@Work podcast, the answer is equal parts rye, sarcasm, and disbelief.
The duo cracked into a bottle of Whistlepig Piggyback Single Barrel tied to the Alfa Romeo F1 team, and let’s just say the backstory was as wild as the flavor.
“This is probably the biggest gimmick in a bottle of whiskey I’ve ever seen,” Rob said, laughing after hearing how the barrels were literally tested in a Swiss wind tunnel to mimic the G-forces of a Formula 1 car.
The bottle itself is finished with lychee and oolong tea, a tribute to Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu. “Even with that lychee sweetness, it’s still the most rye thing I think I’ve ever drank,” Mark admitted.
For a pair that has gone more than 260 episodes without spotlighting Whistlepig, the choice raised eyebrows. “There’s a reason for that,” Mark quipped. “In most instances, it’s just not one we turn to.”
Still, the story behind the brand had them hooked. Whistlepig started in 2007 on a Vermont dairy farm and built its reputation with Canadian-sourced rye blends, maple syrup barrel finishes, and even baseball bat staves. And yes, the name itself comes from a Frenchman on a bicycle yelling about a groundhog.
The podcast also veered into F1 trivia, with Rob marveling that pit crews can swap out all four tires in two seconds flat. “That just doesn’t seem possible,” he said, still trying to wrap his head around it.
By the end of the episode, the verdict was clear: Whistlepig’s F1 bottle may not become their go-to pour, but it made for one hell of a conversation.
“It’s worth something to me,” Mark shrugged, “because I’m having a podcast and drinking.”
