I want you to close your eyes. What do you picture when I say Vermont? If you said syrup and leaves you would be dead on! That is definitely all that I thought was up there. Not only does Vermont have amazing syrup, and beautiful scenery, but they also have a little bourbon distillery hidden up there called Whistle Pig. This is their story. Well, no not quite. This is my story of going to Vermont and they were there. This is getting more confusing than it needs to be. Welcome to the post and please enjoy!
Lindsay and I love traveling and have big plans to explore as many places as we can. One of our hesitations on having kids was the fact that we would have to stop traveling as much or it would get a lot more expensive. We eventually decided that if we enjoy traveling with each other, it must be even better to see the wonder through a child's eyes. However, we still wanted just one more trip of just us. So a few months before expecting our first child we decided we needed a babymoon. But where to go? The options were limited with how much time I could leave the Navy, and how much we wanted to spend. I had always wanted to go to Vermont for no other reason than it seemed like a chill place that would be like the Pacific North West. I had been bugging Lindsay about it ever since we got orders to Maryland. Fun fact. Maryland and Vermont are still a double-digit drive away from each other so not that close. Well, our time in Maryland was coming to a close and we still had not made the trip. When we started talking about a babymoon we were trying to think of a unique place to go that we wouldn't normally bring kids to, I naturally brought up Vermont. My reasoning was simple. If not now then when? It really was a perfect choice because it was a short and cheap plane ride and could be as adventurous or laid back as Lindsay needed. With Lindsay being pregnant, alcohol was the furthest thing from our minds but we had no idea what Vermont had in store for us.
Flight, bed and breakfast, and rental car were all booked and we were ready to get away for a relaxing long weekend. Every time we travel we make lists and schedules to see as much as possible. On this trip though we wanted to be different. We wanted to take time to relax before the coming storm that is a new baby. Vermont would prove it was the right choice immediately. We landed in the little airport in Burlington VT and everyone was so friendly. That was a huge welcomed surprise from how people normally treat each other in Maryland. Everyone was eager to help and got a lot of good suggestions of places to try and things to do from the rental car worker. We walked into the airport garage, got in the rental car, and drove to our bed and breakfast. As soon as we saw the scenery of this area we knew this was going to be a great weekend. It reminded us of WA with the mountains and water and it was so calming. After driving around and enjoying the scenery we found the bed and breakfast and started to plan our weekend. The bed and breakfast was awesome by the way! The place was so homey and gorgeous and the food was incredible. I am including the link if you want to check it out
While driving around we noticed a sign for Whistle Pig. We liked some of their stuff but had no idea they were from VT so we had to check it out. With Lindsay being pregnant she would not be able to do a tasting but still wanted to go and see it. As it turns out we were only at one of the tasting centers for the main distillery but we were still excited to see what it was all about. The main distillery is only open on certain days and we would not have been in VT still. The guy that greeted us was very friendly and we were the only ones in the whole place. The best part of it all? Tastings were free! Well except for their special Boss Hog V: The Spirit of Mauve which was only $5 so of course I tried that as well. The Boss Hog V was very good even though I only got a small sample but it was way out of our budget. It was sweet which I like and definitely had some maple syrup tones to it. That seemed fitting and when we checked the tasting card on the whiskey, that syrup taste was also intended. It was named after their pet pig that is their mascot. She had passed away so they did this whiskey in her honor. The rest of the notes are below but I would say if the price is right at a bar this is definitely worth a try. It was a very smooth high-proof whiskey and had a great story behind it.
After trying the Boss Hog, their normal offerings, and talking with the worker for a while about the whiskey and the area he asked if we would be interested in trying their syrup. Yep, this is still Vermont so of course, they had syrup aged in their whiskey barrels. We had come up for the stereotypical experience and actually had yet to try any syrup so now seemed like the perfect time! I grew up in an area that had a Maple Syrup Festival so I have always been picky about syrup but I expected great things when I came up here. I was not disappointed. A whiskey-aged syrup is such a great idea. It was incredible. Lindsay was also able to finally try some of it too and loved it. Since she hadn't been able to try anything else he even gave her own tasting at no extra cost. It had some of the spiciness that comes from rye whiskey but all of the flavor of fresh maple syrup. It was so good that we bought bottles for the whole family before we left.
All jacked up on syrup now we wanted to know what to do next! So we did what the only sensible thing a couple could do around lunchtime. Drive to New Hampshire for lunch. I hear you asking "I thought you wanted to explore Vermont?". You would be correct dear reader but if a new state is only a short drive away and you have no plans why not do something crazy? Lindsay and I have a goal to reach all 50 states and she had never been to New Hampshire so we decided to drive through the gorgeous state of Vermont to help her check off another state. We used to just drive all the time in the Pacific Northwest with no destination just to enjoy the scenery. We were now doing that in VT. After that detour, the rest of the trip was not nearly as spastic. We spent some time relaxing in our room and enjoy the fireplace and reading. We ate at a bunch of great restaurants and really fell in love with the area. It was the perfect place to go to spend some quality time together and enjoy each other's company while there was still only two of us.
We did eventually try normal maple syrup and it too was fantastic, and we did buy it for our families as well. We have since learned that Whistle Pig sells theirs on their website and will ship so that is always an option if you don't want to travel to VT to get it. Though I really suggest you just make the trip. The Whistle Pig syrup and the area are worth the effort! We will definitely be going back to take it all in.
BOSS HOG Notes
Nose: Mulled cider, cardamom, candied ginger, and a touch of piper tobacco. Caramel, vanilla, and gentle Rye spice develop with time in the glass.
Palate: Maple syrup and pears are balanced by dark chocolate and French oak spice. With water, the spice moves front and center and a vibrant, fruit-forward character develops.
Finish: Lasting spice and a touch of charred oak and caramel, maple syrup lingers as the finish fades.
Some of the restaurants we ate at are below https://www.cortijovt.com/
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