Wigle set to release another batch of peach whiskey

Good news for fans of Pennsylvania Peach Whiskey – Pittsburgh-based Wigle Whiskey is set to release more of it later this month.

The peach-flavored whiskey is the result of a cross-state collaboration between Wigle and Hershey, Pa.-based Troegs Independent Brewing, another family-owned business. When they first made it last year, it was so successful that the two libation producers decided to bring it back for a second release.

Bottles of peach whiskey began with Wigle’s whiskey, which is distilled from regionally grown organic wheat grain. The whiskey was aged for four months in new charred oak barrels and then transferred to Troegs Freaky Peach Beer barrels for nearly three months.

“The fun thing is that the product was a barrel-aged beer. So, it’s a peach barrel-aged wild, sour fomented beer,” said Jacob Dunn, lead designer for Wigle Whiskey. “We obtained some of their barrels after they finished barreling and aging their beer. And then we put some of our whiskey into those barrels. It’s a fun way to bring the two products together.”

Finally, the Wigle team steeped the twice-barreled spirit with peaches and apricots. They ended up using 220 pounds of dried peaches and apricots in a single batch and left them to macerate in the heat of the distillery for nearly two weeks. Distillers then pressed the alcohol-soaked fruits twice to ensure all of the peach sugars remained in the whiskey.

“We are so proud of how this year’s batch turned out,” said Wigle distiller Rachel Bateman. “Even more of the peach from Troegs Freaky Peach Beer comes through and compliments the sweetness of the wheat-based American whiskey.”

The spirit is bottled at 80 proof in 375ml bottles, and $1 from each bottle of Pennsylvania Peach Whiskey supports Feeding Pennsylvania’s mission of connecting food-insecure Pennsylvanians with surplus from local farms.

Dunn said because Wigle is a small batch whiskey producer, the company has a limit of about 4,000 bottles of peach whiskey that it can produce – even though there has been a strong demand for it.

“I think with it being released during the summertime, it’s just the perfect little porch sipper to have,” he said. “I personally, during the summer, don’t really want something that’s going to punch me in the face with alcohol flavor. I want something that’s sort of light and fruity. I think that’s what makes consumers go wild over this product.”

Pennsylvania Peach Whiskey is available for pre-order beginning Aug. 9 with an official release scheduled for August 25.