Bhakta Bourbon 2013

Raj Bhakta is a polarizing personality. If you know of him, you probably have a strong opinion one way or the other.

The former investment banker, Apprentice contestant and Congressional candidate struck absolute gold when he teamed up with the late and legendary Dave Pickerell and together founded WhistlePig, one of the most famous spirit brands on the planet.

But even as a billion-dollar brand was being created, there were still problems behind the scenes. Citing a number of different reasons (which Raj has been contesting), he was eventually forced out of WhistlePig and hit with a strict non-compete. When that non-compete ran out, he launched Bhakta Spirits, making another big bet in the spirits market and fulfilling one of his ultimate dreams–making the change from Rye to Bourbon.

More than a decade since the famous WhistlePig 10-Year Old Rye was released, Raj is back with a new 10-year bottling, but this time it’s a Bourbon that has been aged in special 50-year Armagnac barrels giving it a unique twist with a lot of flair.

I’m selling this at its release price – though I already see folks starting to creep up closer to $200 with online listings… the Bahkta effect, I suppose.