Don’t be fooled by what the Austrians would have you think; schnapps isn’t the skier’s drink, whiskey is. Whiskey provides a gut punch of warmth on and off the slopes and something about it — its history, its color, its flavor — lends itself to the outdoors. Parlor Skis and WhistlePig Whiskey, a pair of New England-based companies, agree; so much so that they’ve released a limited edition package called the Boss Hog, which includes a pair of custom-made skis and a bottle of 13-year-old rye.
Parlor and WhistlePig’s relationship goes deeper than a simple business collaboration. The two teams first met while skiing, and in conversations noted the rich and intertwined history that the sport and whiskey share. At one point in time, would-be skiers broke down old barrels to their staves and strapped them to their feet for downhill travel. The two companies took the idea to heart and made a set of stave skis of their own, but Parlor couldn’t help but seek a more refined approach to the whiskey barrel ski. It recognized that the hard oak used to age whiskey could make a durable sidewall, a hunch that proved correct after production and testing.
The skis turned out good enough to share with the public, so Parlor and WhistlePig are offering the Boss Hog Package in a super-limited run of 25, and they’ll have to make the trek to WhistlePig’s Vermont distillery in order to get them. Buyers won’t only receive a pair of Parlor’s custom skis enhanced with stave sidewalls though; they’ll also get a bottle of Boss Hog Vth Edition, the Spirit of Mauve, a 13-year-old rye that on its own would run for $500.
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