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Whiskey Flavored Pigs?

El Photography and Design
Templeton Rye's Heritage Pork Project pigs

If you drink whiskey, and if you eat pork, you’ve probably come to understand them as a pretty good pairing. Scott Bush, President and Founder of Templeton Rye Whiskey in Templeton, Iowa, says he's always enjoyed the combination. Recently, he's taken it one step further.

Bush and others at the distillery near Carroll, Iowa, have started feeding 25 heritage pigs spent mash that is used to make Templeton Rye Whiskey as a part of the Heritage Pork Project. With the help of animal scientists and nutritionists, Bush says they’ve figured out a good diet for the pigs that includes the spent mash. “We don’t except the pigs to taste like whiskey, but since we’re feeding them the spent mash, we think the pork from these pigs will be a good pairing with our whiskey.”

Bush tells River to River host Ben Kieffer more about the Heritage Pork Project. He says so far, the distillery has received more than 200 requests for pigs from 20 states and 3 countries. 

Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River
Lindsey Moon is IPR's Senior Digital Producer