A US Distillery Is Breeding Pigs To Taste Like Whiskey

The distillery's founders are raising 25 purebred Duroc pigs on a farm in Iowa and feeding them a diet that includes dry distillery grain left over from the whiskey-making process, Iowa's WQAD reports.

"More and more, people want as much information as is available about the food they are eating - including its history and the path it took from origin to plate," the distillery explains on its website. "As a group who appreciates both flavor and quality, we thought it would interesting to bring to market a selection of heritage breed pigs fed a diet using spent Templeton Rye mash."

Templeton co-founder Keith Kerkhoff says the experiment is the first of its kind.

"We have a little motto here. My dad always told me, 'Nothing good happens after 12 p.m,'" he told WQAD. "So, it seems like that's when this idea was probably thought of - after we had a few drinks."

He told the TV station that he's had a number of inquiries about the pigs, including one from "Top Chef" winner Stephani Izard.

The pigs will be raised in an open pen setting on a family farm in Woodward, Iowa, according to the company. They will be processed and made available to restaurants and the public in June.

To learn more about how the pigs are raised, watch the video below.