The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word SUPERGRASS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
U
P
E
R
G
R
A
S
S
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Exceptional whistle-blower" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case exceptional whistle-blower = supergrass.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SUPERGRASS mean?
SUPERGRASS noun- An informer providing substantial quantities of information on criminal or terrorist activities to the police.