Yellow Rose Blended Whiskey 40% ABV $35 Website What the Bottler Says: Yellow Rose Blended Whiskey is a fusion of character just like Texas culture. A perfect blend of southern charm and rustic cowboy ensures a smooth drinking whiskey with plenty of heart. Our blended whiskey is fuller flavor than typical Canadian blends due to a higher bourbon content.
Still easy to drink and slightly sweet, Yellow Rose Blended whiskey is great on the rocks or as a mixer
COLOR: Deep gold NOSE: Light aroma, fruity banana with caramel PALATE: Sweet with banana FINISH: Medium finish COMMENTS: Full flavored blend that is still easy to drink
What Gary Says: Nose: Very light, faint sweetness and a bit of wood & alcohol. Palate: Sweet but thin, with just a hint of oak & fruit. Finish: Fairly quick. Comments: I set my bar lower for blended whiskey than bourbon, and this managed to limbo in just under my expectations. I definitely didn’t get the fuller flavor they mentioned. On the nose, my mind drifted more towards cleaning chemicals than whiskey. To be fair, I like to sample something multiple times over a period of time, and I threw my notes out from my first go (as I think the pollen-apolypse we experience here in Georgia every spring was throwing me off). Maybe it would grow on me, but for the price point I don’t think I’d give it a chance. Rating: Average
What Richard Says: Nose: Banana Mama cocktails on the beach in Cancun. Palate: Smoked honey drizzled over a fruit cocktail with bananas foster on the side. Finish: Sweet and mellow with a hint pepper. Comments: This was a surprise. I really expected it to be awful. When I see “blended whiskey” I tend to think of Seagram 7 or something equally awful. This is a bit too sweet for my taste but it is very easily drinkable and not offputting in the least. $35 is a bit steep but I wouldn’t turn down a glass. Rating: Stands Out
We would like to thank Yellow Rose Distilling for sending over a sample for review.
High West Very Rare Light Whiskey 14 Years Old 46% ABV $99.95 Website What the Bottler Says: Come see the light! High West Distillery, Utah’s first legal distillery since 1870, releases a limited edition 14-Year Light Whiskey. Beginning March 19, this special bottling is available exclusively to visitors at the High West Distillery at Blue Sky Ranch, followed by a roll out at the High West Saloon & Distillery in historic Old Town Park City on April 16.
“At High West, we believe education leads to appreciation so we wanted to shed some light on this rarely discussed type of whiskey,” says High West founder David Perkins. “This is a spirit that’s not likely to be available again for a long time.”
Light whiskey denotes a grain spirit that’s been distilled at a higher proof than a straight whiskey — between 80-95% alcohol by volume (ABV) versus less than 80% ABV respectively. It’s typically used as a component in about 95% of the world’s blended whiskeys. In the U.K., what they call grain whiskey is essentially the same thing as light whiskey.
“This whiskey was distilled at a higher proof on the still, which reduces the heaviness of the flavors, and reveals more floral and fruit subtleties,” said High West master distiller Brendan Coyle. “It was aged in used barrels, as opposed to first-use charred barrels, which lends more elegant complexities with a spirit-forward character.”
High West discovered 100 stunning barrels of light whiskey at MGP made from corn that was distilled between 1999 and 2001, aged in second-fill barrels. That wood aging imparted a traditionally light spirit with lovely vanilla and white chocolate notes, and an intriguing Concord grape overlay—to anything but typical results.
High West encourages you to indulge in this special offering all on its own—neat, with a touch of water, or on the rocks. The 14-Year Light Whiskey will retail for $99.95.
What Gary Says: Nose: Subtle all around, faint oak, lightly sweet fruit, hints of cinnamon rolls (baked the day before) or apple pie (baked two days before). Palate: Deliciously delicate, starts off soft and lightly sweet before some stronger fruit notes (figs and orange marmalade) and a bit of a nutty-spice kick in. Finish: Lingers before slowly/softly slipping away. Comments: For me this is a thinking/pondering dram. It is dangerously drinkable, but I don’t want to just throw it back – it begs to be studied carefully. It is very subtle and nuanced; more like a scotch than a bourbon (the aging and second-fill barrels certainly contribute to that). For a whiskey geek who is looking to experience “light whiskey” and try something different – this may be right up their alley, and I’d call it a “must-try”. For the casual whiskey drinker, you may not be happy dropping $100 on something you find “too subtle”. Rating: Must Try
What Richard Says: Nose: Lightly floral sweet. Palate: Exceptionally creamy with a rich vanilla sweetness mixed with poached peach parfait. Finish: The finish is almost non-existent. It is clean and short. Comments: This is light in many more ways than name alone. This is an exceptionally delicate whiskey. It doesn’t necessarily have exceptional depth but it is very drinkable and intriguing for being a rare example of extra aged “light” whiskey. It reminds me more (as you would expect) of aged grain scotch much more than anything normally made in the U.S. Rating: Stands Out
We would like to thank High West for sending us a sample to review.
High West American Prairie Reserve A Blend of Straight Bourbons 46% $45 Website What the Blender Says: High West Distillery is passionate about the American West’s culture, heritage, and natural beauty and wants to raise awareness of one of the most fantastic projects of our time: the American Prairie Reserve in northeastern Montana. We tip our hats to this amazing effort to assemble the largest wildlife reserve in the lower 48 states. When stepping onto the plains of American Prairie Reserve, it is not difficult to imagine the landscape as Lewis and Clark and Native Americans saw it, with thundering herds of bison, racing bands of pronghorn antelope and prairie dog towns dotting the horizon. When the Reserve is complete, it will be approximately 5,000 square miles, or roughly the size of Connecticut. On the front label: the stunning greater sage grouse is just one of the many beautiful species that call the American prairie home. Habitat destruction has led to steep declines in sage grouse populations across the West and the bird is now a candidate for Endangered Species Act protection. However, these beautiful birds still thrive on the Reserve. Visit in early spring to see male sage grouse vying for mates as they “dance” on the breeding ground, called a lek.
• 6 year old Bourbon • Mashbill from 75% Corn • 20% rye • 5% barley malt (LDI now MGP) • 10 year old Bourbon • Mashbill from 60% Corn • 35% rye • 5% barley malt (a distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY)
Nose: A subtle, albeit pleasant, nose on the first pour. Opens up into a floraled butter corn, cotton candy, and fruit nose. Taste: Candy sweetness is the first thing which explodes on your tongue. Super sweet, but it has a relatively dry mouthful throughout, meaning the sweetness does not overtake the senses in a more syrupy bourbon. The short rye spice and pecan pie finish is a good thing in this case, never overwhelming.
What Gary Says: Nose: Musty oak sweetness, vanilla and toffee, fresh tobacco, leather, hints of coffee grounds and honey. Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, luscious texture – nicely balanced caramel and chocolate sweetness, dried fruit with a bit of a pepper-spice edge. Finish: Lingers nice and slowly, drying. Comments: This is a really great whiskey for the price, and some of the proceeds go to a good cause. Incredibly easy to drink, but also the kind of pour I could spend ample time studying if that was what I was in the mood for. Note that there is an American Prairie and American Prairie Reserve – which are not the same. I appreciate the transparency from High West about what is in the bottle, and for the money – this is damned hard to beat! Rating: Must Try
What Richard Says: Nose: Cherries, oranges, corn pudding, and crushed mint. Palate: Orange marmalade, vanilla cream, cinnamon, and anise. Finish: Dry and woody with hints of chocolate and licorice. Comments: A lovely solid bourbon on par with Four Roses Single Barrel or Russell’s Reserve. Not stunning but no slouch. Easy to drink and versatile in flavor and style. Rating: Stands Out
High West Bourye A Blend of Straight Whiskeys Batch No. 15B09 46% ABV $79.99 Website What the Blender Says: THE RETURN OF BOURYE High West Releases a Limited Run of the Original Bourbon and Rye Blend
PARK CITY, Utah (February 12, 2016) — High West Distillery, Utah’s first legal distillery since 1870, is proud to announce the return of Bourye, the original super premium bourbon and rye blend. Much like the elusive jackalope that graces its label, the limited release Bourye may be hard to find, but a delight when discovered.
Bourye is a unique and very premium blend of rich 9-year-old bourbon and 13-and-17-year-old ryes, making for a premier sipping whiskey and one of High West’s own all-time favorites. “This iteration of Bourye is very similar to the original in age profile and component whiskeys,” said High West Founder David Perkins. “But I personally think this one is better.”
Bourye offers a taste of sweet honey nougat, rich caramel, mulling spices, and candied fruits with a long dry spice finish. “This release brings the flavor profile back to the level of richness that our original release had,” said High West Master Distiller Brendan Coyle. “I’m really excited to share it with whiskey lovers.” It’s available nationally this month at saloons and stores across the country, as well as at the High West Distillery in Park City, Utah, the world’s only ski-in gastro-distillery. It’s priced at $79.99.
What Gary Says: Nose: Oak, anise, subtle vanilla honey & caramel with a hint of dill and subtle tobacco. Palate: Soft, fruity spice & oak; rice pudding with pears and figs. Finish: Slow, nice and peppery. Comments: Not quite a bourbon, and not quite a rye. Nicely balanced, and dangerously drinkable (goes down like an 80 proofer at first until the spice kicks in). I really enjoy this whiskey, but I honestly am a fan of DIY mingles of bourbon & rye. Some may want more sweetness, some may want more rye spice. And sometimes what I want varies from day to day. For the price point – unless you’ve tried it and know this is hitting you just right – you may be better off playing with different ratios of more affordable whiskies. Rating: Stands Out
What Richard Says: Nose: Fennel seed, old cigars, and over cooked (not quite burnt) caramel. Palate: Delicious spicy and sweet candy. Black pepper, polished wood, cinnamon jelly beans, leather, tobacco, spearmint gum, and Mars bars. Finish: Peppery, minty, woody, and lingering. All in the best way. Comments: Sadly, I missed the first iteration of Bourye. I wasn’t as firmly on the High West bandwagon at that time. So I can’t compare the two but I can say that this is stellar whiskey. It has all the right parts firing on all the right cylinders. Rating: Must Try
High West Yippee Ki-Yay A Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys Batch 1 46% ABV $65 Website What the Blender Says: Available December 5th at High West locations. One day, just for fun, we put some rye whiskey into barrels originally used to age wine. When we mixed the ‘vermouth-ed’ (Vya, Madera, CA) and the ‘syrah-ed’ (Qupé Santa Maria, CA) we discovered an all-natural, not disgustingly sweet whiskey for the rest of us.
How to Enjoy: Yippee Ki-Yay™ is great as an aperitif on ice, neat with dessert, or on its own. Try it in a Manhattan. This stuff rocks.
The Name: Where did “Yippee Ki-Yay” come from? Is it a real expression of joy popular with cowboys in the 19th century Western United States? Is it part of the greatest one liner in movie history? Was it influenced by the phrase ‘Yippie-yi-yo-ki-yay’ from the 1936 hit song “I’m an Old Cow Hand from the Rio Grande” about a 20th-century cowboy who has little in common with cowpunchers of old and sung by Bing Crosby in the film “Rhythm on the Range” (also sung later by Roy Rogers and Frank Sinatra) and considered one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time? We’re not sure. But we are sure we like how we feel when we say it… and recommend you use it every chance you get.
Back Label Story: We confess…we didn’t coin the term “Yippee Ki-Yay”. Moreover, we didn’t paint the picture on the front label. It’s an historic poster (Gift of The Coe Foundation and Henry B. Balink) now at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming (centerofthewest.org, you really ought to visit). Furthermore, we didn’t distill the whiskeys in this bottle (it’s our Double Rye!® – sourced whiskey – see highwest.com for details). However, we did come up with a combination that we think will make you say…Yippee Ki-Yay drinkers of horrible tasting cheap flavored uisge beatha! One day, just for fun, we put Double Rye!® into oak barrels that had originally been used to age two different types of wine (see highwest.com for details) and discovered an all-natural, not disgustingly-sweet sipper for the rest of us.High West’s Yippee Ki-YayTM is great as an aperitif on ice, neat with dessert, on its own, or try it in a Manhattan. This stuff rocks.
Not chill filtered marriage of two straight rye whiskies The 2-year-old: 95% rye, 5% barley malt mashbill (LDI now MGP) The older rye has a “barely legal” rye mashbill of: 53% rye, 37% corn (Barton Distillery)
Barrel type: Oak barrel that previously held Vermouth Barrel (Vya, Madera, CA), Oak barrel that previously held Qupé Syrah (Qupé Santa maria, CA) Color: An unusual beautiful ruby red (from the Syrah barrel finish) Nose: Fresh cinnamon stick, crushed blackberries (cassis) with some herbs (thyme and sage) in the background. Taste: A big, bold punch of cinnamon spice and blackberries on a foundation of vanilla and caramel, the long finish is dried orange rind and herbs.
What Gary Says: Nose: Wow – like a funky cocktail! Heavy wine influence & vermouth, which for me overpowers the whiskey Palate: Warm, odd fermented dark fruit with herbal notes (sage). Finish: Moderate in length Comments: First off, I consider myself a big High West fan. I think David Perkins is a class act, and High West has done some marvelous things – and I appreciate the transparency with which they’ve done them! This might be a great gateway whiskey for wine fans, but I didn’t love it – just too much of the wine & vermouth influence for me. Honestly, it could be fermented [fill in the blank]. The whiskey foundation for me was lost. It reminded me a bit of Perique (a tobacco liqueur), which I also like – but it isn’t whiskey. I applaud the innovation, and if you like vermouth and wine – you might absolutely love this. I’m not a big fan of either, and while a big rye fan – this wasn’t in my wheelhouse. Rating: Stands Out
What Richard Says: Nose: The wine really lays heavy on the nose with notes of cinnamon, stewed dark fruits, balsamic vinegar, and red wine. Palate: Mulled wine with cinnamon sticks floating in it and a big spoonful of blackberry jam. It really kind of reminds me of Swedish Glogg a bit. Finish: Minty and slightly woody. Comments: Yum! I’m not the biggest vermouth fan but I really like this. It’s more in the vein of A Midwinter Night’s Dram. It reminds of a lovely evening by the fire during the holidays. Maybe it’s the association with Glogg but either way I really enjoy this. It’s like Angel’s Envy Rye in that I like it a lot but the unique flavor is something I would have to be in the mood for and wouldn’t want all the time. Rating: Stands Out
