High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram
Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys
49.3% ABV
$100
Website
What the Producer Says
A limited release of High West Rendezvous Rye finished in French oak port barrels.
Straight Rye Whiskey:
95% rye, 5% barley malt from MGP
80% rye, 20% malted rye from HWD
Barrel Type(s): Aged in new, charred, white American oak and finished in French oak port barrels
Filtration: Not chill-filtered, or carbon treated.
Sensory Notes
Nose: Cinnamon rhubarb and plum pie, Orange Jaffa cake, star anise, cedar box, toasted pecan with dates
Taste: Black cherry reduction, molasses, birch root, fig jam, and ginger bread
Finish: Spiced clove and blackberries, candied ginger, wooden spice box, orange peel
What Gary Says
Nose: Christmas spice, orange blossom, freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon, subtle notes of baked apples and raisins, hint of wintergreen mint, eucalyptus, and toasted oak.
Palate: Warn and spicy, caramel fudge, rye zip, cinnamon, orange zest, nutmeg, bit of pepper spice, mint, and a hint of a sherry note.
Finish: Moderately long with dried mint and vanilla.
Comments: I was fortunate enough to have two samples of this from different batches (Act 4, Scene 2 & Act 7, Scene 2). I thought “Great, I can do a side-by-side comparison!” but honestly – they were incredibly similar. After three blind tastings, I opted to scrap the idea as the very subtle differences could have been simply expecting there must be a difference. And they weren’t consistent (I thought one had a slightly better finish, but then the next tasting thought it was the opposite!). I can’t say there isn’t any difference from batch to batch, but at least for these two – it was so subtle that if you liked one, I wouldn’t be worried about whether you’d like the other. All that said, this is a really nice dram! It is definitely rye whiskey, but different (for starters, I don’t get any dill or pickle juice notes which are common in many MGP ryes). The French oak port barrel finishing is done really well, giving it a different spice and fruit characteristic.