High West – A Midwinter Night’s Dram
Act 5 Scene 7
49,3% – 98.6 Proof
Blend of 5 to 19 years old
95% rye, 5% barley malt from MGP
53% rye, 37% corn, 10% barley malt from Barton Distillery
80% rye, 10% corn, 10% barley malt from Barton Distillery
Aged in, I guess, virgin casks, then finished in French Oak Port Casks.
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High West is a very special distillery. It actually doesn’t produce the spirits that get in the bottle. They buy aged spirits from suppliers, blend them, and when necessary, like in this case, finish them in special casks. It can seem odd and a bit dangerous, but they have gotten a name doing that and it has paid off…a lot !!!
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Color : reddish amber (this is the natural colour…nothing added, not even a nice Instagram filter).
Nose : a nose that announces quite what we will be entitled to: rye and Porto. It’s simple, it’s efficient, it makes the job. Light spices and rye bread, roasted nuts, maple, scents of fortified wine (hello Porto !!!! ), marzipan.
Palate : beautiful roundness in the mouth with lots of spices this time, marinated ginger, candied fruits, fresh cherries and cherry verrines with mascarpine. The mouth is much more complex than the nose, offering a beautiful evolution in power. Barely present alcohol.
Final : very short with flavours of spices and cooked ginger. Once past the spices, you feel the heat of the alcohol and red berries coming down slowly.
Comments : I waited a long time for this bottle, and my God I’m not disappointed. This whiskey offers a superb evolution from the nose to the mouth, then from the mouth to the finish ! A great twist on the world of Rye ! Now, I want all past editions and all future ones 🙂
High West - A Midwinter Night’s Dram - Act 5.Scene 7
9.5Readers' Ratings