Review & Tasting Notes of High West Bourbon and Double Rye! Whiskeys

 

I’ve been a fan of High West Distillery since the beginning. My first introduction was Act 1 of A Midwinter Night’s Dram, which tasted heavenly. A year later, I had the opportunity to meet Dave Perkins, its founder, and was impressed by his vision. This was back before hundreds of brands were sourced from MGP, and acquiring stocks from Barton 1792 wasn’t even on a whiskey drinker’s radar.

 

In 2006, High West Distillery was founded in Park City, Utah, after Perkins and his wife, Jane, visited Maker’s Mark. It was the first legal distillery in Utah since 1870. A year later, High West was running its own distillate. While waiting for those stocks to mature, High West sourced whiskey from other distilleries so it had something to sell and could start carving out market share.

 

In 2016, Whisky Advocate named High West its Distiller of the Year. The distillery also caught the attention of Constellation Brands, which purchased High West that August.

 

Perkins's creativity seemed to know no bounds as he experimented with many variations and finishes. He created The 36^th Vote, commemorating Utah’s place in ending Prohibition. It was a bottled Manhattan cocktail. He also offered other bottled cocktails. On the whiskey forefront, there was Yippee-Ki-Yay, an American Rye finished in Vermouth barrels; Bourye, a blend of American Rye and Bourbon; Rendezvous Rye with a blend of bolder American Ryes; and A Midwinter Night’s Dram, which took Rendezvous Rye and finished it in former wine barrels. It even offered Campfire, a blend of peaty Scotch, American Rye, and Bourbon.

 

The distillery has two core whiskeys: High West Bourbon and Double Rye! (the exclamation mark is part of the name), which are the subject of today’s review.

 

Before we get to the #DrinkCurious part, I must thank High West for providing me with each sample in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review.  

 

High West Bourbon

 

 

High West Bourbon used to be called American Prairie Bourbon until High West updated its packaging. It is a blend of straight Bourbons: one from MGP and others from an undisclosed distillery. The MGP component is 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. The latter is from 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley, which happens to be the same as George Dickel’s mashbill. I won’t guarantee that the source, but it likely is.

 

The youngest of the blend is at least two years old, and the oldest is 13 years old. There could be others in that gap. High West Bourbon is non-chill filtered and packaged at 46% ABV (92°). Pricing is all over the place; I’ve seen it as low as $27.00 and as high as $40.00.

 

The batch I’m reviewing is 22G26.

 

Appearance: I poured the Bourbon into my Glencairn glass and sipped it neat. It possessed a bright gold-amber color. The medium-thin rim created a curtain of wide, slow tears.

 

Nose: The aroma consisted of toasted almonds, corn, nutmeg, vanilla, and a hint of orange peel. Drawing the aroma into my mouth, I found mild cinnamon spice.

 

Palate: This Bourbon’s texture was oily and light. The front of my palate encountered corn, vanilla, and nutmeg, and the middle offered orange peel and almonds. The back tasted of bold oak, cinnamon spice, and a smidge of black pepper.

 

Finish: Long in duration, the finish was oak-heavy, with cinnamon spice, nutmeg, orange peel, and black pepper.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: As the price of post-80° Bourbons continues to soar, it is welcome to have High West keep its flagship version at a very affordable price. The flavors are bold enough to hold up in a cocktail, yet it is a very easy sipper when drunk neat. High West Bourbon isn’t going to blow your socks off, but that’s not something that should detract you from giving it serious consideration. I enjoy it, and at about $30.00, it earns my Bottle rating.

 

◊◊◊◊◊

High West Double Rye!

 

 

Double Rye! is the core whiskey that High West is known for. You’d find store picks with all sorts of barrel finishings, some of which were unique (and left you wondering who thought it up). The standard expression blends column still and pot still Rye whiskeys. The blend’s sources have changed over the years, but recently, it has been MGP’s 95% rye/5% malted barley and High West’s own 80% rye/20% malted barley.

 

Like the Bourbon, Double Rye! has no age statement, but High West indicates the youngest of the blend is two years. The oldest is in the 7-year range (down from 16-year sourced Barton 1792 in the earlier versions). It, too, is packaged at 46% ABV (92°) and priced similarly to the Bourbon.  

 

The batch I’m reviewing is 22H30.

 

Appearance: Side-by-side, the Bourbon and Double Rye! are golden amber, but the Double Rye! is a shade brassier. Its rim was thinner than the Bourbon but yielded the same curtain of thick, fast tears.

 

Nose: There’s no mistaking that Double Rye! smells like Rye. Aromas of dill, mint, and rye spices were prominent. I also smelled juniper (which is far less common) and oak. I’ll go out on a limb and suggest the juniper note is from the High West portion. Inhaling through my lips, I tasted dill and mint.

 

Palate: The mouthfeel was heavier than the Bourbon yet retained a similar, oily quality. I tasted vanilla, juniper, and honeysuckle on the front of my palate. The middle featured cinnamon and rye spices, while the back had oak, lavender, and dill flavors.

 

Finish: Medium in duration, the finish kept lavender, dill, cinnamon, and rye spice.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: It is difficult to not compare the current Double Rye with the previous Barton components. And it would be unfair to make that comparison when writing this review. The modern Double Rye! is a bold choice for a cocktail base. From a neat standpoint, it has a lot to offer. I wish the juniper quality was muted (or even removed). It detracted me from concentrating on other scents and tastes.

 

Double Rye! is unique, for sure. For whiskey drinkers who relish gin notes, you will love it. At its price, it would be an easy slam-dunk. For those of us who don’t, you’ll likely want to try this one at a Bar first. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.