High West Double Rye

Good when first opened. Not as good a month later

Cinnamon, anise, honey, a little water.

Underrated rye. Smooth. Oaky. Minty finish. Complex. Under $50 I might purchase again.

Tasted neat in a glencairn. About 5 minutes was allowed to pass after the pour for the liquor to rest. The pour is brassy gold with thin sheeting and very little in the way of legs. The nose is cherry coughdrops, menthol, ethanol, and an almond note reminiscent of amaretto. There's a sweetness element and an alcohol element and they seem a bit disjointed and perhaps a little thin. The taste is initially sweet with cherry, vanilla, dill, cloves and mint. The initial sweetness fades quickly to a somewhat dry mid-note that carries a tinge of bitterness and this carries into the beginning of a peppery finish. This is a spicy rye with a bright, young personality. This is an acceptable rye when served neat. Its definitely not in the class of Pikesville, or even Templeton Good Stuff (the latter being a guilty pleasure of mine when straight, but a bit weak in the knees to go head-to-head in a cocktail) I find it to be a good candidate for a big rock and casual sipping. It works very well in a Manhattan, also. This rye has an affinity for vermouth, in particular in a perfect Manhattan with Noilly Prat rouge and extra dry 50-50. This is a good bottle and I'm glad I sampled it. I got it on sale for $27.99. It's worth that, but it has some stiff competition. I probably would take an Old Overholt BiB or a Rittenhouse over this. I do like this better than OF rye. I guess there's enough rye in the $20 to $30 range that this isn't going to be a repeat purchase for me. It's right near the highest point on the bell curve along with all the other the average players, and that's not quite good enough to get excited about.