High West Rendezvous Rye

As soon as I sipped this rye, it instantly vaulted into first place among all of the ryes I've tried, which admittedly is a much smaller number than scotches or bourbons. The blend of two differently aged whiskies has produced a complex set of aromas, but all of them delightful: cappuccino, caramel, rye spice, pineapple, and butterscotch. Then even more flavors pop up in the palate: creamy oatmeal, dill, vanilla, and citrus notes. The rye spice is quite strong in all three phases, but manifests most strongly after the swallow, when it combines with yeasty bread flavors, mint, and orange. At $60-70, this is not cheap, but it's much richer and more complex than its more affordable cousins.

Some fruity notes on the nose. Excellent mouth feel. Palette starts of sweet light brown sugar notes quickly shifting to enjoyable amount of warm spices with some black pepper notes. Finish is mostly quick with a pleasant warmth.