To start off a short High West series is a rye that was finished in an Aquavit cask. I had no clue what Aquavit is, so a quick google revealed that it's a neutral spirit distilled from grain or potato (much like vodka or gin), that is commonly flavored with caraway as its dominant spice, though dill is prevalent as well and is principally produced in Scandinavia. The nose starts with a mix of a mild sour lemon, dill, wintergreen and toasted caraway seeds then chocolate covered toasted marshmallow followed by grapefruit, sour apple and orange zest that transitions to aniseed and charred pine cones with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with a moderate sour and bitter spice that slowly fades to toasted almonds and cacao nibs followed by sour apple and tangerine orange that transitions to dill, spearmint, aniseed and charred pine cones with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with sour lemon, dark chocolate, toasted marshmallow, dill and burnt caraway seeds. Overall, an interesting and enjoyable dram that has a youthful sourness along with rye, light sweets and some charred forest notes that has an off-putting moderate bitter spice to start on the palate before fading to those notes on the nose and finishes sour and earthy with light sweet notes. Thanks @ctbeck11 for the generous sample.