The_Rev
High West A Midwinter Night's Dram
Rye — (bottled in) Utah, USA
Reviewed
May 30, 2017 (edited October 21, 2024)
It seems a little odd to be sampling a dram named for the dead of winter on such a perfect late spring day in the Midwest, but the sunshine isn't diminishing the loveliness of what High West has crafted here. This is a nicely balanced marriage of spicy, punchy rye with a port finish - there's baking spice, black licorice, and a bit of carrot cake, but also red berries, nuts, and cream cheese frosting. I might personally gravitate to EH Taylor for favorite rye honors, but this is a beautiful achievement, too, and probably the best High West offering I've had the pleasure of tasting.
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I also seem to recall liking the earlier batch of Midwinter better than the later batch bottle I landed. I think it has to do with them trying to up the quantity of bottles available and that leads to a dip in quality. It was still a very tasty dram.
@Pranay, I'l have to ask which release the next time I'm there...I didn't get a look at the bottle. I'm curious to hear what you think of the EH Taylor!
@Pranay I do remember the Yugo, and despite the fact that Maker's Mark was my whiskey entry drug, I must admit it is no Mercedes. I intend to get my hands on some Midwinter's Nite Dram ASAP. It sounds really stellar.
Erogers: you gotta go back and have a pour...Makers is to this as a Yugo (remember those?) is to a Mercedes
Which version did you have? I've had 3.2 and 4.2...found 3.2 much better, but both were excellent. Based on your review though, I did pick up the EH Taylor rye---looking forward to that one
That's a sad turn of events...Maker's isn't even close to playing in the big leagues with this one! I can only speak for summer on the Texas Gulf Coast (which is similar enough to Florida, climate-wise), but...yeah, I'd still drink this even on a muggy Houston afternoon.
Nice review. I had a disappointment last week. At a cocktail gathering after a conference, I noted the bar had this available. So, I ordered one for me and a Maker's Mark for an associate. The bar tender switched them! My friend didn't say much except, "hey, what is this, because it's early enough in the evening that I can tell it isn't Makers!" Of course I drank the Makers and moved on to dinner and soon forgot about missing out on a less pedestrian dram. I suppose I will have to find a bottle of this to ensure I'm getting the real deal. I won't wait until winter, either. Summer in Florida is still a fine time for rye.