2015 A Midwinter Night's Dram ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Nose: Richly ambrosial. Fresh potpourri with blueberry and boysenberry concentration, still hot in the pan. The French oak and port barrels come through more than Act 2 from 2014 but the rye isn’t overwhelmed by this. Creamy vanilla, crips fresh mint from the rye with some Belgium waffles, orange icing and hints of blood oranges and tangerine. The additional barrel aging takes your standard Rendezvous Rye to new heights on the nose without choking out the classic Rendezvous profile. Dried cranberry, dark purple grapes, Trader Joe’s fruit leather (the apple ones) home-made Christmas fruitcake, cinnamon sugar and vanilla custard. I actually prefer this sweeter nose as opposed to last years Act 2. On the back of the nose I got some gentian and quinine bark, no doubt from the port cask which reminded me of Bonal or Byrrh (port based fortified wine), for you Manhattan drinkers. In fact this is about as close to a Manhattan in a bottle as you’ll get without buying some premixed cocktail garbage. Some apricot and dried fruits round out the nose with some light spices. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Palate: If perfume could translate to a palate, this whiskey has it. White floral notes, rose water with a black and blue berry medley. The lightest of mint and menthol notes delicately dry things out through waves of creamy vanilla. More dark blood oranges, tangerine, plum, sweet cereal and rye grains come through but not as green and earthy as you may pick up in your average rye – the wine barrel finishing def polishes things over. As MWND opens up in your glass you’ll find thick figs and prunes and some vanilla-lemon custard. I also get this reminder of raisins from those little boxes my mom would put in my lunch bag as a child. The body is medium in density and has a very nice mouthfeel, the wine barrel maturation and rye play very well. At the back of the palate oak quietly shows its head, enduring throughout the wine heavy journey in your mouth, and settles onto the tip of your tongue as the port has the last word which comes across as dry, which I find really pleasant. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Finish: Sticky raisin, black pepper, black licorice and anise star. Oak is subtle. Lots of sweet winey notes and mint, smoked fruits, Luxardo cherry syrup, banana chips, rose petal, some white pepper. Like a manhattan in a bottle with little to no bitterness. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Bourbon and House Rating: 91.5 _______________________________________________ www.bourbonandhouse.com