ScotchingHard
High West A Midwinter Night's Dram
Rye — (bottled in) Utah, USA
Reviewed
August 2, 2020 (edited November 13, 2022)
Act 5 Scene 6
I hated Shakespeare, but thou art I fucking love this.
I find this to be at least as enjoyable in the summer as in the winter, when I prefer smoky scotches. I definitely get the winter holiday sweet aromas and flavors with this dram. Pine cones, rumcake, fruitcake, raisins, and berry jams; this is balanced well with the dill and caraway of the whiskey’s rye backbone. But when it’s cold, I tend to like the savory, smoky game meat flavor profiles. The summer is the perfect time to enjoy something sweet and herbaceous. So, just as well, this can be a mindsummer night dram too.
The issue with this bottle of rye is that it can be difficult to track down at retail pricing. I was able to get my bottle of Act 5 Scene 6 in the 2018 holiday season for about $90. I understand the low end of price range now is around $120. Even adding a little premium to that price is, in my mind, worthwhile, and I will be repurchasing future acts of this bottle. I am not sure how much batch variation there is, but I hear the earlier versions (acts 1 and 2), before High West was bought by Constellation Brands, which can be found on the secondary market for around $1000, were much better. Here’s hoping my next bottle will not be much worse, because Act 5 is still wonderful stuff worthy of a celebration.
Score: ** (unimaginably good)
How much does a bottle cost?: $100-200. Older versions end up on the secondary market for much more.
How much do I think a bottle is worth?: $150.
90.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@PBMichiganWolverine Totally concur.
I was spoiled...I’ve had the act 2 and 3, which were amazing. Was let down by act 5 and 6. Act 7 seemed to be towards improving , but not in the same league as 2 or 3