Distiller: High West Distillery

Release: 2020

Whiskey: A Midwinter Nights Dram, Act 8 Scene 3

Region: Park City, Utah

Price: $99.00

Proof: 98.6

Age:  ~6 years

The Barrel Cellar Score:  86 Points

Review Date: 03/01/2021

About the Bourbon: High West is a celebrated Distillary from Park City Utah, They are primarily a Rye whiskey producer, and produce a wide variety of award-winning offerings. A Midwinter Nights Dram is High West’s annual limited release. This year’s release “Act 8” is made from their “Rendezvous Rye Whiskey, aged in American oak barrels and finished in French oak Port barrels.

I enjoyed the whiskey for this review using a set of Prestige diamond whiskey glasses.

Color: Copper with a Maroon hue

Nose: Oak, port wine, brown sugar, dried apricot, and pickling spice

Taste:  Oak, Cherry lime-ade, cinnamon, raisin, pickling spice,  dried apricot and hints of leather.  Drop a couple of ice cubes and notes of chocolate covered cherries and citrus emerge.  

Finish:  Mid-Length with plum, oak, rye spice, and hints of orange

Assessment: The color of this whiskey is beautiful. I’ve never seen a glass of whiskey quite like it. This whiskey itself is an absolute fruit bomb; there are plentiful fruit notes including Apricot, Cherry, Plum, and citrus. There is a lot to like about the bottle; a plethora of flavor notes, unique character (thanks to the port barrel aging), and classic rye spice.

The main story of this whiskey however, is oak. The oak is over done. The oak tannins drown out what could be amazing fruit and spice notes. The heavy oak influence takes away from the experience, it’s tannic to the point of bitter. I did find that if you pair it with some milk chocolate, the sweetness of the chocolate will provide some balance against the spiciness of the whisky and the bitterness of the tannins; it’s a great mix! A few more sweet notes in the whiskey itself would have done the same.

The barrel Cellar gives High West Distillery’s A Midwinter Nights Dram 86 points.

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