High West Whiskey
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 6:43 pm
This is a blend of two straight ryes only, a 6 year old rye from a 95% rye mashbill and a 16 year old rye made from 80% rye. High West is a relatively recent microdistilery in Utah so clearly this product was compounded from whiskeys sourced from a long-established distillery (or two of them). As I recall there was speculation that the former Seagram facility in Lawrenceburg, Indiana (now owned by Angostura) supplied it and it was rye that might have been used as a flavoring whiskey for Seagram 7 Crown and maybe other Seagram whiskies.
Wherever it was from, it is extremely good and very well put together. The whiskey is quite unlike any other straight rye I have had. It smells of some kind of hard candy and spices. The taste is rainwater soft with notes of old roses, golden syrup and something musky in the best possible way. Elements of it remind me of some other whiskeys I have had but in a combination I find unique. If this is typical of what Canadian and some American distilleries make in-house to flavor their blended whiskies, it is a pity these are not generally made available to the market uncut. I don't find the taste similar to Templeton's rye (also apparently from Lawrenceburg) yet both are excellent and offer a contrast to the well-known ryes from Kentucky.
There is a version which is offers just the 16 year component which I am sure is excellent but I haven't had as yet.
Great stuff and well worth the price (circa $50).
Gary
Wherever it was from, it is extremely good and very well put together. The whiskey is quite unlike any other straight rye I have had. It smells of some kind of hard candy and spices. The taste is rainwater soft with notes of old roses, golden syrup and something musky in the best possible way. Elements of it remind me of some other whiskeys I have had but in a combination I find unique. If this is typical of what Canadian and some American distilleries make in-house to flavor their blended whiskies, it is a pity these are not generally made available to the market uncut. I don't find the taste similar to Templeton's rye (also apparently from Lawrenceburg) yet both are excellent and offer a contrast to the well-known ryes from Kentucky.
There is a version which is offers just the 16 year component which I am sure is excellent but I haven't had as yet.
Great stuff and well worth the price (circa $50).
Gary